Northern Ireland Deposit Disputes Are Below 1%

For the second year in a row, the number of tenancy deposit disputes in Northern Ireland has been less than 1 per cent of cases (0.86 per cent), which is a positive outcome considering there has been an increase in the number of deposits being protected by landlords in deposit protection schemes, according to recent data from TDS Northern Ireland.

The number of tenant deposits that have been kept in tenancy deposit schemes has risen to over 10,000 during the past three years and the amount of tenancies that end in a deposit dispute has continued to fall. This likely indicates that both landlords and tenants are generally successful in coming to an agreement over the deposit when a tenancy ends, according to TDS Northern Ireland.

The average length of time for a tenancy deposit dispute to be resolved in Northern Ireland has also continued to fall. In the year 2016–2017, TDS recorded an average tenancy deposit dispute to last 11.7 days and from 2017–2018, the average length of a tenancy deposit fell to just 4.4 days.

This recent trend suggests that there are signs of success from the dispute team, by the fact that they have been able to handle tenancy deposit disputes efficiently and swiftly on those occasions when they do arise, according to the recent data from TDS Northern Ireland.

The average value of tenancy deposits kept in protection schemes in Northern Ireland has risen year on year since 2014, according to TDS Northern Ireland. In March 2014, the average value of tenancy deposits kept in protection schemes was recorded at £9,901,267, which has increased to £31,395,767 in March 2018.

In Northern Ireland, the average value of a tenant deposit kept in a protection scheme has varied in the past four years. In March 2014, the average tenant deposit was £564 compared to March 2018 when it was £587.

There was also a notable increase in the number of protected tenancy deposits when comparing figures between 2014 and 2018. In March 2014, there were 17,544 tenancy deposits protected in Northern Ireland, which rose to 53,510 in March 2018, according to the recent data from TDS Northern Ireland.

These figures are significant, considering that the private rented sector in Northern Ireland has outgrown the social housing sector, according to Northern Ireland Housing Executive and housing associations.

The recent TDS Northern Ireland data shows an emerging trend that tenant deposit disputes are rapidly falling. In a recent interview with Property118.com, Eamonn Hunt, chief operating officer at TDS Northern Ireland said: “Despite continued growth, it’s clear that TDS NI is becoming more and more adept at dealing with deposit disputes, which is testament to the hard work and expertise of the staff.

“Our annual Statistical Briefings aim to shine a light on the PRS (private rented sector) in Northern Ireland, a growing sector, and allow tenants, landlords, letting agents and members of the public to discover more about it.

“Highlighting statistics such as the number of deposit disputes is important for instilling confidence in users of the PRS, while showing the most common reasons for disputes shows individuals what to look out for in their own properties. We think this is an important resource for the PRS in Northern Ireland.”