Need And Importance of Property Registration.

The system of registration of documents was in vogue in British India first in Bengal in 1793, thereafter in Bombay and in Madras in 1802. These regulations were applicable both in Presidency Towns as well as Moffusil. The Registrars were appointed for each district and required them to register the following documents:

1) Deeds of sale or gifts of lands, houses and other real property;

2) Deeds of mortgage on land, houses and other real property, as well as certificates of the discharge of such encumbrances;

3) Leases and limited assignments of land, houses and other real property, including generally, all conveyances used for the temporary transfer of real property;

4) Wasseathnamas or Wills;

5) Written authorities from husbands to their wives to adopt sons after their (husbands’) demise;

Section 6 of the Madras Regulation was similar in terms to the corresponding provisions of the Bombay and Bengal Regulations. This was the most important provision of these Regulations. Mulla’s commentary on the Registration Act sets out in full section 6 of the Bombay Regulation. Firstly, it provided that every deed of sale or gift registered under the Regulation would invalidate any unregistered deed if the same nature whether executed prior or subsequent to the registered deed.

Secondly, it provided that every registered mortgage deed would have priority over any unregistered mortgage deed whether executed prior or subsequent to the registered mortgage.

Thirdly, it stated that the object of the two preceding rules was to prevent persons being defrauded by purchasing or receiving in gift or taking in mortgage real property which may have been before sold, given or mortgaged, and that persons would never suffer such imposition when they are appraised of the previous transfer or mortgage of the property.

It therefore provided that if the buyer, donee or mortgagee had knowledge of the previous sale, gift or mortgage, the rule of invalidation or priority mentioned in the previous two clauses would not apply.

Registration Act, XVI of 1864 was enacted except in Bombay where an important change was introduced by a Regulation of 1827. Section 13 of that Act provided that, certain documents shall not be received in evidence in any court or be acted upon by any public officer unless the document shall have been registered. It may noted that this section itself did not specifically say that these documents must compulsorily registered but the same result was secured by means of the sanction of refusing to receive in evidence such documents, if unregistered. The Registration Act, XX of 1866 provided that instruments of the four classes mentioned therein must be registered. The Registration Act, 1866 was repealed by the Act III of 1877 which was amended from time to time till it was replaced by the present Act XVI of 1908.

The Indian Registration Act, 1908 presently extends to whole of the territory of India excluding the state of Jammu and Kashmir to which State the relevant legislative power of the Parliament does not extend.

The provisions of the Act may be broadly grouped under three heads. The first head relates to the documents which are registerable under the Act. The second relates to the procedure to be followed for getting a document registered under the provisions of the Act. The third deals with the administrative machinery provided under the Act and the respective duties of the different classes of officers.

The documents registerable under the Act fall under three categories. In the first category, documents relating to transactions which according to the substantive law, can be effected only by registered documents. It is hardly necessary to point out that the Registration Act does not lay down that any transaction in order to be valid, must be effected by a registered instrument. What it provides is that when there is a written instrument evidencing a transaction, it must, in certain cases, be registered, while in other cases, it may, at the option of the parties, be registered, in the manner laid down in the Act. The obligation to get a transaction effected only by a registered instrument is laid down by the substantive law. Thus, as per the provisions of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 sales, mortgages, exchanges, gifts and leases requires to be effected only by registered instruments subject to an exception in case of some transactions relating to immovable property of less than â‚¹100 in value. Similarly, as per section 5 of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 a trust in relation to immovable property is valid only if it is declared by a non-testamentary instrument in writing signed by the author of the trust or the trustee and registered or by the will of the author of the trust or of the trustee. The substantive law, however, does not provide the machinery for effecting registration. It is the Registration Act which provides the machinery for effecting registration and the parties to the registerable documents must necessarily have recourse to the provisions of this Act.

