Harvey v Pratt [1965] 1 WLR 1025

The parties entered a written agreement for the lease of a garage. The agreement referred to the length of the term and specified the amount payable in rent. However, no start date was mentioned and the tenant never went into occupation.

Held: The agreement did nt create a valid lease and therefore was not binding on the parties.

Lord Denning:

‘in order to have a valid agreement for a lease, it is essential that it should appear, either in express terms or by reference to some writing which would make it certain, or by reasonable inference from the language used, on what day the term is to commence.’

Back to lecture outline on requirements of a lease in Land Law