Landlord Notices to Quit increasing social housing pressures in Derry

1,279 new applications have been made for social housing in Derry and Strabane in the last five years due to tenants being given a Notice to Quit, often because property owners are selling up.

Over the past five years, ‘Loss of Private Rented Accommodation’ has been the third most common reason for households presenting as homeless in the North, according to a Housing Executive (HE) spokesperson. 

This is after people presenting as homeless due to ‘Accomodation not Reasonable’ and ‘Sharing Breakdown / Family Disputes’. 

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the HE by Aontú’s Ballyarnett representative, Emmet Doyle, also revealed in 2024 / 25, the Derry and Strabane local election area had the second highest number of people in the North presenting as homeless due to loss of private rented accommodation. Belfast was highest with 591 applications. 

As recently as March, The Derry News reported tenants living in rental accommodation in 10 apartments in numbers 5 and 6 Crawford Square in the city had been served with Notices to Quit. The notices were received in January and the tenants were told they had to leave their homes by St Patrick’s Day past. 

Crawford Square tenants facing immnent homelessness

Notices to Quit by St Patrick's Day served on long-term residents

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The “key to dealing with demand for permanent housing” is Stormont support for the commitments made under the Programme for Government (PfG) and the Housing Supply Strategy, according to the HE spokesperson.

The PFG and Housing Supply Strategy aimed to tackle the housing crisis by targeting the commencement of at least 5,850 new-build social homes by 2027. 

This initiative addresses a waiting list of almost 48,000 households, with a focus on increasing supply across all tenures to meet demand.

Speaking to the Derry News Mr Doyle said a huge number of people in the city had lost their rented accommodation in recent years due to the booming property market and the number of landlords selling their properties. 

“1,279 applicants have been added to the social housing list in the last five years,” he added.

“There has not been a week in the last two years in particular where I have not been contacted by someone who has been a long-term renter and now finds themselves registering for a social home with the HE.

“It is clear that those people who are in this situation and registering with the HE is only the tip of the iceberg, and many other families are trying instead to find other rented accommodation. 

“In the last five years, approximately 300 new applicants have joined the housing list in the Derry and Strabane District Council area every year as a result of receiving a notice to quit. It is important to recognise many of these are families, so they actually reflect a much larger number of people.

“This situation is totally unsustainable and is being exacerbated by the lack of social housing being built by the HE which is nowhere near enough to meet the current demand in Derry and across the North,” said the former councillor.

“People with their young families are being put into temporary accommodation in hotel rooms, at an astronomical cost of £46 million, for want of a forever home, and there seems to be little political movement on delivering even the number of homes promised, which in itself is a fraction of what is needed,” added Mr Doyle.

“What we are looking at throughout the region is more than 11,000 people being added to the housing waiting list because they have lost their rented home. This needs, urgently, to be taken into consideration by Stormont with MLAs appearing to be ‘all talk’ when it comes to the issue of housing.”

In a statement to The Derry News, a HE spokesperson said: “We have consistently and transparently documented and highlighted the increased numbers of individuals and families who are homeless and the increasing number of people on the waiting list for social homes in Northern Ireland.

“Over the past number of years, ‘Loss of Private Rented Accommodation’ has generally been the third most common reason in NI for households presenting as homeless (after those presenting as homeless due to: ‘Accommodation not Reasonable’ and ‘Sharing Breakdown/Family disputes’). 

 “In 2024/2025, 2,348 households in Northern Ireland presented as homeless due to loss of private rented accommodation. Whilst this is a significant increase from 2020 / 2021 when 1,486 households presented as homeless due to the same reason, it does reflect a downward trend from a high of 2,726 households presenting as homeless due to loss of private rented accommodation in 2022 / 2023. 

 “New housing supply across all sectors is undoubtedly the key to dealing with demand for permanent housing and support the commitments made under the Programme for Government and the Housing Supply Strategy.

 “We are here to provide help and support to anyone at risk of homelessness with our housing solutions and support approach. You can contact us if you become aware that your rented accommodation may be coming to an end and we will look in detail at your housing options and choices and support you to try and achieve the best housing solution for you based on your preferences and circumstances.”