a notice to quit may name the exact day for the termination of the tenancy , or it may be expressed generally ; for example , by such words as at the expiration of the year of your tenancy , which will expire next after the end of one half year from the service of this notice ( Addis v Burrows , ( 1948 ) 1 K.B 444 ) . but if the notice is such as to leave doubt in the mind of the tenant as to when the tenancy will come to an end , the notice is bad . similar rules to those stated above apply in the case of weekly , monthly and other periodic tenancies . the period of notice necessary to determine such a tenancy is a period not less than the length of the tenancy ; thus in the case of a weekly tenancy at least one week &apos;s notice is necessary , to expire at the end of a period of the tenancy . a statutory exception to this rule exists in the case of premises let as a dwelling ; section 16 of the rent act , 1957 , provides that no notice to quit in respect of such premises shall be valid unless given not less than four weeks before the date on which it is to take effect . chapter eight . stamping and registration of leases . 1 . - stamping . the stamp act , 1891 , which regulates the payment of stamp duties on instruments , imposes duties upon leases and agreements for leases . the relevant sections of the act will be found in appendix 2 ( post at p 85 ) . an agreement for a lease is chargeable with the same duty as the actual lease and must be stamped accordingly ( section 75 ( 1 ) of the act ) . if a lease is subsequently executed which conforms with an agreement for a lease which has been stamped , it is chargeable with duty of sixpence only ( section 75 ( 2 ) ) , but the agreement must be produced at the time of the stamping of the lease and the lease will then be stamped with a duty paid denoting stamp under section 11 . the amount of duty payable is set out in the first schedule to the stamp act , 1891 ( the relevant parts of which will be found in appendix 2 , post at p 89 ) , taken together with section 34 ( 1 ) of the finance act , 1958 ( see appendix 2 , post at p 169 ) . although an agreement for a lease must be stamped , a distinction is drawn between an agreement for a lease and a mere proposal for a lease ; the latter does not require a stamp . as a general rule all stamps are required to be impressed ( section 2 of the stamp act , 1891 ) , but section 78 provides that in certain cases the stamp may be an adhesive stamp ; but where an adhesive stamp is used it must be cancelled by the person who first executes the instrument . an adhesive stamp may be used in the following instances : - ( a ) in the lease of a dwelling-house , or part of a dwelling-house , for a term not exceeding a year at a rent not exceeding forty pounds per annum ; ( b ) in the lease of any furnished dwelling-house or apartments for any indefinite term less than a year . the duplicate or counterpart of any such instrument may also be stamped with an adhesive stamp . the first schedule to the act also provides for the payment of stamp duty on duplicates and counterparts of leases . they are liable to the same duty as the original lease if the duty on the original lease does not exceed five shillings ; in all other cases they must be stamped with a five-shilling stamp . section 15 ( 2 ) of the act requires leases to be stamped within thirty days of execution , and if this is not done the lessee is liable to a fine of ten pounds and a further penalty equivalent to the stamp duty unless there is a reasonable excuse for the delay in stamping the lease and the Commissioners of inland revenue mitigate or remit the penalty . this penalty only applies in the case of leases executed after the 16th May , 1888 . the effect of failure to stamp a lease or other document is not to invalidate the document ; but the document is not admissible as evidence unless and until it is properly stamped and any penalty is paid . 2 . - registration . in any area in which compulsory registration of title has been introduced the provisions of section 123 of the land registration act , 1925 , apply . by this section the title of a tenant on the grant of a lease for a term of not less than forty years , or on the assignment of a lease having not less than forty years to run , must be registered at the land registry . the lessee or assignee must apply for registration ; and if he fails to do so , he will be deprived of a legal estate . at the present time compulsory registration has been introduced in the following areas : - London , Eastbourne , Hastings , Middlesex , Croydon , Surrey , the City of Oxford , Oldham , Kent , the City of Leicester , and the City of Canterbury . a tenant of land not situated in a compulsory registration area may register his title at his own option at any time if he holds a term of which more than twenty-one years remain unexpired ; section 8 of the land registration act , 1925 . registration of titles in such areas is not , however , compulsory . registration of titles in the three ridings of Yorkshire is governed by the Yorkshire registries act , 1884 . registration under this act is not compulsory , and section 28 of the act provides that leases of property in Yorkshire may be registered unless the lease is for a term not exceeding twenty-one years and is accompanied by actual possession from the making of the lease . failure to register a registrable lease does not invalidate the lease ; but registration constitutes notice of it to all persons . section 31 of the act establishes three deeds registries , which are situated at Northallerton for the North Riding , at Beverley for the East Riding , and at Wakefield for the West Riding . section 125 of the land registration act , 1925 , provides for the transfer to the land registry of any of the business of the Yorkshire deeds registries in the event of an order for compulsory registration under the land registration act , 1925 , being made in respect of any part of Yorkshire . at the present time no such order has been made . appendix one . precedent of a lease . this lease made the &amp;hellip; day of ... between ( lessor ) of etc ( hereinafter called the landlord which expression where the context so admits shall include the reversioner for the time being immediately expectant on the term hereby created ) of the one part and ( lessee ) of etc ( hereinafter called the tenant which expression where the context so admits shall include his successors in title ) of the other part witnesseth as follows : 1 . the landlord demises unto the tenant the premises described in the first part of the schedule hereto ( hereinafter called the demised premises ) with the exceptions and reservations specified in the second part of the said schedule to hold unto the tenant from the &amp;hellip; day of &amp;hellip; for the term of ... years yielding and paying therefor the net yearly rent of &amp;pound; &amp;hellip; clear of all deductions except landlord &apos;s property tax and ( other agreed deductions ) by equal quarterly instalments commencing on the &amp;hellip; day of ... and thenceforward on the usual quarter days . 2 . the tenant covenants with the landlord as follows : ( 1 ) to pay the reserved rents on the days and in the manner aforesaid . ( 2 ) to pay all existing and future rates taxes duties assessments and outgoings payable by law in respect of the demised premises either by the owner or the occupier thereof . ( 3 ) to keep the demised premises including the drains and sanitary and water apparatus and all fixtures and additions thereto in tenantable repair and condition throughout the term and to yield up the same in such repair and condition at the determination of the tenancy . ( 4 ) to keep the demised premises insured at all times against loss or damage by fire in the joint names of the landlord and tenant in some insurance office or with underwriters to be named by the landlord in the sum of &amp;pound; &amp;hellip; at least and to make all payments necessary for the above purposes within seven days after the same shall respectively become due and to produce to the landlord or his agent on demand the several policies of such insurances and the receipt for each such payment and to cause all moneys received by virtue of any such insurance to be forthwith laid out in rebuilding and reinstating the demised premises and to make up any deficiency out of his own moneys provided always that if the tenant shall at any time fail to keep the demised premises insured as aforesaid the landlord may do all things necessary to effect or maintain such insurance and any moneys expended by him for that purpose shall be repayable by the tenant on demand and may be recovered by action forthwith . ( 5 ) not to use the demised premises otherwise than as a private dwelling-house . ( 6 ) not to assign or underlet or part with the possession of the demised premises or any part thereof without the written consent of the landlord . ( 7 ) to permit the landlord and his agent with or without workmen to enter upon and view the condition of the demised premises at all reasonable times during the said term and forthwith to execute all repairs and works required to be done by written notice given by the landlord . 3 . the landlord hereby covenants with the tenant as follows : ( 1 ) that the tenant paying the rent hereby reserved and performing the several covenants herein on his part contained shall peaceably hold and enjoy the demised premises during the said term without any interruption by the landlord or any person rightfully claiming under or in trust for him . ( 2 ) that the landlord will on the written request of the tenant made &amp;hellip; months before the expiration of the term hereby created and if there shall not at the time of such request be any existing breach or non-observance of any of the covenants on the part of the tenant hereinbefore contained at the expense of the tenant grant to him a lease of the demised premises for a further term of &amp;hellip; years from the expiration of the said term at the same rent and containing the like covenants and provisos as are herein contained with the exception of the present covenant for renewal the tenant on the execution of such renewed lease to execute a counterpart thereof . ( 3 ) that if the tenant within &amp;hellip; years from the commencement of the term hereby created shall give to the landlord &amp;hellip; months &apos; notice in writing that he desires to purchase the reversion in fee simple in the demised premises the landlord upon the expiration of such notice and on payment of the sum of &amp;pound; &amp;hellip; and of all arrears of rent up to the expiration of the notice and of interest on the said sum of &amp;pound; &amp;hellip; at the rate of &amp;pound; &amp;hellip; per cent per annum from the expiration of the notice until payment thereof shall convey the demised premises to the tenant in fee simple from incumbrances . 4 . provided always and it is hereby agreed as follows : ( 1 ) . if the rents hereby reserved or any part thereof shall be unpaid for twenty-one days after becoming payable ( whether formally demanded or not ) or if any covenant on the tenant &apos;s part herein contained shall not be performed it shall be lawful for the landlord at any time thereafter to re-enter upon the demised premises or any part thereof in the name of the whole and thereupon this demise shall absolutely determine but without prejudice to the right of action of the landlord in respect of any breach of the tenant &apos;s covenants herein contained . ( 2 ) . if either party shall desire to determine the present demise at the expiration of the first &amp;hellip; years of the said term and shall give to the other party &amp;hellip; months &apos; previous notice in writing of such his desire then immediately on the expiration of such &amp;hellip; years the present demise and everything herein contained shall cease and be void but without prejudice to the remedies of either party against the other in respect of any antecedent claim or breach of covenant . 