Ratcliffe & Ratcliffe v Patterson & Porter, Luton County Court 2020

The tenant, Ms Patterson, had an assured shorthold tenancy and a tenancy deposit of £950 was paid and protected in one of the schemes. The tenant fell into rent arrears. The landlord served a section 8 notice under grounds 8,10 and 11 of the Housing Act 1988 following which possession proceedings were issued. The tenant counterclaimed stating, amongst other issues, that the section 8 notice was invalid and tenancy deposit requirements had not been met.

The section 8 notice was claimed by the tenant to be invalid because the notice did not include the name and address of the landlord and this was required as the section 8 notice was a demand for rent unders47 Landlord and Tenant Act 1987. It was also claimed that the notice had not been signed correctly as it was signed by the agent (a limited company) and should therefore have been signed in accordance with section 44 Companies Act 2006.