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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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ent <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r payments may be accumulating, which may not berecovered. 47 By c<strong>on</strong>trast if <strong>the</strong> case comes within <strong>the</strong> jurisdicti<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> Circuit Court, <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord may apply for a summary judgment,notwithst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong> entering by <strong>the</strong> tenant <strong>of</strong> an appearance ordefence. 48 This c<strong>on</strong>trast in <strong>the</strong> procedures is clearly unsatisfactory.What is most unsatisfactory is <strong>the</strong> fact that l<strong>and</strong>lords may be kept out<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> property for a substantial period, 49 while substantial losses areaccumulating. The Commissi<strong>on</strong> inclines to <strong>the</strong> view that <strong>the</strong>procedure for effecting a forfeiture requires a radical overhaul <strong>and</strong>c<strong>on</strong>siderable rati<strong>on</strong>alisati<strong>on</strong>.14.20 One way in which some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> problems referred to in <strong>the</strong>preceding paragraphs might be dealt with would be to give muchgreater legal status to <strong>the</strong> forfeiture notice served <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> tenant. What<strong>the</strong> Commissi<strong>on</strong> has in mind is a new statutory form <strong>of</strong> notice toreplace <strong>the</strong> secti<strong>on</strong> 14 forfeiture notice <strong>and</strong> to operate in respect <strong>of</strong> allbreaches <strong>of</strong> obligati<strong>on</strong> by a tenant, including n<strong>on</strong>-payment <strong>of</strong> rent. 50This new notice, which might be called a Notice <strong>of</strong> Re-entry, wouldnotify <strong>the</strong> tenant <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> breach <strong>of</strong> obligati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord isinvoking <strong>the</strong> right to forfeit <strong>the</strong> tenancy. In additi<strong>on</strong> to serving <strong>the</strong>notice <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> tenant it would be required that it be lodged with <strong>the</strong>County Registrar (if <strong>the</strong> case comes within <strong>the</strong> Circuit Courtjurisdicti<strong>on</strong>) or in <strong>the</strong> High Court. That lodgement would effect <strong>the</strong>forfeiture <strong>and</strong>, if <strong>the</strong> tenant did not give up possessi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong>this, it should be open to <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord to issue summary proceedingsfor possessi<strong>on</strong>. 51 It should also be open to <strong>the</strong> tenant to enter adefence or to lodge m<strong>on</strong>ies in court or to give a suitable undertakingto comply with obligati<strong>on</strong>s. This sort <strong>of</strong> procedure should providel<strong>and</strong>lords with a reas<strong>on</strong>ably speedy <strong>and</strong> effective remedy, while at <strong>the</strong>same time giving <strong>the</strong> tenant an opportunity <strong>of</strong> redempti<strong>on</strong>. It is also4748495051An ejectment for n<strong>on</strong>-payment <strong>of</strong> rent is a different remedy altoge<strong>the</strong>r (notc<strong>on</strong>cerned primarily with forfeiture) <strong>and</strong>, in any event, suffers from its ownproblems: see paragraphs 8.19 above <strong>and</strong> 15.04 below.See paragraph 14.20 below.At <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> writing it can take two years or more before a plenaryhearing in a c<strong>on</strong>tested case is heard in <strong>the</strong> High Court.See paragraph 14.07 above.Applicati<strong>on</strong>s should be by moti<strong>on</strong>, similar to applicati<strong>on</strong>s for a planninginjuncti<strong>on</strong> under secti<strong>on</strong> 160 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Planning <strong>and</strong> Development Act 2000.Chapter 15 proposes a radical overhaul <strong>of</strong> ejectment acti<strong>on</strong>s.174

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