Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, has reduced the landlord rating allowance to 10% for housing associations and 12.5% for private sector landlords from 1 April 2012.

The Minister was speaking following approval of the Rates (Payments by Owners by Agreement) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011 in the Assembly. This follows a public consultation last year on the level of the landlord rating allowance.

The Minister said: "At present a rating allowance is awarded where a landlord enters into an agreement to pay rates on their property. The voluntary allowance recognises that landlord collection is more cost effective than direct collection by Land and Property Services (LPS).

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"This legislation will not impact on tenants. It merely reduces the allowance payable to Housing Associations to 10%, and that payable to private sector landlords to 12.5%, in line with previous announcements. The current level of 15% is simply too generous, particularly given the fact that landlords would, as with all other property owners, now be liable for empty property rates."

With the introduction of the rating of empty homes in October 2011 100% rates will apply to all domestic property. There will generally be no difference between the occupied and vacant liability for that property. As a result it would be inequitable to maintain the current level of voluntary landlord allowance, given that part of the allowance is compensation for being unable to claim a vacancy. With the rating of empty homes vacancies cannot be claimed and therefore it would be inappropriate to retain this element of the allowance.

(CD)