The claimant sought to oblige the respondent to repair his flat under the 1988 Act. The respondent replied that the arrangement was a licence only, and not protected under the Act.
Held: The housing association had a temporary licence to occupy a house and to re-let it, but under conditions which were more consistent with a tenancy rather than a licence. The claimant’s occupation was deemed to be under a tenancy and not a licence, despite assertions to the contrary. Exclusive possession for repeated periods of time created a tenancy.
Lord Hoffmann said that an agreement can give rise to a tenancy even if it does not create ‘an estate or other proprietary interest which may be binding upon third parties
Judges:
Lord Slynn of Hadley, Lord Jauncey of Tullichettle, Lord Hoffmann, Lord Hope of Craighead, Lord Hobhouse of Wood-borough
Citations:
Gazette 14-Jul-1999, Times 25-Jun-1999, Gazette 21-Jul-1999, [1999] 3 All ER 481, [2000] 1 AC 406, [1999] UKHL 26, [1999] 2 EGLR 59, [1999] 3 WLR 150, [1999] EG 90, [1999] L and TR 469, (1999) 31 HLR 902, [1999] NPC 73, [1999] 30 EG 91, (1999) 78 P and CR D21
Links:
Statutes:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Citing:
Cited – Street v Mountford HL 6-Mar-1985
When a licence is really a tenancy
The document signed by the occupier stated that she understood that she had been given a licence, and that she understood that she had not been granted a tenancy protected under the Rent Acts. Exclusive occupation was in fact granted.
Held: . .
Cited – Westminster City Council v Clarke HL 29-Apr-1992
An occupant of a hostel for homeless and vulnerable single men had only a licence to occupy the room, and was not a tenant. There was a resident warden and a team of support workers. The intention was that residents should use the hostel as a . .
Cited – Family Association v Jones CA 1990
The association as licensee of a local authority granted what was described as a licence to the defendant to occupy premises on a temporary basis. They sought possession.
Held: A tenancy had been granted. As to the argument that there were . .
Cited – Lewisham Borough Council v Roberts CA 1949
The council sought to exercise its powers under the Act to take possession of part of the defendant’s property.
Held: Denning LJ said: ‘It is necessary to consider the nature of the power to requisition land. It is only a power to take . .
Cited – Morton v Woods QBD 1867
The owner of a factory, having already conveyed his legal estate by virtue of a first charge, purported to grant a second mortgage to a bank. As additional security, he ‘attorned tenant’ to the bank. He acknowledged a relationship of landlord and . .
Cited – Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries v Matthews 1950
Under the Act, it would be ultra vires the Crown’s powers to grant a tenancy of property it had requisitioned. . .
Cited – Reardon Smith Line Ltd v Yngvar Hansen-Tangen (The ‘Diana Prosperity’) HL 1976
In construing a contract, three principles can be found. The contextual scene is always relevant. Secondly, what is admissible as a matter of the rules of evidence under this heading is what is arguably relevant, but admissibility is not decisive. . .
Appeal from – Bruton v London and Quadrant Housing Trust CA 31-Jul-1997
A person with no sufficient title to land cannot create a tenancy of the land which would be binding by an estoppel if that tenancy would exclude his own possible claim for possession. . .
Cited by:
Cited – Kay, Gorman, etc v London Borough of Lambeth, London and Quadrant Housing Trust CA 20-Jul-2004
The defendant local authority had licenced houses to a housing trust, which in turn granted sub-licences to the claimants who were applicants for housing under homelessness provisions, and who now asserted that they became secure tenants of the . .
Cited – Berrisford v Mexfield Housing Co-Operative Ltd SC 9-Nov-2011
The tenant appealed against an order granting possession. The tenancy, being held of a mutual housing co-operative did not have security but was in a form restricting the landlord’s right to recover possession, and the tenant resisted saying that it . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Landlord and Tenant, Housing
Updated: 31 May 2022; Ref: scu.159009