Sinn Féin's spokesperson for housing, Colm Gildernew, has emphasized that new regulations regarding notice to quit periods must focus on strengthening protections for people in the rental sector.

The Chair of the Communities Committee made the remarks following the announcement of a consultation on extending the minimum notice a landlord must provide before ending a tenancy. These powers were originally established under the Private Tenancies Act in 2022, introduced by the former Sinn Féin Communities Minister, Deirdre Hargey. Colm Gildernew stated: "It is crucial that any changes to notice to quit periods are based on securing better rights and protection for renters. Powers to extend the notice period a landlord has to give a tenant before ending a tenancy was included in the previous Sinn Féin Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey's Private Tenancies Act in 2022. We welcome the consultation on regulations to extend minimum notice to quit periods and we will be responding to the consultation."

The current consultation will allow stakeholders and the public to weigh in on how the extension of notice periods should be implemented to safeguard those living in private tenancies across the region.