An appeal has been lodged against the important decision, given
in the King's Bench Division last week. that the sub-letting of rooms in a house by a statutory tenant is illegal. Mr. Justice Shearman and Mr. Justice Finlay, in the King's Bench Division, confirmed an order evicting a sub-tenant. The landlord of the house in question had obtained an order for possession of -the whole house. When the tenant had departed the sub-tenant remained in the rooms which the tenant had let to him. The landlord then obtained another order, and it was this which the King's Bench judges confirmed. Very delicate but vital questions are raised by the decision. If a tenant is removed, a sub-tenant is left with no rights whatever. This seems to violate the sense of the Rent Restriction Act. As against that may be brought the old doctrine that hard cases make bad law, for it is notorious that some of the tenants, who, owing to the Rent Restriction Act, cannot be removed, brazenly make large profits at the expense of the landlords by sub-letting. On the whole, however, we think that sub-letting does more good than harm. It has undoubtedly helped to ease the housing shortage, and that amelioration was the object of the Rent Restriction Act.
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