Not later than the beginning of the tenancy the landlord gave notice in writing to the tenant that possession might be recovered on this ground or the court is of the opinion that it is just and equitable to dispense with the requirement of notice and (in either case)—

1. a

   at some time before the beginning of the tenancy, the landlord who is seeking possession or, in the case of joint landlords seeking possession, at least one of them occupied the dwelling-house as his only or principal home; or

2. b

   the landlord who is seeking possession or, in the case of joint landlords seeking possession, at least one of them requires the dwelling-house as his or his spouse’s only or principal home and neither the landlord (or, in the case of joint landlords, any one of them) nor any other person who, as landlord, derived title under the landlord who gave the notice mentioned above acquired the reversion on the tenancy for money or money’s worth.

C1The landlord who is seeking possession or, if that landlord is a registered housing association or charitable housing trust, a superior landlord intends to demolish or reconstruct the whole or a substantial part of the dwelling-house or to carry out substantial works on the dwelling-house or any part thereof or any building of which it forms part and the following conditions are fulfilled—

1. a

   the intended work cannot reasonably be carried out without the tenant giving up possession of the dwelling-house because—

   1. i

      the tenant is not willing to agree to such a variation of the terms of the tenancy as would give such access and other facilities as would permit the intended work to be carried out, or

   2. ii

      the nature of the intended work is such that no such variation is practicable, or

   3. iii

      the tenant is not willing to accept an assured tenancy of such part only of the dwelling-house (in this sub-paragraph referred to as “the reduced part”) as would leave in the possession of his landlord so much of the dwelling-house as would be reasonable to enable the intended work to be carried out and, where appropriate, as would give such access and other facilities over the reduced part as would permit the intended work to be carried out, or

   4. iv

      the nature of the intended work is such that such a tenancy is not practicable; and

2. b

   either the landlord seeking possession acquired his interest in the dwelling-house before the grant of the tenancy or that interest was in existence at the time of that grant and neither that landlord (or, in the case of joint landlords, any of them) nor any other person who, alone or jointly with others, has acquired that interest since that time acquired it for money or money’s worth; and

3. c

   the assured tenancy on which the dwelling-house is let did not come into being by virtue of any provision of Schedule 1 to the M2Rent Act 1977, as amended by Part I of Schedule 4 to this Act or, as the case may be, section 4 of the M3Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976, as amended by Part II of that Schedule.

For the purposes of this ground, if, immediately before the grant of the tenancy, the tenant to whom it was granted or, if it was granted to joint tenants, any of them was the tenant or one of the joint tenants F1of the dwelling-house concerned under an earlier assured tenancy F2or, as the case may be, under a tenancy to which Schedule 10 to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 applied, any reference in paragraph (b) above to the grant of the tenancy is a reference to the grant of that earlier assured tenancy F1or, as the case may be, to the grant of the tenancy to which the said Schedule 10 applied.

For the purposes of this ground “registered housing association” has the same meaning as in the M4Housing Associations Act 1985 and “charitable housing trust” means a housing trust, within the meaning of that Act, which is a charity, within the meaning of F3the Charities Act 1993.

F4For the purposes of this ground, every acquisition under Part IV of this Act shall be taken to be an acquisition for money or money’s worth; and in any case where—

1. i

   the tenancy (in this paragraph referred to as “the current tenancy”) was granted to a person (alone or jointly with others) who, immediately before it was granted, was a tenant under a tenancy of a different dwelling-house (in this paragraph referred to as “the earlier tenancy”), and

2. ii

   the landlord under the current tenancy is the person who, immediately before that tenancy was granted, was the landlord under the earlier tenancy, and

3. iii

   the condition in paragraph (b) above could not have been fulfilled with respect to the earlier tenancy by virtue of an acquisition under Part IV of this Act (including one taken to be such an acquisition by virtue of the previous operation of this paragraph),

the acquisition of the landlord’s interest under the current tenancy shall be taken to have been under that Part and the landlord shall be taken to have acquired that interest after the grant of the current tenancy.

Both at the date of the service of the notice under section 8 of this Act relating to the proceedings for possession and at the date of the hearing—

1. a

   if rent is payable weekly or fortnightly, at least thirteen weeks’ rent is unpaid;

2. b

   if rent is payable monthly, at least three months’ rent is unpaid;

3. c

   if rent is payable quarterly, at least one quarter’s rent is more than three months in arrears; and

4. d

   if rent is payable yearly, at least three months’ rent is more than three months in arrears;

and for the purpose of this ground “rent” means rent lawfully due from the tenant.