Under the substantive law, certain transactions can be effected without a writing example partitions, releases, settlements etc. But, if the transaction is evidenced by a writing and relates to immovable property, the Registration Act steps in and clauses (b) and (c) of Section 17(1) require registration of such documents, subject to the exception specified in sub-section 2 of that section. If an authority to adopt is conferred in writing, other than a Will, it is also required to be registered [section 17(3)]. These documents fall under the second category.

It is open to the parties, if they so choose, to get certain documents registered at their option and this is permitted by section 18. Wills need not be registered but it is open to the parties to get them registered under the third category.

The Act further provides for the consequences of non-registration of documents [section 49] and the effects of registration [section 48 and 50]. To enable a person to get a document registered under the Act, certain conditions have to be fulfilled and certain formalities to be observed. The document must contain a description of the property and has to be presented for registration in the proper registration office within the time limited by the Act. The details regulating presentation, such as time for presentation, place of presentation, persons entitled to present a document and the mode of enquiry before the Sub-registrar are all dealt with in various parts of the Act. If the Registrar also refuses registration, a suit under section 77 can be filed within 30 days of his Oder for a direction that the document be registered. This in brief is a summary of the procedure laid down by the Act.

The Act also prescribes the machinery for the administration of the Act. The administration of the Act is the duty of each State Government. Each state is divided for the purposes of the Act into districts and sub-districts. At the apex of the administration is the Inspector General of Registration and under him a Registrar for each district and a Sub-registrar for each sub-district. Besides these, there is a provision for the appointment of Inspector of Registration Offices. These appointments are to be made by the State Governments.

From the brief analysis of the provisions of the Act it is clear that the object of the Registration Act is to preserve as authentic record of the terms of documents so that if a document be lost or destroyed or misplaced, a certified copy from the Registrar can be obtained. Registration also facilitates the proof of execution of a document as its execution is admitted by the executant, before the Sub-registrar. Yet another useful purpose that registration serves is to enable any person intending to enter into any transaction relating to immovable property to obtain complete information relating to the title to such property and for this purpose to look into the register and obtain certified copies of the documents.

Registration of sale of an immovable property creates a right in rem in favor of the buyer of the property with exclusive possession of the property till the same is transferred. In case of lease, the lessee enjoys the exclusive possession of property for a defined period.

Source: lawyersclubindia.com

Writing a Will

Will

Introduction

Will is a legal declaration of the intention of a testator through testamentary instrument with respect to his property, which he desires to be carried into effect after his death. It includes codicil and every document in writing making a voluntary posthumous disposition of property. A Will is ambulatory which may be amended or revoked during the lifetime of the testator of the Will.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court held that contents of the Will must indicate that it is intended to come into effect after death of testator and that it is revocable at any time prior to his death and a document cannot be treated as a Will by a mere reading of the heading of it; [Mandakini Naik v G.K. Naik, 2004 (3) ALT 829 (AP HC)].

A legacy through the Will lapses where the legatee dies before the testator. For instance, A makes a bequest of certain property in favour of B. However, B dies before A. The bequest, then, cannot naturally take effect and the legacy is said to have lapsed.

A legatee is liable to the creditors. He is liable to refund the legacy that he has received, irrespective of whether the assets of the testator’s estate are sufficient or not at the time of death of the testator to pay both debts and the legacies, as well as irrespective of whether the payment of legacy by the executor is voluntary or not.

A great weight is given to the wordings of a Will. A full effect must be given which is main part of operative portion of a Will in the light of declared wish of the testator as well as other provision of the Will. The court in any way has to interpret the words in their both ordinary and grammatical sense and simultaneously to give weight if there is absurdity or inconsistency. Hence, the whole of words should be taken together without any surmise in the light of the intention of testator. Where the maker includes additional words or phrases then it shall mean additional meaning. In order to ascertain the very material purpose of the Will, the court has to go through each and every word used by the testator in a Will.

Necessity

Most of the people would like to dispose of their property according to their own wishes through a Will. A Will after death of person, reduces the confusion of sharing property amongst the family members and relatives.

In case a person dies without making a Will, he is said to have died intestate. His property shall be inherited to his legal heirs in accordance with the personal law applicable to him i.e. The Hindu Succession Act, 1956, The Indian Succession Act, 1925, un-codified law of Muslims,  Parsis etc.

