DocMuse is a private, paid service run by The Muse Technology EOOD (Bulgaria). It is not a government website and is not connected with nidirect, the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service or any other public body. It is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Law Society of Northern Ireland or any other legal regulator; its documents are not legal advice.
Report disrepair, damp or mould and ask your landlord for repairs (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English · for tenants
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
12 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in Northern Ireland
Fill in the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
- Instant download after payment
- Backup link emailed to you
- No account needed
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland whose home needs repairs — damp and mould, a broken boiler, leaks, faulty electrics. The letter reports each problem in writing with dated photos, reminds the landlord of the repairing duties the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 sets where the tenancy agreement is silent and of the fitness standard, asks to arrange an inspection within 14 days, and confirms you will keep paying the rent. If nothing happens, the council’s environmental health team can inspect, free.
- 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.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- Your rented flat in Northern Ireland has damp and mould and the landlord keeps putting off the repair.
- The boiler has broken and you have had no heating or hot water for days.
- You reported a leak by phone weeks ago and nothing has been done.
- You want to report the repairs in writing, with photos, before going to the council.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Tenant
- Tenant's address
- Town or city
- Tenant's postcode
- Date
- Landlord
- Landlord's address
- Landlord's postcode
- The repairs needed, room by room, and when each problem began
- Date you first told the landlord (optional)
- Effect on your health, belongings or use of the home (optional)
- When you can give access for an inspection or repairs (optional)
Common questions
- Can I stop paying rent in Northern Ireland until the landlord does the repairs?
- It is risky. Unpaid rent is arrears whatever the condition of the home, and arrears can lead to a notice to quit and a claim for possession in court. Keep paying, report the problems in writing, keep copies and photos, and ask the council’s environmental health team to inspect if nothing happens. Housing Rights gives free advice on compensation and the rare cases where a tenant may repair and deduct the cost.
- Who is responsible for repairs in a privately rented home in Northern Ireland?
- Your tenancy agreement first. Where it says nothing, the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 makes the landlord responsible for the structure, the exterior and the installations, and the tenant for taking proper care, putting right damage they cause and internal decoration. The landlord’s duty runs from when they know of the problem, so report it in writing and keep a copy.
- What can the council do about damp and mould in a private rented home in Northern Ireland?
- Contact your district council’s environmental health team: an inspection is free, and many councils take requests online or by phone. If the home is unfit or in serious disrepair, the council can serve a notice of unfitness or a notice of disrepair requiring the landlord to do the work (Part III of the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006). A landlord who does not comply commits an offence, and the council can carry out the work itself.
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
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Complaint to the Housing Executive or a housing association about repairs (Northern Ireland)
For a tenant of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive or a housing association whose repairs have not been done, or not done properly — damp and mould, leaks, heating. The letter makes a formal complaint, or asks for the final stage of the landlord’s complaints procedure, setting out the problems, when you reported them, the effect on your household and what you want done. Both take complaints online or by phone too, free. After the final stage, the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman can look at it, normally within six months.
- Ask the council to inspect a rented home in poor condition (Northern Ireland)
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland whose landlord has not dealt with serious problems — damp and mould, no heating, dangerous electrics, vermin. The letter asks the district council’s environmental health team to inspect the home against the fitness standard and take action against the landlord, such as a notice requiring repairs. Many councils take inspection requests online or by phone, free; this letter sets out the problems, the history of your reports and the photos in one place, by post or email.
- Ask your landlord to return your deposit (Northern Ireland)
For a tenant in Northern Ireland who has moved out and is still waiting for the deposit. A letter before claim to the landlord or letting agent: it gives the date the tenancy ended, the deposit and the scheme protecting it — TDS Northern Ireland or myDeposits Northern Ireland — and asks for the deposit back within 14 days, or a written list of any deduction with evidence, saying which deductions you dispute. Next comes the scheme’s free dispute service, then a small claim in the county court (up to £5,000). If the deposit was never protected, report it to the council.
- Report an unprotected deposit or an unregistered landlord to the council (Northern Ireland)
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland whose landlord has broken a rule the district council enforces: a deposit not protected within 28 days, the deposit information not given within 35 days, a deposit of more than one month’s rent, no landlord registration, no tenancy information notice, or no receipt for rent paid in cash. The letter reports it to the council’s environmental health team, which can give the landlord a fixed penalty or prosecute. In Northern Ireland this replaces a court claim for a multiple of the deposit.
- Ask your landlord for the tenancy information notice (Northern Ireland)
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland who has not been given the tenancy information notice — the free notice of the main facts of the tenancy that a landlord must give within 28 days of the tenancy starting, and again within 28 days of a change. The letter asks for it within 14 days and names the next step: the district council, which enforces the rule and can give a landlord who does not comply a fixed penalty. Short, polite, and a dated record of when you asked.
- Ask your landlord for consent to sublet or take in a lodger (Northern Ireland)
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland who wants to take in a lodger, or sublet a room or the whole home. Most tenancy agreements require the landlord’s written consent first, and going ahead without it can breach the tenancy and lead to its end. The letter says what you ask for, who would move in, where and for how long, confirms you stay responsible for the rent and every term of the tenancy, and asks for an answer within 14 days. Not for Housing Executive or housing association tenants, whose own tenancy terms apply.