Landlord and Tenant Act 1954: time for a change?. Landlord and tenant update

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JPIF-12-2014-0071
Pages107-112
Date02 February 2015
Published date02 February 2015
AuthorMalcolm John Dowden
Subject MatterProperty management & built environment,Real estate & property,Property valuation & finance
LAW BRIEFING
time for a change?
Landlord and tenant update
Malcolm John Dowden
Gwentian Consulting Limited, Reading, UK
Abstract
Purpose This legal update examines recent decisions on the security of tenure given by Landlord
and Tenant Act 1954 to business tenants, and asks whether it is time to revisit or remove a piece
of legislation that was drafted to deal with the consequences of war damage and short supply of
commercial premises during the 1950s. It highlights the narrow, technical rules and distinctions that
make little sense to commercial parties. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach The paper considers recent court rulings in the light of the
original purpose of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, focusing on provisions that were reformed in
1969-reflect changes in market conditions since the immediate post-Second World War period.
Findings Narrow, technical rules and exceptions carry considerable risks for commercial landlords
and may not be appropriate or necessary in current market conditions.
Research limitations/implications The paper examines only a recent selection of court rulings, but
highlightsthe potentially harsh impact on commercial landlords of legislation designed to protect tenant
interests in market conditions radically different from those prevailing some 60 years after its enactment.
Practical implications With no immediate prospect of reform, the paper highlights the need for
landlords to adhere closely to the precise technical requirements of the Act.
Originality/value The paper is based on the authors reading and analysis of recent Court of
Appeal rulings.
Keywords Business, Exclusion, Security, Contracting out, Landlord, Tenant
Paper type Technical paper
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the Act) came into force at a time of austerity,
coupled with a chronic shortage of commercial property due to war damage. It replaced
earlier, temporary, legislation designed to protect business tenants from predatory
landlords using the end of a lease term either to demand a significant rent increase in
return for a new tenancy, or to step in an reap the benefits of the goodwill built up by
the tenant. Extensive bomb damage coupled with a shortage of development funding
meant that there was no early prospect of rebalancing the supply of commercial
property in tenantsfavour. One result was that, as originally enacted, the Act did not
allow for contracting out”–the consensual process through which the tenants
security of tenure is excluded.
Contracting outwas introduced in 1969, at the end of decade that saw a significant
pick-up in the rate of commercial property development, coupled with a marked
increase in housing supply. The procedure for contracting out required the parties,
before entering into a landlord and tenant relationship, to apply to the court for an
order excluding sections 24-28 of the Act. If satisfied that the tenancy would be for a
term certain (as opposed to a periodic tenancy) and that the tenant had freely agreed to
forego statutory protection, the court would authorise the creation of a tenancy without
security of tenure. Crucially, contracting out was introduced as a narrow exception to
Journal of Property Investment &
Finance
Vol. 33 No. 1, 2015
pp. 107-112
©Emerald Group Publis hing Limited
1463-578X
DOI 10.1108/JPIF-12-2014-0071
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1463-578X.htm
107
Landlord and
tenant update

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