Clause 51

All sums payable by or recoverable from the owner of any premises in respect of costs and expenses incurred by the Government in connection with the execution of any work which are under this Act or any regulations made thereunder recoverable from an owner of any premises shall, subject and without prejudice to any other rights of the Government, be 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 or any regulations made thereunder any such sum may be recovered in the manner provided in this section, and the person or persons liable to pay it shall be the owner or owners at the time when the work was completed.

If any such sum remains unpaid at the expiration of the prescribed time, a notice shall be served upon the person or any one of the persons, if more than one, liable to pay it, calling on him to pay that sum together with a fee of such amount as may be prescribed for the cost of the notice, within 15 days of the date of service of such notice.

Without prejudice to section 63, if no person liable to pay the sum can be found, such notice shall be deemed to have been duly served by the posting thereof at the office of the Director and by fixing a copy thereof on some conspicuous part of the premises in respect of which the costs and expenses were incurred.

At the expiration of the period of 15 days or such further period as may be allowed by the Director, if any such sum or part thereof remains due and unpaid, it shall be deemed to be arrears and may be recovered as provided in section 53.

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

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

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