Fact sheet: Landlord Registration Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

Two separate investigations in Camden and Mansfield involving unlicensed Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) led to sanctions for landlords and agents. West Northamptonshire is the latest council to announce a crackdown on unregulated and poorly managed properties.

On 1 April 2019, the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 comes into force and landlords must have a valid licence for each HMO they own.

As widely expected, there was an uplift in activity in the sales market due mainly to the Stamp Duty thresholds changing in April, which will see many homeowners pay more property tax in England and Northern Ireland.

Fraudsters exploited the vulnerabilities in the property transaction system by stealing a homeowner’s identity and using a fake driving license to set up a bank account in his name to facilitate a sale in 2021. After four years, on 11 March 2025, a County Court finally granted the owner full possession of his home.