Types of Wills:

1. Privileged and unprivileged Wills: Wills executed according to section 63 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 are called unprivileged Wills and Wills executed according to section 66 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 by a soldier or airman or mariner employed in an expedition or engaged in actual warfare are called privileged Wills.

2. Conditional or contingent Wills: A will may be expressed to take effect only in the event of the happening of some contingency or condition, and if the contingency does not happen or the condition fails, the Will is not legally enforceable. A conditional will is void if the condition imposed is unlawful.

3. Joint Wills: A joint Will is a testamentary instrument whereby two or more persons agree to make a conjoint Will. Where a Will is joint, and is intended to take effect after the death of both, it will not be enforceable during the lifetime of either. Joint Wills are revocable at anytime by either of the testators during their joint lives, or after death of one, by the survivor.

A Will executed by two or more testators as a single document duly executed by each testator disposing of his separate properties or his joint properties is not a single Will. It operates on the death of each and is in effect for two or more Wills, on the death of each testator, the legatee would become entitled to the properties of the testator who dies.

4. Mutual Wills: A Will is mutual when two testators confer upon each other reciprocal benefits by either of them constituting the other his legatee. But when the legatees are distinct from the testators, there can be no position for Mutual Wills.

5. Duplicate Wills: A testator, for the sake of safety, may make a Will in duplicate, one to be kept by him and the other to be deposited in the safe custody with a bank or executor or trustee. If the testator mutilates or destroys the one which is in his custody it is revocation of both.

6. Concurrent Wills: Generally, a man should leave only one Will at the time of his death. However, for the sake of convenience a testator may dispose of some properties in one country by one Will and the other properties in another country by a separate Will.

7. Sham Wills: If a document is deliberately executed with all due formalities purporting to be a Will, it will still be nullity if it can be shown that the testator did not intend it to have any testamentary operation, but was to have only some collateral object. One thing must be borne in mind that the intention to make the Will is essential for the validity of the Will.

8. Holograph Wills: Such Wills are written entirely in the handwriting of the testator.

What can be bequeathed in a Will

All properties, movable or immovable of which the testator is the owner and which are transferable can be disposed of by a Will. Property which is not legally transferable cannot be bequeathed. If a person has only a life-interest in a property, he cannot make a Will in respect of it. A Hindu governed by Mitakshara law can bequeath his interest in the joint family property to any person he desires by means of a Will. But a female Hindu, in all cases, is entitled to dispose of her property without any restriction. In case of leasehold property, so long as lease does not expire, the bequest is effective. If the lease expires during the lifetime of a testator, no bequest is made.

The testator has no right to bequeath all the assets to an institution or a trust leaving his family and dependants in poverty and deprivation. The member’s of the testator’s family are entitled to claim maintenance from the estate of the testator.

Who can make a Will

According to section 5 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 every person of sound mind and not being a minor may dispose of his property by Will.

  

Proof and effect of Will

Probate is a certificate issued by court on the application of the executor appointed by a Will to the effect that the Will is valid. It is also the official evidence of the executor’s right to administer the estate of a deceased person.

Executor is a person to whom the execution of the last Will of a deceased person is, by the testator’s appointment, confided.

Letters of administration is granted when a person who had executed a legally valid Will dies without having named an executor and on application by one of the beneficiaries named in the Will. The procedure for grant of Letters of administration is more or less similar to that for the grant of probate.

To establish a right of an estate under the Will, a probate or Letters of administration granted by a competent court needs to be attached.

