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Belfast slum scandal exposed
Belfast City Council has vowed to crack down on slum properties after the Belfast Telegraph revealed shocking widespread living conditions...
The Telegraph highlighted how some people in one of Belfast's most prosperous areas were still living in Dickensian conditions - with no bathrooms, no inside toilets, no heat and or no electricity.
Property owners will now be given a set period of time in which to start the repairs or legal action will be instigated.
A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: "New powers have been given to the council to deal with unfit houses under the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. We can also serve public health notices to carry out urgent repairs".
The council urged residents living in similarly poor conditions to speak out.
The spokeswoman added: "From April 1, 2007, the council may serve a notice of unfitness, under the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, where a privately tenanted property is found to be unfit for human habitation.
"These properties may come to our attention via complaints from the tenants or their representatives. They may also be discovered through other inspections carried out by the Environmental Health Service.
"This notice is not condemning the property. However, it is stating that the dwelling is unfit, and it will specify the works required to make the house fit.
"It will also specify the time within which the works must be carried out. Where a notice of unfitness is issued and it is not complied with, the council may instigate legal proceedings".
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