The statutory grounds on which a landlord can defeat a business tenant's right to renew, and the compensation owed when a no-fault ground succeeds.
A tenant's security of tenure under the 1954 Act is only as strong as the landlord's inability to make out a ground of opposition. This chapter sets out the seven grounds, the split between fault-based and no-fault grounds, the distinction between mandatory and discretionary grounds, and the procedure for opposing a section 26 request. It then examines the grounds that matter most in detail: the fault-based grounds covering disrepair, rent arrears and other breaches, ground (f) on demolition or reconstruction with its requirement of a firm and settled intention and the section 31A defence, and ground (g) on the landlord's own occupation with its five-year ownership restriction. Finally, it covers what happens when opposition fails — the terms, length and rent of the renewed tenancy — and the statutory compensation payable when a tenant loses renewal on a no-fault ground.
