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Consultation Paper on the General Law of the Landlord and Tenant

Consultation Paper on the General Law of the Landlord and Tenant

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agricultural l<strong>and</strong>, mines or minerals, pubs, furnished dwellings or <strong>the</strong>“pers<strong>on</strong>al qualificati<strong>on</strong>s” <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tenant are important to <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord.These c<strong>on</strong>voluted provisi<strong>on</strong>s must be <strong>of</strong> doubtful significancenowadays <strong>and</strong> are difficult to square with <strong>the</strong> special legislati<strong>on</strong>relating to bankruptcy <strong>and</strong> dwellings referred to earlier. 18 TheCommissi<strong>on</strong> provisi<strong>on</strong>ally recommends that <strong>the</strong> exclusi<strong>on</strong>s from <strong>the</strong>procedural requirements in secti<strong>on</strong> 14 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> C<strong>on</strong>veyancing Act 1881should be repealed.14.09 The procedural requirements in secti<strong>on</strong> 14 apply <strong>on</strong>ly t<strong>of</strong>orfeiture <strong>of</strong> a “lease”, which includes a sub-lease <strong>and</strong> agreement for alease. 19 The Commissi<strong>on</strong> inclines to <strong>the</strong> view that <strong>the</strong> proceduralrequirements should apply to all tenancies, whe<strong>the</strong>r oral or created bya written document. The Commissi<strong>on</strong> provisi<strong>on</strong>ally recommends that<strong>the</strong> procedural requirements should apply to all tenancies, whe<strong>the</strong>rcreated orally or by a written document, <strong>and</strong> to all agreements for <strong>the</strong>grant <strong>of</strong> a tenancy.14.10 The secti<strong>on</strong> 14 procedure requires <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord to serve anotice <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> tenant covering a number <strong>of</strong> matters. The formalitiesfor service are governed by secti<strong>on</strong> 67 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Act <strong>and</strong> seem generallysatisfactory. However, it was held in Foott v Benn 20 that where <strong>the</strong>tenant has died, <strong>and</strong> no representati<strong>on</strong> has been raised, <strong>the</strong> notice canbe served <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> pers<strong>on</strong> in possessi<strong>on</strong>. 21 It might be useful to givestatutory recogniti<strong>on</strong> to this rule, <strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong> provisi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>of</strong> secti<strong>on</strong> 67governing affixing or leaving <strong>the</strong> notice at <strong>the</strong> premises or sending aregistered letter should apply to cover <strong>the</strong> case where <strong>the</strong>re is nopers<strong>on</strong> in possessi<strong>on</strong>. In Bank <strong>of</strong> Irel<strong>and</strong> Finance Ltd v McSorley 22Murphy J held that a forfeiture notice addressed to <strong>and</strong> served <strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>ly<strong>on</strong>e <strong>of</strong> two joint tenants was defective. Yet service <strong>of</strong> a notice to quit1819202122Paragraphs 14.02-3 above.But <strong>on</strong>ly an enforceable agreement: see Enock v J<strong>on</strong>es Estates Ltd [1983]ILRM 532.(1844) 18 ILTR 10. See also Sweeny v Sweeny (1876) IR 10 CL 375.By analogy with a notice to quit: see Kelly v Tall<strong>on</strong> (1950) 84 ILTR 196;Hill v Carroll [1953] IR 52; O’Sullivan & S<strong>on</strong>s Ltd v O’Mah<strong>on</strong>y [1953] IR125.High Court 24 June 1994. Murphy J took <strong>the</strong> view that <strong>the</strong> same principleapplied to service <strong>of</strong> a notice to quit.169

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