Landlord & Tenant Flashcards
What is the basic difference between and lease renewal and a rent review?
A lease renewal is a statutory procedure laid down by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
A rent review is a contractual procedure contained within the lease
To what tenancies does the 1954 Act apply?
Business tenancies
Name the tenancies to which the 1954 Act does not apply
- Agricultural holdings
- Mining leases
- Residential tenancies
- Tenancies granted as condition of employment
- Tenancies not exceeding 6 months unless → there is a provision for extention, or → Tenant has been in occupation for more than 12 months
What is a section 25 notice?
Landlord notice served to terminate the business tenancy
When can a landlord service a section 25 notice?
Between 12 and 6 months prior to:
a) The contractual end of the tenancy
b) The date specified in the notice
What must a landlords section 25 contain?
If landlord does not oppose new tenancy:
- The property comprised
- The rent
- The other terms
- That landlords proposals are for the purposes of negotiation
If landlord opposes new tenancy:
- The ground(s) under section 30(1) upon which he would opposed the tenants application for a new tenancy
What advice would you give to a landlord client in respect of a lease renewal where a property is significantly over rented ?
Serve a section 25 suggesting new tenancy on the same terms
When is the best time to serve the section 25 notice? 12 months or 6 months beofre expiry?
6 months
Why would a landlord give 12 months notice when he could give 6 months notice?
To avoid the tenant serving a section 26 notice → cannot serve s.25 once s.26 has been served
What action should the landlord take if he/she requires possession of a property at the end of a lease?
Serve a section 25 notice to oppose the new tenancy on grounds stated in section 30(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
What can a landlord do if he cannot get a response from the tenant to his friendly section 25 notice?
Tenancy will continue at the Landlords new proposal terms
What adviec would you give to a tenant when a landlords section 25 notice is due to expire in two weeks time, and an agreement for a new lease has not yet been agreed?
Request an extension under which an interim rent is agreed
Make an application to court → court will direct the terms of the new tenancy
Name the grounds under section 30(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 under which a landlord can obtain possession
a) Tenant failed to carry out repirs
b) Tenant has peristently delayed paying rent
c) Tenant is in substatial breach of another covenant
d) Landlord offers other suitable accomodation
e) Sub-letting of part, where higher rent can be achieved by single letting of the whole building
f) Landlord intends to demolish or reconstruct and cannot do so without possession
g) Landlord intends to occupy the premises for his own purposes
In what circumstances is a tenant entitled to compensation when a landlord successfully opposes a new lease under the 1954 Act?
If the landlord opposes under section 30(10 ground e, f or g (no fault grounds)
How is tenants compensation assessed under the 1954 Act?
In the form of a Rateable Value Multiplier
→ Twice x RV for occupation of 14 years or more: can be more than one tenant if there is business succession
→ Once x RV for occupation of less than 14 years
Additionall: Court can award compensation for damage or loss sustained by Tenant because of Landlords misrepresentation or concealment
Explain the power that a court has in ordering a new lease
If tenancy terminated in accordance with the Act and application made to court under section 24(i)
→ the court has power under section 29(1) to grant a new tenancy and may determine:
- The property comprised
- The length of the lease
- The rent
- The other terms
- An interim rent
What do you understand a section 34 rent to be?
The rent the property might reasonably be expected to let at in the open market by a willing lessor, disregarding:
i) Tenants previous occupation
ii) any goodwill
iii) Certain improvements carried out by the tenant
iv) Any licence to sell intoxicating liquor if the licence belongs to a tenant
What do you understand interim rent to be?
The period from expiry of section 25 or 26 notice and the start of the new lease, should such a period exist
How is the interim rent assessed?
If not opposed, it will be the same as the rent payable under the new lease
→ if market conditions have changed significantly, interim rent is subject to adjustment
→ Can be decided using PACT proceedings
In what circumstances would you recommend to a tenant to serve a Section 26 notice?
If they wish to remain in occupation and enter a new lease agreement
Explain when tenant’s improvements are disregarded at lease renewal
Improvements are to be disregarded if they were carried out by the tenant other than as a lease obligation and
→ during the old tenancy or
→ less than 2 years before the application for a new tenancy was made
Explain what action a tenant should take if there are 6 months of the lease remaining and he/she wants to vacate at expiry. The landlord has not served a section 25 notice
Nothing → no notice needs to be served if they wish to vacate on or prior to the lease expiry date
What are the key elements of a rent review clause?
- The machinery for effectinv the rent review (procedure)
- The basis of valuation
- The means of settling disputes where parties cannot agree on the revised rent
What is a trigger notice?
The landlords proposal of a new rent by a certain date
What do you understand about the term time of the essence?
Provision of the contract must be completed by the stated time
→ Stated time for completion of an obligation in a contract is a condition of the contract
What are the two landmark cases in respect of time of the essence?
United Scientific Holdings Ltd vs Burnley Borough Council (1977)
Cheapside Land & Development Co Ltd vs Messels Services Ltd (1977)
more recent:
→ Bello vs Ideal View (2008) → RR not initiated for 13 years. Court said time was not of the essence and the RR could proceed