Office of Public Sector Information

Section 24(1),(2).

SCHEDULE 5 Housing: Minor and Consequential Amendments

Part I Minor Amendments

Effect of covenant for repayment of discount

1(1)In section 36 of the M1Housing Act 1985 (charge to secure repayment of discount given on voluntary disposal), after subsection (3) insert—

“(3A)The covenant required by section 35 (covenant for repayment of discount) does not, by virtue of its binding successors in title of the purchaser, bind a person exercising rights under a charge having priority over the charge taking effect by virtue of this section, or a person deriving title under him; and a provision of the conveyance, grant or assignment, or of a collateral agreement, is void in so far as it purports to authorise a forfeiture, or to impose a penalty or disability, in the event of any such person failing to comply with the covenant.”.

(2)In section 156 of the Housing Act 1985 (charge to secure repayment of discount given on exercise of right to buy), after subsection (3) insert—

“(3A)The covenant required by section 155 (covenant for repayment of discount) does not, by virtue of its binding successors in title of the tenant, bind a person exercising rights under a charge having priority over the charge taking effect by virtue of this section, or a person deriving title under him; and a provision of the conveyance or grant, or of a collateral agreement, is void in so far as it purports to authorise a forfeiture, or to impose a penalty or disability, in the event of any such person failing to comply with that covenant.”.

(3)In section 158 of the Housing Act 1985 (consideration for reconveyance or surrender of dwelling-house in National Park, etc. acquired in pursuance of right to buy) in subsection (3) (reduction of consideration where discount to be repaid or outstanding share to be paid for) after “shall be reduced” insert “, subject to subsection (4),”, and after that subsection insert—

“(4)Where there is a charge on the dwelling-house having priority over the charge to secure payment of the sum due under the covenant mentioned in subsection (2), the consideration shall not be reduced under subsection (3) below the amount necessary to discharge the outstanding sum secured by the first-mentioned charge at the date of the offer to reconvey or surrender.”.

F1(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5)The above amendments apply to covenants entered into before as well as after the commencement of this paragraph.

Acquisition of dwelling-house subject to statutory tenancy

2In Part IV of the M1Housing Act 1985 (secure tenancies), before section 110 under the heading “Supplementary provisions” insert—

“109A Acquisition of dwelling-house subject to statutory tenancy

Where an authority or body within section 80 (the landlord condition for secure tenancies) becomes the landlord of a dwelling-house subject to a statutory tenancy, the tenancy shall be treated for all purposes as if it were a contractual tenancy on the same terms, and the provisions of this Part apply accordingly.”.

Landlord’s notice to mention any structural defect

3In section 125 of the Housing Act 1985 (exercise of right to buy: landlord’s notice of purchase price and certain other matters), after subsection (4) insert—

“(4A)The notice shall contain a description of any structural defect known to the landlord affecting the dwelling-house or the building in which it is situated or any other building over which the tenant will have rights under the conveyance or lease.”.

Re-service of notices, etc. on change of landlord in course of exercise of right to buy

4(1)Section 137 of the Housing Act 1985 (change of landlord after notice claiming right to buy or right to a mortgage) is amended as follows.

(2)Make the existing provision subsection (1) and in it after “all parties shall” insert “, subject to subsection (2),”.

(3)After that subsection insert—

“(2)If the circumstances after the disposal differ in any material respect, as for example where—

(a)the interest of the disponee in the dwelling-house after the disposal differs from that of the disponor before the disposal, or

(b)the right to a mortgage becomes exercisable against the Housing Corporation rather than the landlord, orvice versa, or

(c)any of the provisions of Schedule 5 (exceptions to the right to buy) becomes or ceases to be applicable,

all those concerned shall, as soon as practicable after the disposal, take all such steps (whether by way of amending or withdrawing and re-serving any notice or extending any period or otherwise) as may be requisite for the purpose of securing that all parties are, as nearly as may be, in the same position as they would have been if those circumstances had obtained before the disposal.”.

Deferment of completion in pursuance of right to buy

F15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Penalty for voting on certain housing matters

6(1)In section 618(4) of the Housing Act 1985 (penalty for member of Common Council or committee voting on housing matter relating to land in which he is interested), for “level 2 on the standard scale” substitute “level 4 on the standard scale”.

(2)The above amendment does not apply to offences committed before the commencement of this paragraph.

Grounds for withholding consent to assignment of secure tenancy

7In Schedule 3 to the M1Housing Act 1985 (grounds for withholding consent to assignment by way of exchange), after Ground 9 add—

“ Ground 10

The dwelling-house is the subject of a management agreement under which the manager is a housing association of which at least half the members are tenants of dwelling-houses subject to the agreement, at least half the tenants of the dwelling-houses are members of the association and the proposed assignee is not, and is not willing to become, a member of the association.”.

