Update: This survey will close on Monday 13 December. We’d love to hear from you before then!

A new Amp Survey has gone to our registered survey members but it’s not too late to take part! The Amp is a survey series for people living in Northern Ireland interested in housing and community issues.

Take this survey now and if you opt into Amp Membership at the end you will be entered into a prize draw for a £30 voucher!

Take the survey here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/TheAMP4/

Read on for some background information.

What is Intermediate Rent?

Intermediate Rent is a potential new tenancy option for Northern Ireland.

We know private rented housing in Northern Ireland is not working for many people for a range of reasons such as security of tenure, affordability, and quality of accommodation. There also aren’t enough social homes for those who want them forcing many people to pay a large percentage of their income on private rentals.

The Department for Communities is looking at a new way to help people rent good-quality, affordable housing with more extended periods of a secure tenancy. It is called “Intermediate Rent.”

Intermediate Rent could, in the future, be a housing option for people who want to rent but are unlikely to be able to get social housing or who are trying to save to buy their own home.

The rent would be more than you would pay for social housing but less than you would pay to a private landlord. The time period you sign up to rent would be longer than a typical private rental, but not for the very long-term, like a social home.

Intermediate Rent is also referred to as ‘affordable rent,’ ‘mid-market rent,’ and ‘cost rental’ in other places. Models of this kind have been working across the UK and Ireland for some time but have yet to be provided in the housing market here.