Occupiers' Liability

Responsibility for the Occupiers' Liability Act (NI) 1957 and the Occupiers' Liability (NI) Order 1987 currently falls to the Civil law Reform Division within DFP. This legislation governs the level of responsibility that occupiers of land owe to people coming onto their land, whether as visitors or without the permission of the landowner or occupier of the land.

The Department of Finance and Personnel published an information leaflet (pdf-422KB) in April 2007 dealing with occupiers' liability in the context of access to the open countryside. The leaflet, published jointly with the Department of Environment, explains the nature of an occupier's duty towards those who enter onto his land as visitors or without permission.