Housing Act 1985

157 Restriction on disposal of dwelling-houses in National Parks, etc. E+W

(1) Where in pursuance of this Part a conveyance or grant is executed by a local authority F1 . . . or a housing association (“the landlord”) of a dwelling-house situated in—

(a) a National Park,

(b) an area designated under section 87 of the National Parks and Access to the M1 Countryside Act 1949 as an area of outstanding natural beauty, or

(c) an area designated by order of the Secretary of State as a rural area,

the conveyance or grant may contain a covenant limiting the freedom of the tenant (including any successor in title of his and any person deriving title under him or such a successor) to dispose of the dwelling-house in the manner specified below.

(2) The limitation is, subject to subsection (4), that until such time (if any) as may be notified in writing by the landlord to the tenant or a successor in title of his

[F2 (a)] , there will be no relevant disposal which is not an exempted disposal without the written consent of the landlord; but that consent shall not be withheld if the disposal is to a person satisfying the condition stated in subsection (3) [F3 and—

(b) there will be no disposal by way of tenancy or licence without the written consent of the landlord unless the disposal is to a person satisfying that condition or by a person whose only or principal home is and, throughout the duration of the tenancy or licence, remains the dwelling-house].

(3) The condition is that the person to whom the disposal is made (or, if it is made to more than one person, at least one of them) has, thoughout the period of three years immediately preceding the application for consent [F4 or, in the case of a disposal by way of tenancy or licence, preceding the disposal]—

(a) had his place of work in a region designated by order of the Secretary of State which, or part of which, is comprised in the National Park or area, or

(b) had his only or principal home in such a region;

or has had the one in part or parts of that period and the other in the remainder; but the region need not have been the same throughout the period.

(4) If the Secretary of State or, where the landlord is a housing association, the [F5 Corporation], consents, the limitation specified in subsection (2) may be replaced by the following limitation, that is to say, that until the end of the period of ten years beginning with the conveyance or grant there will be no relevant disposal which is not an exempted disposal, unless in relation to that or a previous such disposal—

(a) the tenant (or his successor in title or the person deriving title under him or his successor) has offered to reconvey the dwelling-house, or as the case may be surrender the lease, to the landlord for such consideration as is mentioed in section 158, and

(b) the landlord has refused the offer or has failed to accept it within one month after it was made.

(5) The consent of the Secretary of State or the [F5 Corporation] under subsection (4) may be given subject to such conditions as he or, as the case may be, the Corporation, thinks fit.

(6) A disposal in breach of such a covenant as is mentioned in subsection (1) is void [F6 and, so far as it relates to disposals by way of tenancy or licence, such a covenant may be enforced by the landlord as if—

(a) the landlord were possessed of land adjacent to the house concerned; and

(b) the covenant were expressed to be made for the benefit of such adjacent land].

[F7 (6A) Any reference in the preceding provisions of this section to a disposal by way of tenancy or licence does not include a reference to a relevant disposal or an exempted disposal.]

(7) Where such a covenant imposes the limitation specified in subsection (2), the limitation is a local land charge and the Chief Land Registrar shall enter the appropriate restriction on the register of title as if application therefor had been made under section 58 of the M2 Land Registration Act 1925.

(8) An order under this section—

(a) may make different provision with respect to different cases or descriptions of case, including different provision for different areas, and

(b) shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 157(1) repealed (1.10.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 152, Sch. 18 Pt. IV (with ss. 137(1), 139(2), 141(1), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2244, art. 4

F2 “(a)” inserted by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 61), s. 126(2)(6)

F3 “and” and s. 157(2)(b) added by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 61), s. 126(2)(6)

F4 Words inserted by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 61), s. 126(3)(6)

F5 Words substituted by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 61), s. 140(2), Sch. 17 Pt. II para. 106

F6 Words beginning “and, so far” and s. 157(6)(a)(b) added by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 61), s. 126(4)(6)

F7 S.157(6A) inserted by Housing Act 1988 (c. 50, SIF 61), s. 126(5)(6)

Marginal Citations

M1 1949 c. 97.

M2 1925 c. 21.