The Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1992

Eligibility for registration

15.—(1) A housing association is eligible for registration if it—

(a) is a society registered under the Act of 1969, and

(b) fulfils the following conditions.

(2) The conditions are that the housing association does not trade for profit and is established for the purpose of, or has among its objects or powers, the provision, construction, improvement or management of—

(a) houses to be kept available for letting, or

(b) houses for occupation by members of the association where the rules of the association restrict membership to persons entitled or prospectively entitled (as tenants or otherwise) to occupy a house provided or managed by the association, or

(c) hostels,

and that any additional purposes or objects are among the following.

(3) The permissible additional purposes or objects are—

(a) providing land, amenities or services, or providing, constructing, repairing or improving buildings, for the benefit of the association’s residents, either exclusively or together with other persons;

(b) acquiring, or repairing and improving, or creating by the conversion of houses or other property, houses to be disposed of on sale, or lease or by equity-sharing lease;

(c) constructing houses to be disposed of by equity-sharing lease;

(d) managing houses which are held on leases or other lettings (not being houses falling within paragraph (2)(a) or (b)), or blocks of flats;

(e) providing services of any description for owners or occupiers of houses in arranging or carrying out works of maintenance, repair or improvement, or encouraging or facilitating the carrying out of such works;

(f) encouraging and giving advice on the formation of other housing associations or providing services for, and giving advice on the running of, such associations and other voluntary organisations concerned with housing, or matters connected with housing.

(4) A housing association shall not be ineligible for registration by reason only that its powers include power—

(a) to acquire commercial premises or businesses as an incidental part of a project or series of projects undertaken for purposes or objects falling within paragraph (2) or (3);

(b) to repair, improve or convert any commercial premises acquired as mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) or to carry on, for a limited period, any business so acquired.

(5) The Department may by order amend paragraphs (3) and (4), but not so as to restrict or limit the permissible purposes, objects or powers.

(6) An order under paragraph (5) may contain such incidental, supplemental or transitional provisions as the Department thinks fit.

(7) In this Article—

• “block of flats” means a building—

  (a)

  containing 2 or more flats which are held on leases or other lettings; and

  (b)

  occupied or intended to be occupied wholly or mainly for residential purposes;

• “letting” includes the grant of a licence to occupy;

• “residents” in relation to a housing association, means the persons occupying the houses or hostels provided or managed by the association.