To ask the Minister for Social Development what action his Department is taking to increase awareness amongst tenants of the importance of checking that their landlords have registered with the Landlord Registration Scheme.

My Department takes a multifaceted approach to increasing awareness of the Landlord Registration Scheme for both landlords and tenants.

The original advertising campaign comprised of (television, online and printed media) advertisements and leaflets highlighting the requirement on landlords to register and the responsibility on tenants and potential tenants to check that their landlord is registered.

In June and July, my Department delivered a series of road shows for Environmental Health Officers from each Council in Northern Ireland. At these road shows, the original message was reinforced through a website demonstration, a presentation and additional distribution of leaflets. During September, my Department is attending seven University “freshers” events across Northern Ireland, allowing direct communication with current and potential student tenants as well as university support staff. The focus of this planned communication will be on the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords. The requirement on landlords to register will form a significant aspect of this.

A further advertising campaign is planned to commence in November. It is envisaged its key messages will be:

All landlords are required to register by February 2015;

All tenants should check that their landlord is registered; and

Tenants should report unregistered landlords to their local Council.

It is likely that these communication initiatives will be reviewed in the first half of 2015.