The NI Housing Executive (NIHE) has lost more than £40m in unpaid rents.

That's the shock news this week with NIHE data showing that in the last three years, rents totalling £41m have not been paid.

The Belfast News Letter has this morning reported that the amount of unpaid rent is around £14m for two of the last three years across Northern Ireland although this dropped slightly to just over £13m last year (2009/10).

In the city, north Belfast residents have clocked up the biggest unpaid rent bill at £1.5m each year, although this is also the area with the highest concentration of Housing Executive properties.

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West Belfast, which also has a large number of Housing Executive properties compared to other areas, had a bill just under half of north Belfast's at £701,575 last year.

The Castlereagh area of east Belfast also has a high level of unpaid rent at £800,551 last year.

Meanwhile, Ballycastle has the lowest rent bill at £75,059 but it is also the smallest area included on the list.

Outstanding rent elsewhere in Northern Ireland include east Belfast (£768,609), south Belfast (£784,237), Bangor (£573,847), Downpatrick (£351,557), Shankill (£697,977), Carrickfergus (£310,687), Coleraine (£383,931) and the Waterside area of Londonderry (£555,504).

(BMcC/GK)