The Rate Relief (Qualifying Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

Arrangements for rate relief

Rate relief scheme

4.—(1) The relevant authorities shall take such steps as appear to them appropriate for the purpose of securing that persons who may be entitled to rate relief become aware that they may be entitled to it.

(2) The relevant authorities shall make copies of the rate relief scheme available, without payment, for public inspection at their offices at all reasonable hours.

Arrangements for rate relief

5.—(1) Rate relief shall be granted in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) The relevant authority, as it considers appropriate in the circumstances, may discharge entitlement to rate relief by means of any, or any combination, of the following—

(a) a payment or payments by the relevant authority to the claimant;

(b) a reduction in the amount of any payment which that person is liable to make by way of rates;

(c) a payment direct to the landlord where in accordance with regulations made under the Administration Act an amount of housing benefit payable to the claimant or his partner is being paid direct to the landlord; or

(d) a transfer of funds between the Executive and the Department,

and “pay”, in relation to rate relief, includes discharge in any of those forms.

6.—(1) Rate relief shall be administered by—

(a) the Department insofar as it relates to persons who own the hereditaments which they occupy as their home;

(b) the Executive insofar as it relates to persons who are tenants of the Executive, private tenants or tenants of registered housing associations.

(2) In this regulation—

“private tenants” means tenants under any tenancy except—

(a)

a tenancy under which the estate of the landlord belongs to the Executive or a registered housing association;

(b)

a tenancy the purpose of which is to confer on the tenant the right to occupy a hereditament for a holiday;

“registered housing association” means a housing association registered in the register maintained under Part II of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1992(1).

(1)

S.I. 1992/1725 (N.I. 15)