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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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is sufficient. 32 It is questi<strong>on</strong>able whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>se sort <strong>of</strong> distincti<strong>on</strong>s arenecessary or appropriate <strong>and</strong> this c<strong>on</strong>firms <strong>the</strong> Commissi<strong>on</strong> in its viewthat rati<strong>on</strong>alisati<strong>on</strong> 33 is needed <strong>and</strong> <strong>on</strong>e comm<strong>on</strong> form <strong>of</strong> ejectmentshould replace all <strong>the</strong> current forms <strong>of</strong> ejectment. 34 To assist in itsdeliberati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>the</strong> Commissi<strong>on</strong> would welcome views <strong>on</strong> this matter.G Overholding15.08 As menti<strong>on</strong>ed in <strong>the</strong> previous paragraph this is <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong>ejectment acti<strong>on</strong> most comm<strong>on</strong>ly used nowadays. There are,however, a couple <strong>of</strong> features worth menti<strong>on</strong>ing. One is that secti<strong>on</strong>76 <strong>of</strong> Deasy’s Act entitles <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord in cases <strong>of</strong> “wilful”overholding to claim “double” rent for <strong>the</strong> period <strong>of</strong> overholding. Itwould appear that this is rarely d<strong>on</strong>e nowadays <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Commissi<strong>on</strong>is not c<strong>on</strong>vinced that it is appropriate. The Commissi<strong>on</strong> provisi<strong>on</strong>allyrecommends that <strong>the</strong> provisi<strong>on</strong> for double rent in cases <strong>of</strong> “wilful”overholding in secti<strong>on</strong> 76 <strong>of</strong> Deasy’s Act should be removed.15.09 Secti<strong>on</strong> 77 <strong>of</strong> Deasy’s Act provides that an acti<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong>ejectment for overholding may include a claim for “mesne rates”, ie,damages for trespass arising from <strong>the</strong> wr<strong>on</strong>gful possessi<strong>on</strong>. It wouldappear that <strong>the</strong>se are recoverable from <strong>the</strong> date <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord dem<strong>and</strong>edpossessi<strong>on</strong> to <strong>the</strong> date <strong>the</strong> order for possessi<strong>on</strong> is executed. 35 Yet in<strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> an ejectment for n<strong>on</strong>-payment <strong>of</strong> rent apparently <strong>the</strong>l<strong>and</strong>lord can c<strong>on</strong>tinue to claim <strong>the</strong> rent until <strong>the</strong> date possessi<strong>on</strong> isobtained. This may be significant because <strong>the</strong> existing rent may bewell below <strong>the</strong> current market rent, whereas <strong>the</strong> tendency nowadays isfor mesne rates or pr<strong>of</strong>its to be based <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> current market rent ra<strong>the</strong>rthan <strong>the</strong> former rent. 36 The Commissi<strong>on</strong> inclines to <strong>the</strong> view that inall cases <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord should be entitled to rent <strong>on</strong>ly so l<strong>on</strong>g as <strong>the</strong>tenancy exists <strong>and</strong>, where a tenant wr<strong>on</strong>gfully fails to vacate <strong>the</strong>premises, mesne rates or pr<strong>of</strong>its based <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> going market rent should3233343536Wylie op cit paragraphs 27.13-14.Paragraph 15.01 above.Paragraph 15.04 above.Meares v Redm<strong>on</strong>d (1879) 4 LR Ir 533, 546 (per Palles CB). In anyreplacement legislati<strong>on</strong> technical expressi<strong>on</strong>s like “mesne rents” or “mesnepr<strong>of</strong>its” should be replaced by <strong>on</strong>es in plainer English, eg “damages”.Viscount Chelsea v Hutchins<strong>on</strong> [1994] 2 EGLR 61; Dean <strong>and</strong> Chapter <strong>of</strong>Canterbury Ca<strong>the</strong>dral v Whitbread plc [1995] 1 EGLR 82.184

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