Execution of wills

Section 63 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 provides that every testator other than a soldier or an airman or a mariner employed in an expedition or engaged in actual warfare must execute his Will according to the following rules:

He must sign or must affix his mark to the Will, or it must be signed by some other person in his presence and by his direction; and the signature or the mark of the testator, or the signature of the person signing for him, must be so placed that it shall appear that it was intended thereby to give effect to the writing as a Will. It is further provided that the Will must be attested by two or more witnesses, each of whom has seen the testator sign or affix his mark to the Will or has seen some other person sign the Will, in the presence and by the direction of the testator, or has received from the testator a personal acknowledgement of his signature or mark, or of the signature of such other person; and each of such witnesses must sign the Will in the presence of the testator, but it is not necessary that more than one witness should be present at the same time. No particular form of attestation is necessary.

Applicability of Indian Evidence Act, 1872

The provisions of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, apply to Wills as to other documents and the court may draw the presumption under it in deciding whether the Will has been properly attested or not.

The Executor

The executor is the most important person in the Will. Executor is defined in the Indian Succession Act, 1925, as a person to whom the execution of the last Will of a deceased person, is by the testator’s appointment confided. An executor is charged with the duty and conferred with the power to carry out the directions contained in the Will. He has to collect and realize the estate of the deceased, pay his debts and distribute the legacies.

The executor shall file the petition for obtaining probate of the Will. The court shall grant probate only to an executor who has been named in the Will.

The executor should not be minor. The executor should be younger than testator in age so that there is greater possibility of his outliving or surviving the testator.

Administrator

In case the deceased has not appointed an executor then the court shall appoint one. Also in case the executor is incapable of or refuses to act or has predeceased the testator or the executor dies after having proved the Will but before administering all the estates of the deceased, the court shall appoint an administrator at the instance of interested person or persons.

Registration of Will

Registration of a Will is purely an optional matter. It is not compulsory at all. No inference can be drawn by the Court or any authority about the genuineness of a Will on the ground of its non-registration. Nor a Will can be accepted as genuine by courts even though it has been registered.

Source:lawyersclubindia.com

Landlord & Tenant Related Problems & Solutions

Q1. I filed an eviction petition on the ground of bona fide requirement under the Delhi Rent Control Act. Since, I was not too well I did not appear for evidence before the Court and instead I got the examination of my Power of Attorney who gave evidence before the court. Is such an evidence proper in a case of bona fide requirement?

A. The best person to prove bona fide requirement of a landlord is the landlord itself. In case you could not appear before the court for some extreme reasons, you should have got yourself examined on commission. The court generally takes an adverse inference in case the landlord himself does not appear for leading evidence for a bona fide requirement. It would be appropriate that even now you should filed an application for your own evidence in the court and you should not rely upon the evidence given by your Power of Attorney.

Q2. What are the essential requirements in case a widow wants to file an eviction petition for getting back her tenancy let-out at a monthly rent of Rs. 1,500/-?

A. The essential things required for filing an eviction petition by a widow are that she should be the land lady of the premises and the premises should be required by her for her own residence. The said apart nothing else is required to be proved in such a case.

Q3. I have instituted a petition for bona fide requirement under the Delhi Rent Control Act. In the said petition I am claiming that I have a grown up son of 18 years of age and I require one separate room for that son. Is such a demand of requirement of a separate room justified?

A. Yes, such a demand is justified. One single room is required for the grown up child who should be free to use and live in that room in the manner he likes and should be free to devote his time to his studies without disturbance. The ground is justified and bone fide requirement can be proved on this ground.

Q4. How can a premises be sublet by a tenant?

A. Under law any subletting by a tenant has to done by a written consent given by the landlord, who has let-out the premises to the tenant. In case there is no written consent to the tenant by the landlord to sublet, any subletting done by the tenant is illegal and in such an eventuality the tenant should be liable for eviction from the premises.

Q5. Can a suit for eviction be filed against the tenant by the landlord, if the monthly rent is Rs. 2,500/- ?

A. Under the Delhi Rent Control Act, no suit for eviction of a tenant can be filed. Section 50 of the Delhi Rent Control Act, clearly bars the jurisdiction of a civil court. For evicting a tenant a petition can be filed only under the grounds mentioned in the Delhi Rent Control Act, before a Rent Controller

Q6. I have filed a case against my tenant in which a question has arisen about the difference between ‘tenant at sufferance’ and ‘tenant by holding over’. Can you enlighten me on the same.