8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Service charges in respect of the cost of grant-aided works

9(1)In the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, after section 20 insert—

“20A Limitation of service charges: grant-aided works

Where relevant costs are incurred or to be incurred on the carrying out of works in respect of which a grant has been or is to be paid under Part XV of the Housing Act 1985 (grants for works of improvement, repair or conversion), the amount of the grant shall be deducted from the costs and the amount of the service charge payable shall be reduced accordingly.”.

(2)In section 21 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (request for summary of relevant costs), in subsection (5) (contents of summary) after “shall” insert “state whether any of the costs relate to works in respect of which a grant has been or is to be paid under Part XV of the Housing Act 1985 (grants for works of improvement, repair or conversion) and”.

(3)In section 47 of the Housing Act 1985 (limitation on service charges payable after disposal of house by public sector authority), after subsection (3) add—

“(4)Where relevant costs are incurred or to be incurred on the carrying out of works in respect of which a grant has been or is to be paid under Part XV (grants for works of improvement, repair or conversion), the amount of the grant shall be deducted from the costs and the amount of the service charge payable shall be reduced accordingly.”.

(4)In section 48 of the M1Housing Act 1985 (request for summary of relevant costs), after subsection (3) (contents of summary) insert—

“(3A)The summary shall also state whether any of the costs relate to works in respect of which a grant has been or is to be paid under Part XV (grants for works of improvement, repair or conversion).”.

Miscellaneous corrections

10(1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(2)In sections 207 and 322 of the Housing Act 1985, in the definition of “person having control” for “house” substitute “premises”.

(3)In section 251(5)(b) of the Housing Act 1985 after “housing action” insert “area”.

(4)In section 256(4)(b) of the Housing Act 1985 for “to the local planning authority” substitute “of the local planning authority”.

(5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(6)In section 10(2)(b) of the M1Housing Associations Act 1985, for “Schedule 3 to the Housing Act 1985” substitute “Schedule 1 to the Housing Act 1985”.

(7)In paragraph 27 of Schedule 2 to the M2Housing (Consequential Provisions) Act 1985 for “(4)”, in both places where it occurs, substitute “(6)”.

(8)In Schedule 3 to the Housing (Consequential Provisions) Act 1985, after paragraph 2 insert—

“2A.Any order made under section 115(11) of the Housing Act 1974 (form of notice of compensation where land in clearance area deemed appropriated for provision of housing) which was in force immediately before the repeal of that section by this Act may be revoked or amended by regulations under section 614 of the Housing Act 1985 (general power to prescribe forms, etc. by regulations).”.

(9)The above amendments have effect from 1st April 1986.

F113. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Part II Consequential Amendments

14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Rent Act 1977

15In section 16 of the M1Rent Act 1977 (tenancy not protected if interest of landlord belongs to housing co-operative) for the words from “within the meaning of section 27” to the end substitute “within the meaning of section 27B of the Housing Act 1985 (agreements with housing co-operatives under certain superseded provisions) and the dwelling-house is comprised in a housing co-operative agreement within the meaning of that section”.

16(1)Schedule 12 to the Rent Act 1977 (procedure on application for certificate of fair rent) is amended as follows.

(2)In paragraph (1)(c)—

(a)after “section 69(1)(a)” insert “or (1A)(b)”;

(b)after “improvement” insert “or repair”;

(c)after “regulated” insert “or secure”.

(3)In paragraph 3, after “If,” insert—

“in the case of—

(a)an application under section 69(1) of this Act where the dwelling-house is not subject to a regulated tenancy, or

(b)an application under section 69(1A) of this Act where the dwelling-house is not subject to a secure tenancy,”;

and omit “unless the dwelling-house is subject to a regulated tenancy”.

(4)In paragraph 4, for the words from “an application” to “regulated tenancy” substitute “—

(a)an application under section 69(1) of this Act where the dwelling-house is not subject to a regulated tenancy and which does not fall within paragraph 3 above, or

(b)an application under section 69(1A) of this Act and which does not fall within paragraph 3 above and where the dwelling-house is not subject to a secure tenancy,”.

(5)In paragraph 5(1), for “Where the dwelling-house is subject to a regulated tenancy” substitute

“In the case of—

(a)an application under section 69(1) of this Act where the dwelling-house is subject to a regulated tenancy, or

(b)an application under section 69(1A) of this Act where the dwelling-house is subject to a secure tenancy,”.

(6)In paragraphs 8(2) and 11, after “regulated” insert “or secure”.

(7)After paragraph 11 add—

“12In this Schedule “secure tenancy” has the same meaning as in Part IV of the Housing Act 1985, but does not include such a tenancy where the landlord is the Housing Corporation, a housing association or a housing trust which is a charity.

In this paragraph “housing association”, “housing trust” and “charity” have the same meaning as in Part IV of the Housing Act 1985.”

