Northern Ireland: templates and forms

For a bereaved parent in Northern Ireland — after the death of a child, a stillbirth or, since 6 April 2026, a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, for the mother and her partner: a short notice telling your employer you will take parental bereavement leave, with the date of the loss, how you will take the two weeks (one week, two together or two separate weeks) and when the leave starts, and asking about the pay. No medical evidence is needed. The Labour Relations Agency's guide is free. Sold blank, to complete by hand.

For a driver in Northern Ireland after a collision: one place to write down the other driver’s name, address, vehicle and insurer, the time and place, what happened, the damage and the witnesses, while the details are fresh. Each driver keeps their own record and sends it with the insurance claim. It is not an admission of fault, and it does not replace the report to the police that Article 175 of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 requires if anyone else is hurt or you did not give your details at the scene.

For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose order from an online or high-street trader has not arrived. Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the trader must deliver within the agreed time or, if none was agreed, within 30 days, and the goods stay at its risk until you have them (section 29), so a parcel lost in transit is its problem. The letter gives a final 14 days to deliver, after which the contract ends, a full refund is due and you may make a small claim for it in the county court. Send it by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For).

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.

For a parent in Northern Ireland whose child has been off school ill and whose school asks for a note. A short letter to the school giving the dates of the absence and the day you first told the school, and asking for it to be recorded as an absence because of illness. It does not describe the illness; if the school wants evidence, its attendance policy says what. Handed in or emailed. Sold blank, to complete by hand, as it holds health data DocMuse does not collect.

For a worker in Northern Ireland with a problem at work that talking has not solved — treatment by a manager or colleague, workload, pay, bullying, a change imposed without agreement: a formal written grievance under the Labour Relations Agency's Code of Practice, saying what happened and what you want, asking for a meeting without unreasonable delay and to bring a colleague or union representative. The LRA's Code and helpline are free. Hand it in and email it.

For an employee in Northern Ireland with parental responsibility for a child under 18 and at least one year's service: a notice taking unpaid parental leave, giving the child, the dates and the number of weeks. The default rules allow 18 weeks for each child, up to four weeks a year, in whole weeks, with at least 21 days' notice. The employer can postpone the leave for up to six months, but not refuse it. nidirect explains parental leave free. Hand it in and email it.

For the executor or administrator of someone who has died in Northern Ireland, or a person who may have a claim arising out of the death. An application under Article 5(1)(e) of the Access to Health Records (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 to a GP practice or a health and social care trust: it names the patient and their Health and Care Number, says in which capacity you apply, lists the records wanted and asks for them within 21 or 40 days. Enclose the death certificate and your evidence. Posted first class. Sold blank, to complete by hand.

For landlords, letting agents and tenants in Northern Ireland at the start of a private tenancy. It records the condition of each room, the furniture and appliances, the meter readings, the keys and the smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, refers to dated photos, and gives the tenant seven days to add comments. Both sign it. No law requires an inventory, but the free dispute services of TDS Northern Ireland and myDeposits Northern Ireland rely on one when a landlord proposes deductions from the deposit.

For a driver, motorcyclist or cyclist in Northern Ireland whose vehicle was damaged by a pothole or other road defect. The letter tells DfI Roads, the Department for Infrastructure’s roads service, when and where it happened, the damage and the cost, holds the Department liable for the road’s condition and asks for its inspection and repair records. nidirect explains the free claim route; this letter goes with your evidence. If the claim is refused, the next step is the county court.

For the driver or keeper of a vehicle given a penalty charge notice (PCN) for parking in Northern Ireland — on the street by the Department for Infrastructure, or in a council car park — who thinks it is wrong and has not yet received a Notice to Owner. The letter gives the ticket’s details, the reasons it should be cancelled and the evidence, and asks for any reduced charge to be held open. The online challenge route printed on the ticket does the same job; this letter suits post or email. Not for private car park charges.

For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose faulty goods were repaired or replaced once and are still faulty, or whom the trader did not repair or replace within a reasonable time. The letter uses the final right to reject for a refund, or keeps the goods and asks for a price reduction (section 24 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015), and is your final letter before a claim, with 14 days to reply before a small claim in the county court (up to £5,000). Send it to the retailer by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For), with a copy of the earlier correspondence.

