43. No person shall, without the authorization of the administrator, convert a dwelling-house into a commercial or industrial establishment.
The administrator shall not permit such conversion to be made or undertaken, while the house is occupied by a lessee under a lease or a prolongation of a lease in force, but he may, before the expiration of the term of such lease or of such prolongation, hear the application for conversion and grant it to take effect at the expiration of such term; if he decides to grant the application for conversion every application for prolongation of a lease pending before him shall be deemed rejected, notwithstanding the provisions of section 26.
Such request to convert may be made by the owner only. The said conversion must be requested in good faith under penalty of damages recoverable before the competent court.
1950-51, c. 20, s. 27; 1951-52, c. 17, s. 12; 1952-53, c. 9, s. 9; 1973, c. 75, s. 6; 1974, c. 76, s. 17.