Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881

Part I.

Ordinary Conditions of Tenancies.

Sale of tenancies.

33 & 34 Vict. c. 46.

1. The tenant for the time being of every holding, not hereinafter specially excepted from the provisions of this Act, may sell his tenancy for the best price that can be got for the same, subject to the following regulations and subject also to the provisions in this Act contained with respect to the sale of a tenancy subject to statutory conditions:

(1.) Except with the consent of the landlord, the sale shall be made to one person only:

(2.) The tenant shall give the prescribed notice to the landlord of his intention to sell his tenancy:

(3.) On receiving such notice the landlord may purchase the tenancy for such sum as may be agreed upon, or in the event of disagreement may be ascertained by the court to be the true value thereof:

(4.) Where the tenant shall agree to sell his tenancy to some other person than the landlord, he shall, upon informing the landlord of the name of the purchaser, state in writing therewith the consideration agreed to be given for the tenancy:

(5.) If the tenant fails to give the landlord the notice or information required by the foregoing sub-sections, the court may, if it think fit and that the just interests of the landlord so require, declare the sale to be void:

(6.) Where the tenancy is sold to some other person than the landlord, the landlord may within the prescribed period refuse on reasonable grounds to accept the purchaser as tenant:

In case of dispute the reasonableness of the landlord’s refusal shall be decided by the court: Provided that the landlord’s objection shall be conclusive in the case of any tenancy in a holding where the permanent improvements in respect of which, if made by the tenant or his predecessors in title, the tenant would have been entitled to compensation under the provisions of the Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Act, 1870, as amended by this Act, have been made by the landlord or his predecessors in title, and have been substantially maintained by the landlord and his predecessors in title, and not by the tenant or his predecessors in title:

(7.) Where the tenancy is subject to any such conditions a are in this Act declared to be statutory conditions, and the sale is made in consequence of proceedings by the landlord for the purpose of recovering possession of the holding by reason of the breach of any of such conditions, the court shall grant to the landlord out of the purchase moneys payment of any debt, including arrears of rent, due to him by the tenant and compensation by way of damages for any injury he may have sustained from the tenant by breach of any of such conditions, except the condition relating to the payment of rent:

(8.) Where permanent improvements on a holding have been made by the landlord or his predecessors in title solely or by him or them jointly with the tenant or his predecessors in title, or have been paid for by the landlord or his predecessors in title, and the landlord, on the application of the tenant, consents that his property in such improvements shall be sold along with the tenancy, and the same is so sold accordingly, the purchase money shall be apportioned by the court as between the landlord’s property in such improvements, and the tenancy, and the part of the purchase money so found to represent the landlord’s property in such improvements (but subject to any set-off claimed by the tenant) shall be paid to the landlord; and such improvements so sold shall be deemed to have been made by the purchaser of the tenancy:

(9.) Where a tenant sells his tenancy to any person other than the landlord, the landlord may at any time within the prescribed period give notice both to the outgoing tenant and to the purchaser of any sums which he may claim from the outgoing tenant for arrears of rent or other breaches of the contract or conditions of tenancy. And

(a.) If the outgoing tenant does not within the prescribed period give notice to the purchaser that he disputes such claims or any of them, the purchaser shall out of the purchase moneys pay the full amount thereof to the landlord, and

(b.) If the outgoing tenant disputes such claims or any of them, the purchaser shall out of the purchase moneys pay to the landlord so much (if any) of such claims as the outgoing tenant admits, and pay the residue of the amount claimed by the landlord into court in the prescribed manner.

Until the purchaser has satisfied the requirements of this sub-section, it shall not be obligatory on the landlord to accept the purchaser as his tenant:

(10.) Where any purchase money has been paid into court it shall be lawful for the landlord and also for the outgoing tenant and for the purchaser respectively to make applications to the court in respect of such purchase money; and the court shall hear and determine such applications and make such order or orders thereupon as to the court may seem just:

(11.) A tenant who has sold his tenancy on any occasion of quitting his holding shall not be entitled on the same occasion to receive compensation for either disturbance or improvements; and a tenant who has received compensation for either disturbance or improvements on any occasion of quitting his holding shall not be entitled on the same occasion to sell his tenancy:

(12.) The tenant of a holding subject to the Ulster tenant-right custom or to a usage corresponding to the Ulster tenant-right custom may sell his tenancy either in pursuance of that custom or usage, or in pursuance of this section, but he shall not be entitled to sell partly under the custom or usage and partly under the provisions of this section:

(13.) If the tenant of a tenancy subject to the Ulster tenant-right custom or to a usage corresponding to the Ulster tenant-right custom sells his tenancy in pursuance of this section, the tenancy, unless purchased by the landlord, shall continue to be subject to such custom or usage:

(14.) Where a sale of a tenancy is made under a judgment or other process of law against the tenant or for the payment of the debts of the deceased tenant, the sale shall be made in the prescribed manner, subject to the conditions of this section, so far as the same are applicable:

(15.) Any sum payable to the landlord out of the purchase moneys of the tenancy under this section shall be a first charge upon the purchase moneys:

(16.) A landlord, on receiving notice of an intended sale of the tenancy, may, if he is not desirous of purchasing the tenancy otherwise than as a means of securing the payment of any sums due to him for arrears of rent or other breaches of the contract or conditions of tenancy, give notice within the prescribed time of the sum claimed by him in respect of such arrears and breaches, such sum failing agreement between the landlord and tenant to be determined by the court, and should the tenant determine to proceed with the sale, may claim to purchase the tenancy for such sum if no purchaser is found to give the same or a greater sum; and the landlord, if no purchaser be found within the prescribed time to give the same or a greater sum, shall be adjudged the purchaser of the tenancy at that sum.