Housing Act 1996

2 (1) The Housing Act 1988 shall be amended as follows. E+W

(2) In section 14, there shall be inserted at the end—

“(9) This section shall apply in relation to an assured shorthold tenancy as if in subsection (1) the reference to an assured tenancy were a reference to an assured shorthold tenancy.”.

(3) In section 20, for the side-note and subsection (1) there shall be substituted—

“20 Assured shorthold tenancies: pre-Housing Act 1996 tenancies.

(1) Subject to subsection (3) below, an assured tenancy which is not one to which section 19A above applies is an assured shorthold tenancy if—

(a) it is a fixed term tenancy granted for a term certain of not less than six months,

(b) there is no power for the landlord to determine the tenancy at any time earlier than six months from the beginning of the tenancy, and

(c) a notice in respect of it is served as mentioned in subsection (2) below.”.

(4) In that section, after subsection (5) there shall be inserted—

“(5A) Subsections (3) and (4) above do not apply where the new tenancy is one to which section 19A above applies.”.

(5) In section 22, in subsection (1), the words from “in respect of” to “above” shall be omitted.

(6) In that section, after subsection (5) there shall be inserted—

“(5A) Where—

(a) an assured tenancy ceases to be an assured shorthold tenancy by virtue of falling within paragraph 2 of Schedule 2A to this Act, and

(b) at the time when it so ceases to be an assured shorthold tenancy there is pending before a rent assessment committee an application in relation to it under this section,

the fact that it so ceases to be an assured shorthold tenancy shall, in relation to that application, be disregarded for the purposes of this section.”.

(7) In section 34(3), after “whether or not” there shall be inserted “ , in the case of a tenancy to which the provision applies, ”.

(8) In section 39(7), after “whether or not” there shall be inserted “ , in the case of a tenancy to which the provision applies, ”.