Section 50

All sums payable by or recoverable from the owner of any premises in respect of costs and expenses incurred by the Board in connection with the execution of any work which are under this Act recoverable from an owner of any premises are, subject and without prejudice to any other rights of the Board, a first charge on the premises in respect of which the costs and expenses were incurred.

In addition to any other remedies conferred by this Act, any such sum may be recovered in the manner provided in this section, and the person or persons liable to pay it are the owner or owners at the time when the work was completed.

If any such sum remains unpaid at the end of the prescribed time, a notice must be served upon the person or any one of the persons (if more than one) liable to pay it, calling on the person to pay that sum together with a prescribed fee for the cost of the notice, within 15 days from the date of service of the notice.

Without affecting section 62, if no person liable to pay the sum can be found, the notice is deemed to have been duly served by the posting of it at the office of the Board and by fixing a copy of it on some conspicuous part of the premises in respect of which the costs and expenses were incurred.

At the end of the period of 15 days or any further period that the Board may allow, if any such sum or part of the sum remains due and unpaid, it is deemed to be in arrears and may be recovered as provided in section 52.

The charge mentioned in subsection (1) attaches, and the powers and remedies conferred by subsections (2) to (5) become exercisable, as from the date of completion of the work.

Despite any change in the ownership or occupation of the premises after the completion of the work, the charge and the powers and remedies mentioned in subsection (6) may be exercised against the premises or against any movable property or crops for the time being found on the premises.

An occupier who, when requested by or on behalf of the Board to state the name of the owner of the premises, refuses or wilfully omits to disclose or wilfully mis‑states the name shall, unless the occupier shows cause to the satisfaction of the court for the refusal or mis‑statement, be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000.