(1)After section 15 of the Housing Act 1996 insert—
(1)If a purchaser or his successor in title enters into an agreement within subsection (3), any liability arising under the covenant required by section 11 shall be determined as if a relevant disposal which is not an exempted disposal had occurred at the appropriate time.
(2)In subsection (1) “the appropriate time” means—
(a)the time when the agreement is entered into, or
(b)if it was made before the beginning of the discount repayment period, immediately after the beginning of that period.
(3)An agreement is within this subsection if it is an agreement between the purchaser or his successor in title and any other person—
(a)which is made (expressly or impliedly) in contemplation of, or in connection with, a disposal to be made, or made, by virtue of section 8,
(b)which is made before the end of the discount repayment period, and
(c)under which a relevant disposal which is not an exempted disposal is or may be required to be made to any person after the end of that period.
(4)Such an agreement is within subsection (3)—
(a)whether or not the date on which the relevant disposal is to take place is specified in the agreement, and
(b)whether or not any requirement to make that disposal is or may be made subject to the fulfilment of any condition.
(5)The Secretary of State may by order provide—
(a)for subsection (1) to apply to agreements of any description specified in the order in addition to those within subsection (3);
(b)for subsection (1) not to apply to agreements of any description so specified to which it would otherwise apply.
(6)An order under subsection (5)—
(a)may make different provision with respect to different cases or descriptions of case; and
(b)shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(7)In this section—
“agreement” includes arrangement;
“the discount repayment period” means the period of three or five years that applies for the purposes of section 11(2) (depending on whether an offer such as is mentioned in section 199(3) of the Housing Act 2004 was made before or on or after the coming into force of that section).”
(2)The amendment made by this section does not apply in relation to any agreement or arrangement made before the day on which this section comes into force.
Commencement Information
I1S. 201 wholly in force at 18.1.2005; s. 201 in force for certain purposes at Royal Assent and in force otherwise at 18.1.2005, see s. 270(2)(b)(3)(a)