Ground 7 of Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 requires a court to award possession if a tenancy has been passed to someone else by will or intestacy (where there is no will) after the death of the previous tenant and the landlord initiates proceedings within 12 months of the death (or 12 months of the landlord learning of the death, if the court agrees to this). These provisions will prevent it from being used where the inheriting tenant lived in the property immediately prior to the deceased tenant’s death, apart from in defined circumstances.
	Section 31 of this Act excludes tenancies of more than 21 years from the assured tenancy regime, so the provision referring to leases granted for a premium (i.e. long leases) within Ground 7 is no longer required.
Schedules Schedule 1: Changes to grounds for possession Amendments of Ground 7: death of tenant Background