The Property (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

Initiation of redemption procedure

8.—(1) A rent-payer who wishes to redeem his ground rent shall serve on the rent-owner a notice (a “redemption notice”) of his intention to do so.

(2) A redemption notice must specify—

(a) where the redemption money is not payable by instalments, the date on which the ground rent is to be redeemed; or

(b) where that money is payable by instalments, the number of instalments and the dates on which they are to be payable,

intended by the rent-payer, and that specified date, or, in the case of sub-paragraph (b), the first of those specified dates, (or the date to which, in either case, it is varied under paragraph (4)), is the redemption date.

(3) The specified redemption date must be not less than 6 weeks nor more than 8 weeks after the date of service of the redemption notice.

(4) The specified redemption date and the specified number of instalments and other specified dates referred to in paragraph (2)(b) may be varied by agreement in writing between the rent-payer and the rent-owner; and such an agreement may be made—

(a) before the specified redemption date; or

(b) after that date, so long as—

(i) the redemption notice has neither been withdrawn nor ceased to have effect under Article 11, and

(ii) no lodgment has been made with the Registrar under Article 14.

(5) Except where it is withdrawn or ceases to have effect under Article 11, a redemption notice served by a rent-payer enures for his benefit and the benefit of his successors in title, whether or not there is any change in the rent-owner.

(6) Where two or more lands held under different titles subject to ground rents payable to the same rent-owner are contiguous (or, in the case of more than two, every one is contiguous to some other) and are occupied by the same rent-payer, they may, for the purposes of this Order, be treated as one land and the aggregate of the ground rents may be treated as one ground rent.

(7) Where land comprised of two or more parcels vested in separate persons is subject to a single ground rent, both or all of those persons may combine to redeem the ground rent.

(8) In this Article “specified” means specified in a redemption notice.