The Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Enforcement of notice of unfitness or notice of disrepair

25.—(1) If a notice of unfitness or notice of disrepair is not complied with within the appropriate period, the appropriate district council may itself do the work required to be done by the notice or, where the notice has been varied by the court on appeal, by the notice as so varied.

(2) In paragraph (1), “the appropriate period” has the meaning given in Article 24(2).

(3) Where the appropriate district council proposes to exercise its powers under paragraph (1), it may authorise a person to enter the dwelling-house in accordance with Article 27(2).

(4) Subject to paragraph (5), any expenses incurred by the appropriate district council under this Article, together with interest at the prescribed rate from the date when a demand for the expenses is served until payment, may be recovered by the council summarily as a civil debt from the person upon whom the notice was served.

(5) Where the appropriate district council claims to recover any expenses from a person as being the person upon whom the notice was served and that person proves that he–

(a) is receiving the rent merely as agent or trustee for some other person, and

(b) has not, and since the date of the service on him of the demand has not had, in his hands on behalf of that other person sufficient money to discharge the whole demand of the council,

his liability shall be limited to the total amount of the money which he has, or has had, in his hands.

(6) Any expenses and interest due to the appropriate district council under this Article shall, until recovered, be deemed to be charged on and payable out of the estate of the person responsible in the land, in relation to which they have been incurred.

(7) For the purposes of paragraph (6)–

(a) where a notice of unfitness was served under Article 18(1) or a notice of disrepair was served under Article 19(1), the estate of the person responsible is the estate of the landlord and of any person deriving title from him; and

(b) where a notice of unfitness was served under Article 18(2) or a notice of disrepair was served under Article 19(2), the estate in the land of the person responsible is the estate of the owner of the building and of any person deriving title from him.

(8) The charge created by paragraph (6) shall be enforceable in all respects as if it were a valid mortgage by deed created in favour of the appropriate district council by the person on whose estate the charge has been created (with, where necessary, any authorisation or consent required by law) and the appropriate district council may exercise the powers conferred by sections 19, 21 and 22 of the Conveyancing Act 1881 on mortgages by deed accordingly.

(9) There shall be included among the matters required to be registered in the Statutory Charges Register any charge created under paragraph (6).

(10) An application for registration of such a charge shall be made by the appropriate district council within 2 months from the date when a demand is served under paragraph (4).