Certificate of Fitness applications

We carry out inspections to check whether properties are fit to live in, under the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (Article 33). This means landlords who own certain types of properties must apply to us for a Certificate of Fitness.

Tenants can also apply for a fitness inspection in the same way.

Apply for a Certificate of Fitness online (landlords only)

It costs £50 to apply for a Certificate of Fitness inspection. This fee is non-refundable. The fee for a re-application for an inspection is £100.

The tenant occupying the property concerned will receive a copy of information provided in the application.

You must complete your application within 28 days of the start date of a new tenancy. It is an offence not to return your application within this period.

	Apply for a Certificate of Fitness (landlords only)

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We accept the following credit or debit cards:

Mastercard
Maestro (sorry, but we cannot accept International Maestro cards at present)
Visa
Visa Delta
Visa Electron.

You can also download the application form and return it by post, along with your fee (please make cheques payable to Belfast City Council), to:

Public Health and Housing
Cecil Ward Building
4-10 Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8BP

Download a Landlord's Application to Conduct an Inspection for Fitness form (Word - 56KB)

If you are a tenant, you can also apply for a fitness inspection by downloading the application form below. This should also be returned to the address above.

Download a Tenant's Application to Conduct an Inspection for Fitness form (Word - 51KB)

If you need help with your application, or for more information, call us on 028 9027 0428.

Important information about your application

Note 3 of the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (Article 33) explains which dwelling houses do not need a fitness inspection.

You do not need a Certificate of Fitness for your house if:

you own and live in your house (if you have a lodger but also live in the property yourself)
the tenancy began before the Private Tenancies (NI) Order 2006 came into force
your house was built after 1 January 1945 (we will assume that your property was built in or before 1945, unless you tell us otherwise in your application form or you can provide us with documented evidence, showing that it was built after this date)
a renovation grant for the house has been paid by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (this only applies for a period of ten years from the date of the grant)
an HMO grant has been paid by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (this only applies for a period of ten years from the date of the grant)
it is currently registered with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for multiple occupancy
it was formerly let under a protected or statutory tenancy where a regulated rent certificate has been issued (this only applies for a period of ten years from the date of the certificate).

If your property meets any of these criteria, you do not need to apply for a Certificate of Fitness and you do not need to complete the application form. If you apply for a Certificate of Fitness and we later discover that your property does not need a fitness inspection, your application fee will not be refunded.

Timescales and inspections

After you apply for a Certificate of Fitness, it can take up to one month for us to conduct an inspection of your property.

We carry out checks with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and we also have to write to the tenant to ask if they have any objections to the inspection.

The tenant must reply in writing and, if they don’t reply, which is common, we must hold the application for 28 days before passing it to an inspection officer. We will then try to arrange access to the property by ringing the tenant, landlord or agent.

If your property is deemed fit, following the inspection, we will give you a Certificate of Fitness.

However, if your property is found to be unfit for people to live in, you will be given a Notice of Refusal. This outlines the type of work needed to make your property fit for people to live in.

Once the repairs are completed, you can reapply for another fitness inspection. If your property fails our inspection, your rent may be controlled by a rent officer from the start date of your tenancy.