Commentary on the Sections: Part 1 Qualifying rules Section 131: Qualifying leases
224.Section 131 amends the definition of qualifying tenant.  Previously, a qualifying tenant had to either have a lease of more than 35 years (a lease for a particularly long term) or a lease of more than 21 years at a low rent.  The amendments remove the ‘low rent’ and lease for a ‘particularly long term’ tests.  Following these changes, a qualifying tenant is, for the purposes of the right to acquire a new lease, a long leaseholder of a flat.