Many of the participants in PPR housing clinics in 2024 and 2025 reported coming under pressure from housing authorities to accept offers, judgements or decisions that they felt were unacceptable but which they ultimately felt they had little power to challenge or refuse:

“due to my health conditions and eye problems, I am struggling to manage walking up the stairs to the apartment. I was not offered a second option for accommodation and I do not believe this apartment constitutes a reasonable offer based on the number and size of the bedrooms and maintenance issues. This situation has caused me considerable stress and is negatively affecting my mental and physical health.” (complaint letter, April 2025)

While this dynamic is not new, it has been exacerbated by Fundamental Review changes to the Housing Selection Scheme implemented in January 2023 and September 2024. In the first raft of changes, housing authorities lifted the rule that prospective tenants could apply for a social home in only two areas – a positive development for many. But at the same time they also reduced the number of ‘reasonable offers’ each applicant was due from three to two, on pain of suspension from the waiting list for a year.

In its 2017 response to these proposals, PPR pointed out the many ways in which the Housing Executive’s view of what is a reasonable offer can differ from applicants’ (para. 15). The DFC’s 2020 Outcomes Report acknowledged this, recommending that housing officers take care in establishing and recording applicants’ needs so as to avoid mismatches leading to refusals (p. 80). Yet as evidenced in the housing clinics and complaints, the issue persists – with heightened consequences for people in housing need, given the reduction in offers they are due.

Another proposal to which PPR had raised concerns was also rolled out in 2023. The new rule 58a of the Housing Selection Scheme gives housing authorities new powers to withdraw tenancy offers in certain conditions including if the applicant is no longer considered eligible, for instance because of unacceptable behaviour.

“me, my daughter and my newborn grandson are facing eviction from the only home we have all ever known even though I have been paying rent and doing everything I am supposed to be doing by law.” (complaint letter, July 2024)

in a recommendation that PPR judged punitive, the 2017 DFC FRA consultation proposed further steps, allowing social landlords to withhold consent for a policy succession or assignment in some cases.

From September 2024, housing authorities also have new powers around tenancy succession and assignment. Historically, the Housing Selection Scheme recognised specific circumstances where a person who did not have a statutory entitlement to a tenancy could be awarded it – for instance in the case of a family home following a bereavement. Review of practice in this area began over a decade ago in the context of welfare reform, initially out of fears that people’s benefit award may not match their rent if they ‘inherited’ a bigger house. However in a recommendation that PPR judged punitive, the 2017 DFC FRA consultation proposed further steps, allowing social landlords to withhold consent for a policy succession or assignment in some cases.

This tightening of the rules around potential policy successions has been controversial, with a number of high-profile eviction orders against newly bereaved people from their family homes.

In a January 2025 NI Assembly housing debate, one MLA drew attention to this issue:

“the succession of tenancy policy has seen an increase in evictions and homelessness, particularly in the Belfast area, in recent times. A recent High Court case actually ruled in favour of a tenant whom the Housing Executive was trying to evict. In light of those incidents, will the Minister urgently review that policy and its application?”

Communities Minister Lyons’ response served to highlight the discretionary nature of the powers granted to decision makers:

“we understand the importance of succession, especially when families have been established and people have been living in those homes. If the Member has a particular case that she wants to raise with me, I will be happy to look at that.”

In January 2025, PPR was among the organisations supporting the Community Action Tenants Union’s call for an immediate halt to all succession-related eviction proceedings pending a full Equality Impact Assessment of the new policy changes.

PPR’s full analysis of this and other ‘Fundamental Review of Allocations’ changes is here.