A. If after expiry of the period of tenancy or after his determination a tenant continues in possession without landlord’s consent, the said person (tenant) holds the property as tenant at sufferance having no interest. For his ejectment no notice is necessary. But a tenant by holding over is different. To be tenant by holding over he is to continue in possession after the efflux of time with the consent express or implied of the owner. It is a creature to bilateral consensual act. It is not created by unilateral intendment.

Q7. Is it correct that whenever the rate of rent is altered, a fresh tenancy comes into being ? If a landlord accepts enhanced rent during the period of the tenancy, does the earlier tenancy comes to an end and a new tenancy begins. What does law say on this ?

A. It is not correct to say that whenever a rate of rent is altered, a fresh tenancy come into being and the old tenancy stands surrendered by implication. Landlord accepting an enhanced rent during the terms of tenancy say at 18th year when the tenancy was for 20 years, it cannot be said that the earlier lease has not been surrendered by implication. The old lease subsists and the end of the term the tenancy comes to an end by efflux of time.

Q8. I am the co-owner of a property which is on rent. The tenant is not paying the rent for the last four months, but the other co-owners of the property are not interested in filing any case for the recovery of the arrears. Can I file a case for recovery of my share of the arrears of rent ?

A. In a Co-owner’s suit for recovery of proportionate rent and splitting up of tenancy, it is open to a co-owner to pray for a decree for his share of arrears of rent by filing a suit on the basis of unified and integral tenancy and without making any effort to split up the same. It cannot be said that a co-owner must sue for the entire arrears of rent and if he does not do so he cannot maintain an action.

Q9. A Notice by predecessor of interest ejectment suit by successor A notice to terminate tenancy was issued by the Estate Manager of the Bombay Port Trust (constituted under the Bombay Port Trust Act 1879) on behalf of its Board of Trustees to the tenant occupying the building owned by the Port Trust. Before the expiry of notice period there was a change in law and the successor of Board to Trustees instituted the ejectment suit. Is such a suit legal and valid in law ?

A. The right to eject tenant acquired by the erstwhile Board of Trustees acquired by giving notice to quit ensured for the benefit of the successor of the Board of Trustees. Therefore the suit for ejectment filed by the successor Board was competent. It is no doubt true that per se Section 109 of the Transfer of Property Act does not apply to the facts of the instant case. It contemplates transfer of lessor’s right inter vivos. But when right, title and interest in immovable property stand transferred by operation of law, the spirit behind s. 109 per force would apply and successor in interest would be entitled to the rights of the predecessor.

Q10. I let out one floor of my house to a tenant but the lease was not registered. have been accepting rent from him. Is the lease for the period mentioned in the lease deed. Is a notice necessary for evicting my tenant ?

A. When a tenant continues in possession after expiry of the term contemplated on an unregistered deed of lease, and pays rent, he is a tenant by holding over from month to month, the unregistered lease deed being inadmissible and term of lease being not a collateral purpose. For his eviction notice under Section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act Act is mandatory.

Q11. What is the difference between a joint tenant and tenants in common ?

A. The basis distinction between joint tenants and tenants in common is that in case of joint tenants there is unity of title and possession, while in the case of tenants in common, though there is a unity of possession there no unity of title.

Q12. I have filed a suit for vacation of my rented property. The tenant has challenge the validity of the notice I served him under Section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act. What is the legal requirement for such a notice ?

A. What s. 106 requires is that a lease from month to month is terminable on the part of either the lessor or the lessee by 15 days’ notice expiring with the end of a month of the tenancy. A legal termination of the monthly tenancy thus requires two conditions to be fulfilled viz. That there must be a notice terminating the tenancy giving 15 day’s notice and it must be expire with the end of the tenancy month. A notice giving mere 15 days’ time by itself will not answer the requirement of s. 106 but it must also indicate that the 15 days’ period must expire with the end of the tenancy month.

