Reserve and Auxiliary Forces (Protection of Civil Interests) Act 1951

4 Special provisions as to leases and hire-purchase agreements. E+W

(1) Where under section two of this Act the appropriate court refuses, or grants subject to restrictions and conditions, leave to enforce a judgment or order for the recovery of possession in default of payment of rent of any premises, the lease shall be deemed not to have been forfeited by reason of the default so long as the judgment or order remains unenforceable; and a judgment or order shall be deemed to have remained unenforceable, notwithstanding that it has at some time been enforceable, if before it is enforced it again becomes unenforceable.

(2) A judgment or order for the recovery of possession of a dwelling house [F1 let on or subject to a protected tenancy of statutory tenancy within the meaning of the M1 Rent Act 1977] shall be deemed for the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this Act to be a judgment or order for the recovery of possession of the dwelling house in default of payment of rent if the court in giving or making the judgment or order was exercising the power conferred by [F1 Case 1 in Schedule 15 to the Rent Act 1977] on the sole ground that rent lawfully due from the tenant had not been paid and was not exercising any other power conferred by that Schedule.

[F2 (2A) For the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this Act, a judgment or order for the recovery of possession of a dwelling-house let on an assured tenancy within the meaning of Part I of the Housing Act 1988 shall be regarded as a judgment or order for the recovery of possession in default of payment of rent if the judgment or order was made on any of Grounds 8, 10 and 11 in Schedule 2 to that Act and not on any other ground.]

(3) On an application under section two of this Act for leave to enforce a judgment or order for the recovery in default of payment of rent of possession of land held in distinct parcels under one lease by two or more lessees, the court may (notwithstanding that a single rent was reserved by the lease and the proviso for re-entry in default of payment of the rent was not severable) order that the application shall be dealt with as if those parcels had been held under distinct leases and applications were being made for leave to enforce separate judgments or orders in relation thereto, and may make such consequential provision as seems just for the apportionment of the arrears of rent, for the relief of any lessee from forfeiture of the parcel held by him and for the adjustment of the rights and obligations under the lease of the parties to the application.

[F3 (4) Where the appropriate court refuses leave under section 4(2) of this Act to take possession of goods subject to a hire-purchase agreement or a conditional sale agreement or to execute a judgment or order for delivery of such goods, or gives leave subject to restrictions and conditions, and the person to whom the goods are bailed, or, as the case may be, the buyer, before possession is taken or execution on the judgment or order completed, pays the total price, the creditor’s title to the goods shall, notwithstanding any failure to pay the total price at the time required by the agreement, vest in that person.

(5) Where the creditor under a hire-purchase agreement or a conditional sale agreement has taken possession of the goods bailed or agreed to be sold under it, the appropriate court on an application under section 3(1)(c) of this Act, may, if it thinks fit, deal with the case as if the creditor were proceeding to take possession of the goods and, if it makes an order under that paragraph, may direct accordingly that the goods be restored to the person to whom they were bailed or, as the case may be, the buyer; and if, after the creditor has taken possession of the goods, notice is given under that paragraph with respect to them, he shall not, so long as the notice is in force or any application in pursuance of the notice is undisposed of, deal with the goods in such a way as to prejudice the powers of the appropriate court under this subsection.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words substituted by Rent Act 1977 (c. 42), Sch. 23 para. 2

F2 S. 4(2A) inserted by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 75:1),s. 140(1), Sch. 17 para. 1

F3 S. 4(4)(5) substituted for s. 4(4)—(6) by Consumer Credit Act 1974 (c. 39), s. 192, Sch. 4 Pt. I para. 12

Marginal Citations

M1 1977 c. 42.