Trustee Act (Northern Ireland) 1958

12 Power of trustees for sale to sell by auction, etc. N.I.

(1) Where a trust for sale or a power of sale of property is vested in a trustee, he may sell or concur with any other person in selling all or any part of the property, either subject to prior charges or not, and either together or in lots, by public auction or by private contract, subject to any such conditions respecting title or evidence of title or other matter as the trustee thinks fit, with power to vary any contract for sale, and to buy in at any auction, or to rescind any contract for sale and to re-sell, without being answerable for any loss.

(2) Where a trust for sale or a power of sale of land held in fee farm or on lease is vested in a trustee, he may make, on such terms and conditions as he may think proper, a sub fee farm grant of the land or any part thereof, or a sub-lease of the land or any part thereof with a nominal reversion, where such sub fee farm grant or sub-lease amounts in substance to a sale and the trustees have satisfied themselves that it is the most appropriate method of disposing of the land.

(3) Where trustees grant or lease any land pursuant to any power conferred on them by sub-section (2) they may sell any rent reserved on such grant or any reversion expectant upon the determination of such lease.

(4) Where any grant (including a sub fee farm grant) or sub-lease purports to have been made in exercise of a power conferred by this section, that power shall, until the contrary is proved, be assumed to have been properly exercised and—

(a) the grantee, sub-grantee or sub-lessee (as the case may be) shall not, either before or on the execution of the grant or sub-lease, be concerned to see or inquire whether a case has arisen to authorise the execution of that grant or sub-lease; and

(b) neither the grantee, sub-grantee, sub-lessee nor any of their successors in title shall be concerned to see to the application of any moneys paid on foot of the grant or lease.

(5) A trust or power to sell or dispose of land includes a trust or power to sell or dispose of part thereof whether the division is horizontal, vertical, or made in any other way.

(6) This section does not enable—

(a) a trust or direction to sell land which is deemed to be settled land by virtue of section sixty-three of the Settled Land Act, 1882 [1882 c.38] , to be exercised unless the consents (if any) which are required by the instrument creating the settlement are first obtained; or

(b) an express power to sell settled land to be exercised unless any consents which are required by virtue of sub-section (2) of section fifty-six of the Settled Land Act, 1882, as amended by sub-section (2) of section six of the Settled Land Act, 1884 [1884 c.18] , are first obtained.