Q13. My uncle had taken a property on rent where he is carrying on certain manufacturing of goods. The landlord has served a notice for ejectment on the basis that the property was let out for residential and not manufacturing purpose. What is required to be shown by us to prove that the tenancy was for manufacturing purpose ?

A. The tests for determining if a lease is for manufacturing purpose are (1) that it must be proved that a certain commodity was produced, (2) that the process of production must involve either labour or machinery, (3) that the end product which comes into existence after the manufacturing process is complete, should have a different name and should be put to a different use. In other words the commodity so transformed as to lose its original character.

Q14. My father owned a premises which were on rent with a tenant. During the tenancy since my father required some money, the property was mortgage to the tenant. Now my father has repaid the amount to the tenant. Would it mean that the tenancy is automatically surrendered by the tenant ?

A. When a landlord mortgages the premises to his tenant, then no redemption of the mortgage the landlord does not ipso facto get the right to eject the tenant. When mortgage is executed the question whether the tenancy stood impliedly surrendered or not is the yardstick. If it is, the landlord gets the right to evict. There is no question of merger of the two rights, for neither of them is a higher or lesser estate.

Q15. My Landlord is disputing that my tenancy is nit a lease but a license. There is no written agreement between us. How does one differentiate whether it is a lease for a license?

A. The crucial test in each case is whether the instrument is intended to create or not to create an interest in the property the subject matter of the agreement. If it is in fact intended to create an interest in the property it is a lease, if it is does not it is a license. In determining whether the agreement creates a lease or a license the test of exclusive possession though not decisive is of significance.

Q16. A was inducted as a tenant in the premises, but the rent was always paid by the firm in which A was a partner. Is it not that the partnership firm becomes a tenant under such circumstances ?

A. A relationship of landlord and tenant is created by contract. Mere payment of rent does not necessarily establish relationship of landlord and tenant. A was found to be the tenant, the fact that a firm made payment of rent on behalf of A who was partner of that firm would not make the firm a tenant.

Q17. I am living in a rented premises with disputed ownership the pay monthly rent to “B’ Is mere acceptance of rent sufficient to make `B’ the landlord?

A. Landlord is the person who has the right to receive rent. Mere acceptance of rent does not make `B’ the landlord unless he has the legal right to receive the rent.

Q18. What is a Standard rent? How is standard rent fixed? When can I make an application for fixation of standard rent?

A. Standard rent is the rent which the land lord is expected to receive from the tenant. Standard rent is only provided if the property is under Rent Control Legislation . Under Section 6 the Standard rent to be fixed. Under the provisions of Delhi Rent Control Act the application for the fixation of Standard Rent Act can be moved within two years of the creation of the tenancy. Delhi Rent Control Act will be applicable only if a the rent is less than Rs. 3,500/-

Q19. I have sub-let the house where I am presently living. Does it constitute a ground for eviction?

A. If the rent is less than Rs. 3,500 then subletting a one of the grounds for eviction u/s 4 ( d) Rent Control Act. If the rent is more than Rs. 3,500 then there is no formal condition agreed upon between the landlord & tenant about the subletting in that eventuality . The landlord has the right to make the lease on account of subletting. Under the termination of lease the landlord has the ground to file a suit for possession.

Q20. I am a tenant under a valid lease agreement. I have not been receiving electricity bills for the meter installed in the premises under my occupation. However, the said meter is in the name of my landlord. Suddenly, one day NDMC officials informed me that my meter is to be disconnected on account on non-payment of bills. Can I seek any relief from the Court as the meter is in the name of my landlord?

A. There is no privity between tenant and the NDMC and as such no relationship could be established between them . It is better to obtain duplicate bills from the NDMC and pay the same to avoid disconnection.

Q21. We are tenant of a house . We have not given rent for the month of March & April we are old tenant since 1994. We don’t have the new agreement & our landlord want us to vacate the house. We are already fighting in the court. Can he take us out without any notice? Can we stay there for longer?

