ABSTRACT

The RA 1977, the last in a long series of Rent Acts, sets out the tenant’s right to security of tenure and the fair rent provisions. That Act was significantly amended by the Housing Act 1980 and, to a lesser extent, by the Housing Act 1985. It still applies to all qualifying tenancies granted before 15 January 1989. The Protection from Eviction Act 1977, which, in many particulars, was strengthened by the HA 1988, gives both tenants and other residential occupiers protection from being evicted other than through the courts. In particular, the HA 1988 gave a statutory right to damages where a breach of the tenant’s protection under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 leads to him giving up his home.