- Latest available (Revised)
- Original (As made)
Rent (Northern Ireland) Order 1978
You are here:
What Version
Advanced Features
- Show Geographical Extent(e.g. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Show Timeline of Changes
More Resources
Changes to legislation:
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Rent (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, Section 54.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.
Unlawful eviction and harassment of occupierN.I.
54.—(1) If any person unlawfully deprives the tenant of a dwelling-house of his occupation of the dwelling-house or any part thereof or attempts to do so he shall be guilty of an offence unless he proves that he believed, and had reasonable cause to believe, that the tenant had ceased to reside in the dwelling-house.
(2) If any person with intent to cause the tenant of a dwelling-house—
(a)to give up the occupation of the dwelling-house or any part thereof; or
(b)to refrain from exercising any right or pursuing any remedy in respect of the dwelling-house or any part thereof;
does acts [F1likely] to interfere with the peace or comfort of the tenant or members of his household, or persistently withdraws or withholds services reasonably required for the occupation of the dwelling-house as a residence, he shall be guilty of an offence.
[F2(2A) Subject to paragraph (2B), the landlord of a dwelling-house or an agent of the landlord shall be guilty of an offence under this Order if–
(a)he does acts likely to interfere with the peace and comfort of the tenant of the dwelling-house or members of his household, or
(b)he persistently withdraws or withholds services reasonably required for the occupation of the dwelling-house as a residence,
and, (in either case) he knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, that the conduct is likely to cause the tenant to give up occupation of the whole or part of the premises or to refrain from exercising any right or pursuing any remedy in respect of the whole or part of the premises.
(2B) A person shall not be guilty of an offence under paragraph (2A) if he proves that he had reasonable grounds for doing the acts or withdrawing or withholding the services in question.]
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this Article shall be liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both; and
(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.
[F3(3A) Proceedings for an offence under this Article may be instituted by the district council in whose district the dwelling-house is situated.]
(4) Nothing in this Article shall prejudice any liability or remedy to which a person guilty of an offence thereunder may be subject in civil proceedings.
F1Word in art. 54(2) substituted (1.4.2007) by Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1459 (N.I. 10)), arts. 1(3), 60(2); S.R. 2006/428, art. 3(b)
F2Art. 54(2A)(2B) inserted (1.4.2007) by Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1459 (N.I. 10)), arts. 1(3), 60(3); S.R. 2006/428, art. 3(b)
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Arts. 54-58 excluded (17.9.2011) by Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 12), ss. 14(3), 18
Options/Help
Print Options
PrintThe Whole Order
PrintThe Whole Part
PrintThis Section only
Legislation is available in different versions:
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
See additional information alongside the content
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Opening Options
Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once
More Resources
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- correction slips
- links to related legislation and further information resources
Timeline of Changes
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
More Resources
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
- the original print PDF of the as made version that was used for the print copy
- correction slips
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:
- lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
- confers power and blanket amendment details
- all formats of all associated documents
- links to related legislation and further information resources
All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. This site additionally contains content derived from EUR-Lex, reused under the terms of the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of documents from the EU institutions. For more information see the EUR-Lex public statement on re-use.