A. You have not specified in your question as to what is the monthly rent of the premises and as to whether the Agreement under which it was taken was in writing and was registered and what was the duration of the tenancy. Further you have also not mentioned about the nature of the litigation pending in the Court. In any event in case the monthly rent is below Rs. 3,500/-, the provisions of Delhi Rent Control Act, would be applicable, wherein you can be evicted only under certain specified grounds which includes not payment of rent , subletting of the premises, bonafide requirement of the landlord etc. In case the monthly rent is above Rs. 3,500/- and agreement is registered (if over one year) then the terms of the lease would prevail. The landlord under such circumstances is liable to serve you with a notice under Section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act giving 15 days time on the expiry of the tenancy month for terminating the tenancy. Thereafter, he has to file a suit for ejectment which will be tried by the Court. The landlord cannot forcibly evict you from the premises and the procedure before the Court will take few years to be decided. The strength of your case can only be told on having details of the case. You should however, pay the rent to the landlord either by sending the same by money-order or by depositing the same in court in the litigation already pending.

Q22. I am a tenant of 2 separate tenements, one shop and one float, but I have only one rent receipt for both. The entire building is now being redeveloped by a private developer who says that since I have only one rent receipt I can get only one tenement viz., a flat of 750 sq. ft. How do I verify the user (residential/non residential)?

A. If you have sufficient proof to establish that two properties, i.e. one shop and one flat, are absolutely separate from each other, then it will be taken as two different properties. This can be proved by way of evidence of various persons who have visited the shop and the flat. As you have stated that there is only one receipt, the question is whether in the receipt two rents are mentioned or a single rent is mentioned ? If two rents are mentioned in a single receipt that by itself is a proof that there are two different properties. If there is single rent mentioned in the rent receipt, then it has to be seen if two properties are anywhere indicated in the receipt, which will help you to prove your case. Further, whether the shop is separable from the residential portion, the same is also a fact to prove that there are two different properties, i.e. a shop and a flat. In your case the different users, itself proves that there are two separate properties and you can always claim compensation for two properties.

Q23. “Sufficient cause”, as required by rent controller for non deposit of rent within statutory period, if shown by the tenant that he could not deposit the same as advocate did not take necessary steps and he later changed the advocate and also informed the controller his willingness to pay the arrears, if no affidavit of the previous advocate was submitted but Rojnama entries do suggest that on 2 previous occasion the advocate was not personally present and tenant himself had to submit the Vakalatnama of his advocate, can the controller rule that tenant has not shown sufficient causes?

A. While construing as to what is a ‘sufficient cause’, the courts normally look into various aspects of the case. The matter is solely at the discretion of the court concerned and if a good cause is shown, the courts normally condone any irregularity or default by a party. It is but obvious that in the situation mentioned by you, the previous advocate who has defaulted in depositing the arrears of rent, would not give his affidavit admitting his default. In such case you should file your own affidavit and further bring the proofs which would show that you had given the amount of arrears to the advocate for being deposited and it was on account of the default of the advocates that the needful could not be done. If the same is done the court would construe the same as a sufficient cause.

Q24. “Sufficient cause” , as required by rent controller for non deposit of rent within statutory period, if shown by the tenant that he could not deposit the same on medical ground i.e. suffering slip disc and submits also medical certificate from Government hospital and also from specialist private doctor, can the rent controller reject the certificates outright as the tenant was personally present in the court on prior occasion to file Vakalatnama of advocate where the matter was adjourned to a further date, although the tenant has pleaded that he was present in the court disregarding medical advise and with great difficulty as his advocate was not present in the court on that day?

A. The ground mentioned by you in the query for being construed as a sufficient cause, may not hold good before the court. The same might be rejected on the ground that if you are unwell, some other person could have been deputed by you to deposit the arrears or to engage an advocate to do the needful. The medical certificate may just help you to seek condonation of delay in depositing the arrears only for a few days, but not for any longer time. Further, if the tenant was present in the court and the order was passed and the tenant was aware of the same, it is immaterial that he was present there against the medical advice. If he could be present to attend the hearing, there can be no justification for not depositing the arrears on the said date.

