The Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

Right of secure tenants of the Executive to have repairs carried out

133.  For Article 38A of the Order of 1983 (right to carry out repairs) there shall be substituted—

“Right to have repairs carried out

38A.— (1) The Executive shall prepare and submit to the Department a scheme for entitling secure tenants of the Executive to have qualifying repairs carried out, at the Executive’s expense, to the dwelling-houses of which they are secure tenants.

(2) A scheme submitted under paragraph (1) may contain such provision as the Executive thinks appropriate and, without prejudice to the foregoing, shall include provision with respect to—

(a) the period of time within which the repairs must be carried out;

(b) the payment of sums to tenants by way of compensation where the repairs are not carried out within the period of time specified in the scheme;

(c) the method by which sums of compensation payable under the scheme are to be calculated; and

(d) the circumstances in which the Executive may set off against any compensation payable under the scheme any sums owed to it by the tenant to whom compensation is payable.

(3) The Department may approve a scheme submitted under paragraph (1) with or without modifications.

(4) The Executive shall comply with a scheme approved by the Department under paragraph (3).

(5) The Executive may at any time, and if the Department so directs shall, submit to the Department proposals amending a scheme approved under paragraph (3) or a scheme replacing any such scheme; and paragraphs (3) and (4) shall have effect in relation to those proposals or a scheme replacing an existing scheme as they have effect in relation to a scheme.

(6) Any question arising under a scheme approved under paragraph (3) may be referred to and determined by the county court.

(7) In this Article—

• “qualifying repair”, in relation to a dwelling-house, means any repair of a description specified in a scheme approved under paragraph (3) which the Executive is obliged by a repairing covenant to carry out;

• “repairing covenant”, in relation to a dwelling-house, means a covenant (whether express or implied) obliging the Executive to keep in repair the dwelling-house or any part of the dwelling-house.”.