17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

Finance Act 1981

18In section 107 of the M1Finance Act 1981 (stamp duty payable on disposal of dwelling-house at a discount by certain authorities), after subsection (3A) insert—

“(3B)This section also applies to a conveyance or transfer on sale (including the grant of a lease) by a person against whom the right by buy under Part V of the Housing Act 1985 is exercisable by virtue of section 171A of that Act (preservation of right to buy on disposal to private sector landlord) to a person who is the qualifying person for the purposes of the preserved right to buy and in relation to whom that dwelling-house is the qualifying dwelling-house.”

Local Government Act 1985

19In paragraph 22 of Schedule 13 to the M1Local Government Act 1985 (provisions of Housing Act 1985 applying to residuary bodies) after “444,” insert “450A to 450C,”.

Housing Act 1985

F120. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21In section 20 of the Housing Act 1985 (houses of local authority to which management provisions apply), for “down to section 26” substitute “down to section 27B”.

22In section 21 of the Housing Act 1985 (management powers to be exercised by local housing authority), in subsection (2) (general proposition subject to section 27), for “(agreements for exercise of housing management functions by co operative)” substitute “(management agreements)”.

23In section 30 of the Housing Act 1985 (application of housing management provisions to new town corporations and the Development Board for Rural Wales), omit subsection (2) (which relates to section 27: management agreements).

24Omit section 46 of the Housing Act 1985 (definition of “service charge” for the purposes of certain provisions of Part II).

25In section 57 of the Housing Act 1985 (the index to Part II), in the entries relating to the expressions “payee and payer”, “relevant costs” and “service charge” for “section 46” substitute “section 621A”.

26In section 80 of the Housing Act 1985 (the landlord condition for secure tenancies), for subsection (4) (housing co-operatives to which the section applies) substitute—

“(4)This section applies to a housing co-operative within the meaning of section 27B (agreements under certain superseded provisions) where the dwelling-house is comprised in a housing co-operative agreement within the meaning of that section.”.

27In section 117 of the Housing Act 1985 (the index to Part IV) at the appropriate places insert—

28In section 127(1) of the Housing Act 1985, omit the word “and” at the end of paragraph (a).

29In section 130 of the M1Housing Act 1985 (reduction of discount where previous discount given), in subsection (2) (meaning of “previous discount”) in paragraph (a) after “7” insert “or 7A” and after that paragraph insert—

“(aa)on conveyance of the freehold, or a grant or assignment of a long lease of a dwelling-house by a person against whom the right to buy was exercisable by virtue of section 171A (preservation of right to buy on disposal to private sector landlord) to a person who was a qualifying person for the purposes of the preserved right to buy and in relation to whom that dwelling-house was the qualifying dwelling-house, or”.

30(1)Section 187 of the Housing Act 1985 (minor definitions for purposes of Part V (the right to buy)) is amended as follows.

(2)In the definition of “improvement”—

(a)after “means” insert “, in relation to a dwelling-house,”,

(b)for “a dwelling-house”, in both places, substitute “the dwelling-house”, and

(c)at the end (full-out after paragraph (c)) insert “and shall be similarly construed in relation to any other building or land;”.

(3)At the appropriate place insert—

““improvement contribution” means an amount payable by a tenant of a flat in respect of improvements to the flat, the building in which it is situated or any other building or land, other than works carried out in discharge of any such obligations as are referred to in paragraph 16A(1) of Schedule 6 (obligations to repair, reinstate, etc.);”.

31In section 188 of the Housing Act 1985 (the index to Part V) at the appropriate places insert—

32In Part XIII of the M1Housing Act 1985 (general financial provisions), after section 427 insert—

“427A Entitlement to subsidy in case of land subject to management agreement

The fact that a local housing authority or other body has entered into a management agreement, and any letting of land in connection with such an agreement—

(a)shall be disregarded in determining that authority or body’s reckonable income or expenditure for the purposes of housing subsidy, and

(b)shall not be regarded as a ground for recovering, withholding or reducing any sum under section 427 (recoupment of housing subsidy).”.

33In section 434 of the Housing Act 1985 (the index to Part XIII) at the appropriate place insert—

34In section 444(4) of the Housing Act 1985 (advances relevant to certain powers of local authority to give assistance), for the words from “by” to the end substitute “a housing authority”.

35In section 452 of the Housing Act 1985 (vesting of house in authority entitled to exercise power of sale), in subsection (2) omit the definition of “housing authority”.

36In section 453 of the Housing Act 1985 (power of authority which has granted shared ownership lease to make further advances), omit subsection (2) (which defines “housing authority”).

37In section 458 of the Housing Act 1985 (minor definitions), at the appropriate place insert—

““housing authority” includes any local authority, an urban development corporation, the Housing Corporation and a registered housing association;”.