Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has recommended adjustments to proposed private tenancy regulations in Northern Ireland. The council's Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee reviewed a report on changes to notice to quit periods managed by the Department for Communities (DfC).

Current minimum notice periods stand at four weeks for tenancies under 12 months, eight weeks for tenancies of one to ten years, and 12 weeks for tenancies of ten years or longer. Councils' environmental health departments enforce these rules.

DfC launched a 12-week public consultation on draft Private Tenancies (Notice to Quit) Regulations Northern Ireland 2025. The proposals allow reduced notice periods in specific cases: a fortnight for serious anti-social behaviour or relevant criminal convictions, one month for rent arrears over two months, and three months for landlord or family possession needs.

The council urges DfC to require landlords to show evidence of offering tenants a repayment plan before evictions due to substantial rent arrears. It also recommends removing the special three-month notice for landlord or family occupation, reverting to standard periods based on tenancy length.

Standard notice periods would increase under the proposals to eight weeks for tenancies under one year, four months for one to three years, six months for three to eight years, and seven months for eight years or more.

The council seeks DfC clarification that repeated annoyance or disturbance qualifies as sufficient evidence for reduced notices. It suggests replacing 'nuisance' with 'disturbance' in definitions and adding dog barking as an example of anti-social behaviour.