For a parent in Northern Ireland leaving a child with grandparents, a friend, a childminder or another carer: a signed letter arranging for the carer to consent to the child’s medical treatment while the child is with them, and to speak to doctors and dentists. A parent may arrange for someone to meet part of their parental responsibility but cannot hand it over (Article 5(8) of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995). You choose emergency treatment only, or routine care too, and the dates.

For a ratepayer in Northern Ireland who thinks the capital value of their home — the figure domestic rates are worked out on — is too high. A signed statement of your evidence: why the value is wrong, and the addresses and capital values of similar homes nearby, to go with a free review request to Land & Property Services through nidirect. Values rest on what the home would have sold for on 1 January 2005, up to a maximum of £400,000, and a review can raise the value as well as lower it. Keep paying your rates meanwhile.

For an employee in Northern Ireland whose flexible working application has been turned down: a written, dated notice of appeal setting out your grounds — a reason outside the business grounds the law allows, wrong facts, no real discussion — and any alternative you would accept. The appeal goes in within 14 days of the decision; the employer must then hold an appeal meeting within 14 days and decide within 14 days after it. Hand it in and email it.

For a worker in Northern Ireland whose employer, or former employer, has not paid wages, final pay, overtime or holiday pay that is due: a letter setting out what is owed and how it is worked out, the total, the unlawful-deductions rule in Article 45 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, and 14 days to pay, naming the next steps — early conciliation with the Labour Relations Agency, which is free, then an industrial tribunal claim within three months. Sent first class and by email.

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.

For an employee in Northern Ireland made redundant after at least two years' continuous employment whose redundancy pay has not been paid: the written claim to the employer that the law asks for within six months, giving the dates, your figure if you have one, 14 days to pay and a request for the written calculation, then naming early conciliation with the Labour Relations Agency and the industrial tribunal. A week's pay counts up to £783 from April 2026. nidirect explains redundancy pay free. Sent by recorded delivery and by email.

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.

For a patient or service user in Northern Ireland, or someone complaining with their consent, unhappy with care from a GP practice, a dentist, a hospital or another health and social care service. A formal complaint to the trust or practice under the complaints procedure every HSC organisation has followed since 1 January 2026: it says what happened and what you want done, asks for an answer within the procedure's time limits and names the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman as the next step. The Patient and Client Council helps free. Sent by email. Sold blank, as it holds health data.

For a household customer in Northern Ireland with a problem with their electricity or gas supplier: a wrong or estimated bill, a catch-up bill for energy used more than 13 months ago, a meter fault or poor service. The letter is the formal complaint the supplier must deal with under its complaints procedure; if it is not resolved, the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland takes energy complaints free, and publishes its own free letter for a disputed bill. Send it by email or first class post, and keep the date.

For a parent in Northern Ireland who wants to see, or have a copy of, their child's educational record held by a school. A request to the principal under the Northern Ireland pupil records regulations of 2007: a grant-aided school must make the record available within 15 school days of a written request, and any charge for a copy may not exceed the cost of supply. For a school the regulations do not cover, the letter asks for the same information under the UK GDPR instead. Sent by email or handed in at the school office.

For a private landlord or letting agent in Northern Ireland whose tenant has fallen behind with the rent. The letter sets out the arrears period by period, asks the tenant to pay or propose a repayment plan by a set date, points to free advice from Housing Rights, Advice NI and others, and carries the landlord registration number. It says that if the arrears are not resolved the landlord may end the tenancy by notice to quit, as the law and the tenancy allow, and then apply to the court. It never threatens to change the locks or remove belongings.

For the end of a private tenancy in Northern Ireland. It records the day the keys were returned, the final meter readings, the condition of each room compared with the check-in report and anything the tenant does not accept. Signed by both — or, if the landlord or agent does not attend, completed by the tenant alone with dated photos and sent the same day by email and by recorded delivery. It is the evidence the free dispute service of TDS Northern Ireland or myDeposits Northern Ireland weighs.