Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977

3.—(1) Where the rates are payable by the owner under Article 20 in respect of any hereditament in the occupation of a tenant under a contract of tenancy, then— N.I.

(a) if the contract was made before Article 20 came into force, or before any transferred provision corresponding to that Article which was repealed by or under the 1972 Order or by this Order came into force, in relation to the hereditament, the tenant shall repay to the owner all sums paid by the owner during the continuance of the tenancy on account of rates which would, but for that Article, have been payable by the tenant under the contract of tenancy;

(b) if the contract was made after Article 20 came into force, or after any such transferred provision as aforesaid came into force, in relation to the hereditament, and the owner pays any sum in respect of rates which, under the contract of tenancy as between the owner and the tenant, the tenant is liable to pay, the tenant shall pay to the owner the amount of the rates so paid;

and every sum payable by the tenant to the owner by virtue of the provisions of this sub-paragraph may be recovered, if not paid upon demand, as arrears of rent could be recovered from the tenant by the owner.

(2) Where, under the terms of any contract of tenancy made, after Article 20 comes into force, for the letting of any hereditament to which that Article applies or under the terms of any such contract made after any transferred provision corresponding to that Article which was repealed by or under the 1972 Order or by this Order came into force in relation to the hereditament, the sum made payable under the contract is inclusive as between landlord and tenant of all sums payable for rates, and after the date of the contract the amount of the rates payable in respect of the hereditament is increased or reduced, then—

(a) the sum so made payable as rent shall be increased or reduced, as the case may be, by the amount of every such increase or reduction in the sum payable by the landlord for rates in respect of the hereditament and attributable to the period during which such rent accrued; and

(b) where any such rent is made payable for a period or periods of less than one year, the proper proportion of such increase or reduction in rates shall be paid or allowed, as the case may require, on the occasion of each payment of rent; and

(c) any such increased or reduced rent shall be recoverable in the same manner as the rent reserved by the contract of tenancy; provided that, for the purpose of the summary recovery of possession of any such premises as aforesaid under any transferred provision, the amount of the rent shall be deemed to be the amount computed by deducting the amount of the rates from the total sum payable in respect of rent.

(3) In every contract of tenancy made, after Article 20 comes into force, for the letting of any hereditament to which that Article applies and in every contract of tenancy made after any transferred provision corresponding to that Article which was repealed by or under the 1972 Order or by this Order came into force in relation to the hereditament to which the contract relates, any rent reserved by the contract shall be deemed to be inclusive of rates unless a contrary intention appears from the contract.

(4) Any reference in this paragraph to Article 20 coming into force includes, in relation to hereditaments brought within the application of that Article by virtue of an order under paragraph (5) of that Article, a reference to that order coming into force.