Monthly Archive for December, 2006

Law Search now Beta 0.1

By NL on 30/12/2006. 0 Comments

It is an ongoing process, but I think Law Search has reached Beta status, just, and has thus been promoted to the sidebar.

law search

The custom specialist search, via Google co-op, prioritises results from listed sites, but includes general search results. The listed sites aim to cover freely available resources for statute, case law, commentary, reports, blogs and other resources for UK, particularly English, law. Subscription based and limited access sites are not included.

My grateful thanks go to Delia Venables for collating resources and most particularly to Nick Holmes of Binary Law and Infolaw for advice and assistance beyond the call of duty.

Nick Holmes has set up specialist custom … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , , , .

What do we do with a problem like Ground 8?

By NL on 28/12/2006. 5 Comments

To those not acquainted with housing law, Ground 8 is one of the mandatory grounds for possession of an assured tenancy listed in Housing Act 1988 Schedule 2. It forms one of the major differences between an assured tenancy (typically Housing Association/Registered Social Landlord) and a secure tenancy (typically Local Authority). As the wholesale transfers of local authority housing stock and tenancies to Housing Associations continue, not wholly uncontested, these differences become increasingly significant.

Ground 8 works quite simply. For the average weekly tenancy, it goes like this: 8 weeks rent arrears at the the time of the service of the Notice Seeking Possession and 8 weeks rent arrears … Read the full post

Posted in assured-tenancy, Housing law - All and Possession. Tags: , , , , , .

And a happy christmas to me.

By NL on 27/12/2006. 0 Comments

Unlike Charon QC or even Geeklawyer, I have been away doing the christmas necessaries, and actually very pleasant they were too.

On my return today, I find that to my surprise and delight, I have received a Blawg Review Award for 2006. Hurrah and indeed whoopee. As a newcomer of 6 months or so, this is gratifying. It has also been picked up by the Self Help Law ExPress, which is a blawg I shall be following from now on.

Granted, this is an award for ‘paralegal blawg of 2006′. which is lovely, but feels a little like coming first in a category of, well, several at best.

On … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , .

We're not in Kensal Rise anymore, Toto.

By NL on 20/12/2006. 0 Comments

With thanks to Charon QC for the link, an utterly unseasonal opportunity for schadenfreude (assuming it is genuine) is here, courtesy of Liadnan.

Normally, those of us in legal aid housing law can be expected to be sympathetic to tales of sudden homelessness (well, losing at least one home). I’m not sure that hysterical laughter counts as sympathy.… Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: .

Equitable interests and right to buy discounts

By NL on 17/12/2006. 0 Comments

A fairly abstruse discussion after the recent fun and games, but, to someone like me who was intrigued and amused while studying equity, an enjoyable one.

A recent case involved the client’s equitable interest in an ex-council house, formally purchased by the tenants, but the client stood guarantor and paid over half the mortgage, following an oral agreement that all three would ‘share’ the ownership.

The other side had denied any agreement and claimed the client was paying rent, but the evidence was strong enough for an agreement to be inferred by the Court in a Lloyd’s Bank type 2 form, although not for the 50/50 that our client maintained. … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All, right-to-buy and Trusts and Estoppel. Tags: , .

Botox and peel.

By NL on 17/12/2006. 0 Comments

I have had a bit of a re-design. I think the look is better and hopefully easier to use.

It took me a bit further into the bowels of WordPress than I was planning, but it seems to be running fairly well. Any problems, please let me know.… Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , .

Irony in passing.

By NL on 15/12/2006. 0 Comments

I know I shouldn’t, but working on the litigator’s instinct of putting the boot in, here is a quote from the ‘CEO’ of Netrank, taken from this Guardian article:

John Straw, chief executive of online brand positioning company Netrank, says it advises its clients to deal quickly with customer complaints that have become the source of online discussion.

‘It’s better to spend some money on dealing with one person, than risk a complaint going viral and damaging the value of the brand in the long term,’ he says.

So what happens when it is exactly your ways of trying to steer online discussion that is the issue being raised?

Try … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , , .
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