Hire-Purchase Act 1964

18 Powers of court on non-compliance with order for specific delivery of goods

(1) Where goods have been let under a hire-purchase agreement to which the principal Act applies, and, in a case to which section 11 of that Act applies, the owner has brought an action to enforce a right to recover possession of the goods from the hirer, then if—

(a) the court has made an order in that action under section 12(4) or section 13(4)(c) of that Act (in this section referred to as " the previous order "), and

(b) the previous order has not been complied with, or, in the case of an order under section 12(4)(b) of that Act (which relates to postponed orders for the specific delivery of goods), the hirer or any guarantor has failed to comply with any condition of the postponement, or with any term of the hire-purchase agreement as varied by the court, or has wrongfully disposed of the goods, and

(c) the owner has not recovered possession of all the goods which under the previous order were directed to be delivered to him,

the owner may make an application under this section.

(2) Any application under this section shall be made to the court by which the previous order was made, and (whether the operation of the previous order was postponed or not) shall be made in the action in which that order was made.

(3) On any such application the court shall have power, if in the circumstances it considers it just to do so.—

(a) to revoke the previous order, and

(b) to make an order for the payment (in any manner in which money may be ordered to be paid in accordance with section 99 of the County Courts Act 1959) of a sum determined in accordance with subsection (4) of this section.

(4) Subject to any reduction under subsection (6) of this section, the sum referred to in paragraph (b) of the last preceding subsection shall be a sum equal to the balance of the price of the unrecovered goods which remains outstanding at the date when the order under that paragraph is made.

(5) The power to make an order under subsection (3)(b) of this section shall be exercisable against any person who, at the time when the order is made, is (apart from the previous order) liable to pay any sum which has then accrued due under the hire-purchase agreement; and on the making of such an order the owner's title to the unrecovered goods shall vest in the person against whom the order is made.

(6) Where the court makes an order under subsection (3)(b) of this section, the court shall deduct from the balance referred to in subsection (4) of this section such amount as the court thinks just, having regard to the extent to which the order requires any part of that balance to be paid at a date earlier than the date on which it would have become payable in accordance with the hire-purchase agreement.

(7) Where an order is made under subsection (3)(b) of this section after the issue of a warrant in pursuance of the previous order, the court shall cancel the warrant.

(8) In this section—

(a) " the unrecovered goods " means those goods which, under the previous order, were directed to be delivered to the owner but of which he has not recovered possession at the time when the court makes the order under subsection (3)(b) of this section ; and

(b) " price " in relation to any goods, has the same meaning as in section 12 of the principal Act, and any reference to the balance of the price of any goods remaining outstanding shall be construed accordingly.