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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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provisi<strong>on</strong>s, which should also remove <strong>the</strong> inc<strong>on</strong>sistencies <strong>and</strong>uncertainties which exist in <strong>the</strong> current statutory provisi<strong>on</strong>s.3.02 There are two o<strong>the</strong>r related matters which requirec<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>. One is that <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord or tenant may not dispose <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> entire interest held, eg, <strong>the</strong> tenant may assign part <strong>on</strong>ly <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>demised premises, in which case <strong>the</strong> issue <strong>of</strong> apporti<strong>on</strong>ment <strong>of</strong> rights<strong>and</strong> obligati<strong>on</strong>s as between <strong>the</strong> part assigned <strong>and</strong> part retained willarise. Similarly <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord may assign title to part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> demisedpremises, what is usually referred to as “severance” as to <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>. 7There is, however, ano<strong>the</strong>r kind <strong>of</strong> severance which can arise withrespect to <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>lord’s interest. This usually occurs where <strong>the</strong>l<strong>and</strong>lord grants a lease <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> reversi<strong>on</strong> to a third party, which createsa “c<strong>on</strong>current” lease <strong>and</strong> effects what is sometimes referred to asseverance as to <strong>the</strong> estate. 8 These matters are c<strong>on</strong>sidered later. 9 Alsoc<strong>on</strong>sidered later 10 is a different kind <strong>of</strong> dispositi<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tenant’sinterest, namely a subletting. A subletting is fundamentally differentfrom an assignment, but it does give rise to similar issues in terms <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> various parties’ positi<strong>on</strong>.A Assignment by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Tenant</strong>3.03 At comm<strong>on</strong> law <strong>the</strong> rule developed that up<strong>on</strong> assignment <strong>of</strong>a tenancy <strong>the</strong> tenant’s obligati<strong>on</strong>s under covenants which “touched<strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cerned” <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong> passed to <strong>the</strong> assignee. 11 This limitati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong><strong>the</strong> covenants has given rise to much litigati<strong>on</strong>, especially in Engl<strong>and</strong>where it was carried forward, albeit in different language, into statutelaw. 12 Indeed, <strong>the</strong> initial statute law applied also to Irel<strong>and</strong>, namely789101112See Wylie op cit paragraphs 21.32-33.Ibid paragraphs 4.09 <strong>and</strong> 21.32.Paragraph 3.19 below.Paragraph 3.22 below.Spencer’s Case (1583) 5 Co Rep 16a, applied in Lyle v Smith [1909] 2 IR58; O’Leary v Deasy [1911] 2 IR 450. These cases, especially <strong>the</strong> latterwhere <strong>the</strong> relevant statutory provisi<strong>on</strong>s are not cited, illustrate <strong>the</strong>extraordinary tendency <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Irish courts to c<strong>on</strong>tinue to rely up<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> oldcomm<strong>on</strong> law <strong>and</strong> to ignore statutes displacing it. Lyle v Smith was a rareexcepti<strong>on</strong>, but even in it <strong>the</strong> judges made much reference to <strong>the</strong> comm<strong>on</strong>law.Originally in secti<strong>on</strong> 10 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> C<strong>on</strong>veyancing Act 1881 which used <strong>the</strong>words having “reference to <strong>the</strong> subject-matter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lease”. That wording54

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