A “so-called” rule relating to the acquiring of office accommodation by a landlord of space occupied within the Landlord and Tenant Act (and therefore a protected tenancy) stating that the “landlord” has to have “competent” ownership for at least five years before the tenancy can be ended (at the appropriate date) through the serving of a Section 25 Notice and for a valid reason (occupancy or redevelopment).

“the landlord shall not be entitled to oppose an application… if the interest of the landlord, or an interest which has merged in that interest and but for the merger would be the interest of the landlord, was purchased or created after the beginning of the period of five years which ends with the termination of the current tenancy, and at all time since the purchase or creation thereof, the holding has been comprised in a tenancy or successive tenancies within the Act” (section 30(2) of the Act).”.