To ask the Minister for Communities, pursuant to AQW 3207/22-27, to detail the ways in which she will improve the Private Rented Sector, so that it provides a safe and secure housing option for those that need it.

Phase 1 of Private Rented Sector reform is encapsulated in the Private Tenancies Act (NI) 2022. Those areas that are particularly focused on safety and security relate to the introduction of:

Minimum standards for electrical safety and the installation of smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide alarms; and

Much longer notice to quit periods.

Subject to the appropriate Committee and Assembly consideration, it is anticipated that regulations to operationalise all these improvements will be made by the end of the year.

My future consideration of what needs to happen in Phase 2 of the reform programme will be focused on what further measures I can take to improve the safety, security, and quality of this sector. My officials have already started to re-engage with key stakeholders to review what is happening in other jurisdictions to inform this work.