June 13, 2016

The AGA GAGA Saga

Posted in Property Disputes

We know already from case law that a guarantor can indeed guarantee a tenant’s performance of its AGA, but that the guarantor cannot directly guarantee the performance of the lease by the new assignee.

In EMI Group Ltd v O&H Q1 Ltd, heard in March this year, the court has found that a tenant cannot assign its lease to its guarantor, despite this being a not uncommon occurrence in group company restructuring. The court held that such assignments are void and as a result the lease still remained with the original tenant even though the parties to the deal were happy with and agreed to the arrangements.

The court’s decision leads to a number of practical and legal problems for which the court, in its wisdom, did not provide answers - hence the 'saga'. There is no doubt that many more court cases will be forthcoming before the ramifications of the EMI case have worked their way through. This line of cases could run and run!

In particular the problems that may occur will include:

  • the possibility of security of tenure having been achieved where a landlord having invoiced a guarantor (believing the lease had been assigned to the guarantor) for rent and that guarantor having paid the rent for in excess of six months
  • whether a landlord in these circumstances is entitled to treat its former, now current, tenant as being in breach of lease for allowing the guarantor to occupy the property
  • the position of HM Land Registry where the guarantor has registered its title to the leasehold interest
  • whether, if rent is not paid section 17 notices should be served on the former tenant or the former guarantor.

Our surveyors' seminar on Thursday 30 June will be an opportunity to discuss these, and other related issues, with the team in our Bath office.

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