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Landlord’s notice of access to inspect or repair a rented home (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English · for landlords
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For a private landlord or letting agent in Northern Ireland who needs to enter a tenant’s home to inspect it, carry out repairs, or arrange the annual gas safety check or the five-yearly electrical inspection. The notice gives the date, time and purpose, says who will attend, carries the landlord registration number and invites the tenant to propose another time. A tenant must allow entry at reasonable times on reasonable notice (Article 12 of the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006); no one enters without agreement except in an emergency.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You let a house in Northern Ireland and need to get in to check its condition.
- The gas safety check or the electrical inspection is due and the tenant needs to let the engineer in.
- Your tenant reported a leak and a plumber needs access to fix it.
- You want to give your tenant written notice of a visit with a date, a time and a reason.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Landlord
- Landlord's address
- Town or city
- Landlord's postcode
- Landlord registration number
- Phone
- Date
- Tenant
- Address of the property
- Date of the visit
- Time, or time window, of the visit
- Purpose of the visit
- More about the visit or the works (optional)
- Who will attend (name and firm)
Common questions
- How much notice must a landlord in Northern Ireland give before visiting a rented home?
- Reasonable notice, for a visit at a reasonable time: the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 sets no fixed number of hours, and the tenancy agreement may say more. Giving several days’ written notice for a routine inspection, and agreeing the time with the tenant, avoids argument. Only a genuine emergency — a gas leak, fire or flood — justifies entry without agreement.
- How often must the electrics be checked in a private rented home in Northern Ireland?
- At least every five years, by a qualified person, under the Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 — for new tenancies from 1 April 2025 and for existing ones from 1 December 2025. Gas appliances are checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants should allow access for both, and landlords should keep a record of every attempt to arrange it.
- What if the tenant in Northern Ireland cannot make the time in the notice of access?
- The notice asks the tenant to propose another reasonable time. Agree a new date in writing and keep a record. A tenant who keeps refusing access for repairs the landlord must carry out may be in breach of the tenancy, but the landlord still must not enter without agreement; Housing Rights advises landlords and tenants on the next step, free.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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