Q25. We had given one floor of our house on rental basis for two years. Our tenant had neither given rent from past one & half years nor he is willing to vacate it. Now tenancy time of 2 years is going to over in this month. We had also made a simple agreement on affidavit witnessed by property dealer BUT NOT A LEGAL ONE BY COURT. WHAT SHOULD I PROCEED ?

A. You should issue legal notice to the tenant for the non payment of rent and also terminate the tenancy by way of notice, which should be of 15 days expiring at the end of the tenancy month. After the expiry of notice period, if the rent is more than Rs. 3,500/- p.m. you can file the suit for recovery of possession along with arrears of rent. You can also file an application for deposit of future rent in the court, If the rent is below Rs. 3,500/- p.m., you can file the petition for eviction on non payment of rent. If it is a newly constructed property and the letting is first letting then you can file the suit for possession irrespective of rate of rent. In such a case the Rent Act is not applicable.

Q26. During pendency of eviction proceedings if there are arrears of rent should the controller direct the tenant to pay such arrears if the tenant wants to contest further proceedings?

A. If the eviction petition is on the ground of non payment of rent then the Rent Controller is under duty to pass an order for deposit of rent u/s 15 (1) of Delhi Rent Control Act. If the eviction petition is on any other ground then you have to make an application under Section 15 (2) of Delhi Rent Control Act for direction to the tenant to deposit the rent. If no rent is deposited as per order of the court, the court has the right to strike off the defense of the tenant.

Q27. What do the term “sufficient cause” and bonafide payment mean?

A. The term “sufficient cause” means a good and reasonable cause which will satisfy the court about the conduct of a person being genuine and “bonafide payment” means payment tendered genuinely and in good faith generally with the actual belief that the person to whom payment is being made is the actual owner or has valid right and title tot the particular thing/property.

Q28. What are the grounds on which delay can be condoned for non deposit of rent within the statutory time?

A. As such there are no written grounds for condonation of delay for deposit of rent. U/Sec, 15(7) of Delhi Rent Control Act., “Sufficient Cause” is the only ground which further depends from to facts of the case and the Court may if convinced, condone such delay.

Q29. What should I do to make sure that if I rent my property to someone, as to make it safe. The rent would be around Rs.15,000/- per month.

A. The Delhi Rent Control Act, 1988 was primarily in acted to safeguard the interest of the tenant . However after the amendment made in the Delhi Rent Control Act, in the 1988 the provisions was made that in case the tenancy is over Rs. 3,500/-, the provisions of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 would not to be applicable. In the eventuality the person is governed by the normal loss relating to the contract between the party and in a tenancy said law is defined under the Transfer of Property Act. There can be no provision or term in a lease deed which can secured you 100%. However the violating of the property if the would be appropriating better if the rent is kept above Rs. 3,500/-, so that the tenant is not entitled to the protection under Delhi Rent Control Act. If the lease is to be executed for a more than a period, the same is bound under law to be register under Indian Registration Act. and if your are executing a lease over one year you should get the register otherwise the terms of the lease cannot be led as evidence in the court . Even if you write all the request terms, the tenant can still refused to vacant at the end of the tenancy in which eventuality you will have no option but to proceed to the court for eviction of the tenant which normally take a few years, however the precaution which can be taken if that is a good amount can be kept as security and further a clause should be incorporated in lease deed specifying a huge amount as damages in the even talk the tenant willing to vacate the premises.

Q30. If premises are rented to a partnership firm and subsequently the firm is dissolved and the 2 partners continue to occupy the premises for their individual businesses, if the landlord files eviction proceedings against only 1 partner and manages to get a decree of eviction, is the other person also bound by that decree and in case he is not can he obtain a stay from the executing court or what are the other options for him?

A.   If the decree is against the one partner then the partner who had been left, has the right to be heard and he may get the stay from the executing court. In your case if the landlord had made the firm also a party and there is a decree against the firm in that case the decree against the firm means decree against all the partners.

Source: vakilno1.com