The Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988

[F1 Persons not eligible for housing assistance N.I.

7A.— (1) A person is not eligible for assistance under this Part—

(a) if he is a person from abroad who is subject to immigration control and is ineligible for such assistance by virtue of section 119 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (c. 33);

(b) if he is any other person from abroad who is ineligible for such assistance by virtue of regulations made under paragraph (2); or

(c) if he is a person who the Executive has decided is to be treated as ineligible for such assistance by virtue of paragraph (5).

(2) The Secretary of State may, for the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), make provision by regulations as to other descriptions of persons who are to be treated as persons from abroad who are ineligible for assistance under this Part.

(3) Regulations made under paragraph (2) shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament in like manner as a statutory instrument, and section 5 of the Statutory Instruments Act 1946 (c. 36) shall apply accordingly.

(4) A person from abroad who is not eligible for assistance under this Part shall be disregarded in determining for the purposes of this Part whether [F2 a person falling within paragraph (4A)]—

(a) is homeless or threatened with homelessness, or

(b) has a priority need for accommodation.

[F3 (4A) A person falls within this paragraph if the person—

(a) falls within a class specified in an order under section 119(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; but

[F4 (b) is not a person who, immediately before IP completion day, was—

(i) a national of an EEA State or Switzerland, and

(ii) within a class specified in an order under section 119(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 which had effect at that time.]]

(5) The Executive may decide that [F5 a person] is to be treated as ineligible for assistance under this Part if it is satisfied that—

(a) he, or a member of his household, has been guilty of unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make him unsuitable to be a tenant of the Executive; and

(b) in the circumstances at the time his application is considered, he is unsuitable to be a tenant of the Executive by reason of that behaviour.

(6) The only behaviour which may be regarded by the Executive as unacceptable for the purposes of paragraph (5)(a) is—

(a) behaviour of the person concerned which would (if he were a secure tenant of the Executive) entitle the Executive to a possession order under Article 29 of the Order of 1983 on Ground 2 or Ground 3 in Schedule 3 to that Order; or

(b) behaviour of a member of his household which would (if he were a person residing with a secure tenant of the Executive) entitle the Executive to such a possession order.

(7) Where the Executive is satisfied that a person is not eligible for assistance under this Part by virtue of paragraph (1)(c) of this Article but has a priority need, it shall treat him in the same manner as an applicant to whom paragraph (3) of Article 10 applies.

(8) Where the Executive is satisfied that a person—

(a) is not eligible for assistance under this Part by virtue of paragraph (1)(a) or (b); or

(b) is not eligible for assistance under this Part by virtue of paragraph (1)(c) and does not have a priority need;

it shall treat him in the same manner as an applicant to whom paragraph (4) of Article 10 applies.

[F6 (9) Where the Executive decides that a person—

(a) is ineligible for assistance under this Part by virtue of paragraph (1)(a) or (b), or

(b) is to be treated as ineligible for assistance under this Part by virtue of paragraph (5),

the Executive shall notify him of the decision and the reasons for that decision.

(10) The notice required to be given to a person under paragraph (9) shall be given in writing and shall, if not received by the person, be treated as given to the person only if it is made available for a reasonable period at the office of the Executive to which the person applied, for collection by or on behalf of the person.]]

F1 2003 NI 2

F2 Words in art. 7A(4) substituted (2.3.2009 for certain purposes, otherwise prosp.) by Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 (c. 17), ss. 314, 325(1), Sch. 15 para. 18(2); S.I. 2009/415, art. 3

F3 Art. 7A(4A) inserted (2.3.2009 for certain purposes, otherwise prosp.) by Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 (c. 17), ss. 314, 325(1), Sch. 15 para. 18(3); S.I. 2009/415, art. 3

F4 Art. 7A(4A)(b) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020 (Consequential, Saving, Transitional and Transitory Provisions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1309), regs. 1(2), 9(2)

F5 Words in art. 7A(5) substituted (31.7.2010) by Housing (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 (c. 9), ss. 3(2), 19(1); S.R. 2010/251, art. 2

F6 Art. 7A(9)(10) added (31.7.2010) by Housing (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 (c. 9), ss. 3(3), 19(1); S.R. 2010/251, art. 2