The NI Executive announced modifications to the Private Tenancies Act due to COVID-19. Here we’ll have a look on the effect this will have for Landlords & Tenants. Recognising the severity of the situation we are currently in, the Assembly has passed emergency legislation to protect tenants in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 outbreak.  The Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) (Northern Ireland) Act 2020 protects tenants by temporarily extending the notice to quit period to twelve weeks.  This period reflects the ‘shielding’ period as laid out in Government guidelines.The effect of this new legislation is to temporarily extend the amount of notice private rented Landlords must give when ending a tenancy.  Landlords will therefore now need to give tenants 12 weeks’ notice.For tenancies of less than five years the notice to quit period has been increased by 8 weeks to 12 weeks.  For tenancies of between five and ten years the notice to…