Housing Act, 1966

• Permanent Page URL

Recovery of possession of dwellings and other buildings.

62.—(1) In case,

(a) there is no tenancy in—

(i) a dwelling provided by a housing authority under this Act,

(ii) any building or part of a building of which the authority are the owner and which is required by them for the purposes of this Act, or

(iii) a dwelling of which the National Building Agency Limited is the owner,

whether by reason of the termination of a tenancy or otherwise, and

(b) there is an occupier of the dwelling or building or any part thereof who neglects or refuses to deliver up possession of the dwelling or building or part thereof on a demand being made therefor by the authority or Agency, as the case may be, and

(c) there is a statement in the demand of the intention of the authority or Agency to make application under this subsection in the event of the requirements of the demand not being complied with,

the authority or Agency may (without prejudice to any other method of recovering possession) apply to the justice of the District Court having jurisdiction in the district court district in which the dwelling or building is situate for the issue of a warrant under this section.

(2) Where—

(a) the rent of any dwelling let by a housing authority under this Act or by the National Building Agency Limited either on a monthly tenancy or on a tenancy for a less period than a month, is in arrears for a period of not less than one month, and

(b) the dwelling is, in the opinion of the authority or the Agency, as the case may be, abandoned by the person to whom it was so let, and

(c) the dwelling is not actually occupied by any person,

the authority or the Agency may give to the person to whom the dwelling was so let notice, being of not less duration than that which would be required to terminate the tenancy by notice to quit, of their intention to resume possession of the dwelling andin case notice is duly given under this subsection and if, but only if, at the expiration of the notice the said rent in arrears is unpaid, the authority or Agency may resume possession of the dwelling and thereupon the tenancy therein shall by virtue of this subsection terminate.

(3) Upon the hearing of an application duly made under subsection (1) of this section, the justice of the District Court hearing the application shall, in case he is satisfied that the demand mentioned in the said subsection (1) has been duly made, issue the warrant.

(4) The provisions of sections 86, 87, and 88 of the Act of 1860 shall apply in respect of the issue of a warrant under this section subject to the modification that where as respects an application under subsection (1) of this section, the name of the occupier of a dwelling or building or part thereof cannot by reasonable enquiry be ascertained, a summons under the said section 86 may be addressed to “the occupier” without naming him, and the warrant when so issued shall have the same effect as a warrant under the said section 86.

(5) In any proceedings for the recovery of possession of a dwelling or building or part thereof mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, a document purporting to be the relevant tenancy agreement produced by the body by whom the proceedings are brought shall be prima facie evidence of the agreement and it shall not be necessary to prove any signature on the document and in case there is no tenancy in the premises to which the proceedings relate by reason of the termination of a tenancy by notice to quit and the person to whom such notice was given is the person against whom the proceedings are brought, the following additional provisions shall apply:

(a) any demand or requirement contained in such notice that the person deliver up possession of the said premises to the authority or the Agency, shall be a sufficient demand for the purposes of paragraph (b) of the said subsection (1); and

(b) any statement in the said notice of the intention of the authority or the Agency to make application under subsection (1) of this section in respect of the premises shall be a sufficient statement for the purposes of paragraph (c) of the said subsection (1).

(6) Nothing in the Landlord and Tenant Acts, 1931 and 1958, or the Rent Restrictions Act, 1960 , shall be deemed to affect the provisions of this Act relating to the obtaining of possession of a dwelling or building or part thereof mentioned in subsection (1) of this section.