the Property Law website

Maintained by Gary Webber, barrister

Home Page > Property law > Property Law Library > Residential tenancies > Licences - Bruton Tenancies

Home Page
Property law
Contact


Anti-social behaviour
Assured tenancies
Assured shorthold
Boats
Data protection
Housing disrepair
Homeless persons
Human rights
Introductory tenancies
Licences - Bruton Tenancies
Mobile homes and caravans
Neighbouring Noises
Reform
Rent Act 1977
Rent books
Right to buy
Secure tenancies
Tenancy deposit schemes
Tenant's notice to quit
Unfair contract terms

Current page

Site Editors

Gary Webber
(General Editor)
John Martin
(Deputy editor)
Nigel Clayton
(Mortgages)
Peta Dollar
(Property transactions)
Daniel Dovar
(Residential tenancies)
Michael Garson
(Home information packs)
Piers Harrison
(Long leases)
Saira Sheikh
(Planning)
Sarah Thompson-Copsey
(Landlord and tenant - General)



Licences - Bruton Tenancies


The basic rule

Where A grants a licence of a dwelling to B who in turn grants a tenancy to C, C has a tenancy as against his immediate landlord, B (Bruton v London Housing Trust [1999] UKHL 26; [2000] 1 AC 406).

Relationship between A and C

But does C have any rights against A if B's licence comes to an end? The issue often arises in the social rented sector.

Let us say that A is a local authority and owns a dwelling. The local authority grants a licence of the dwelling to B, a housing association; and under the licence allows it to use the dwelling as temporary housing accommodation. The housing association then grants an assured tenancy to C. Some time later A terminates B's licence and when C refuses to leave brings a claim for possession against C.

These were basically the facts in Kay v Lambeth London Borough Council [2004] EWCA Civ 926 and London Borough of Islington v Green [2005] EWCA Civ 56. In both cases a number of arguments were raised by C and rejected but the essential points are:
  • A person with a Bruton tenancy (C) does not have an interest in land binding on the licensor (A).

  • The fact that A knew that B would gr ... THIS IS AN EXTRACT OF THE FULL TEXT. TO GET THE FULL TEXT, SEE BELOW

Purchase options
Buy this page £10 + VAT (1 year)
Buy whole site £99 + VAT (1 year)
Existing members, to login click => here