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Business Tenancies (Fair Dealings) Act 2003
50Damaged premises
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50 Damaged premises
(1) A retail shop lease is taken to provide for the following if the shop or
the building of which the shop forms part is damaged:
(a) the tenant is not liable to pay rent, or an amount payable to
the landlord in respect of outgoings or other charges, that is
attributable to a period during which the shop cannot be used
under the lease or is inaccessible due to the damage;
(b) if the shop is still usable under the lease but its usability is
diminished due to the damage, the tenant's liability for rent
and an amount in respect of outgoings attributable to a period
Business Tenancies (Fair Dealings) Act 2003 40
during which usability is diminished is reduced in proportion to
the reduction in usability caused by the damage;
(c) if the landlord notifies the tenant in writing that the landlord
considers that the damage is such as to make its repair
impracticable or undesirable, the landlord or the tenant may
terminate the lease by giving not less than 7 days notice in
writing to the other and no compensation is payable in respect
of the termination;
(d) if the landlord fails to repair the damage within a reasonable
time after the tenant requests the landlord in writing to do so,
the tenant may terminate the lease by giving not less than
7 days notice in writing to the landlord;
(e) paragraphs (a) to (d) do not affect a right of the landlord to
recover damages from the tenant in respect of damage or
destruction to which those paragraphs apply.
(2) A provision in a retail shop lease is void to the extent that it limits
the liability of a party to the lease to pay compensation to another
party to the lease in respect of damage to the shop or the building
of which the shop forms part.
(3) This section does not prevent the parties to a retail shop lease from
terminating the lease by agreement if the shop or the building of
which it forms part is damaged or destroyed.