The new First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) is - almost - here (we've been warning you about this for a while, see, e.g. here). On July 1, 2013, the new tribunal will burst forth into the world (well, England and, for very limited purposes, Wales) and...
Being civil
Morshead Mansions has been involved in a quite astonishing amount of litigation. Bailii throws up 13 hits (here), cases in the LVT, Lands Tribunal, High Court and Court of Appeal. It's really must be the most awful burden on all those involved. And now,...
Yet another one…
The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 gives qualifying long leaseholders of houses the right, inter alia, to acquire the freehold. The definition of "house" is quite technical, but, in essence, it turns on whether it could reasonably be called a house (even if it...
Lets try not to break this one – HLPA and the Equality Act 2010
This may not be a universally held view, but I think we housing lawyers aren't really very good at equality law. We were very late to the party with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (the first higher court case wasn't until 2003, with North Devon Homes...
Non-qualifying successors and counting time
Just a short note to alert readers to the case of LB Islington v Doner [2012] EWCA Civ 1745 (casetrack only, as far as I can tell). Since 2007, Doner had moved into a flat owned by LBI. The secure tenant was the former partner of Doner's grandmother. Doner...
Back in time*
I thought the landlord would lose Daejan v Benson, and, as you all know, the landlord won (see our note here). When NL flagged the next case up to me, I predicted the landlord would lose. And it won. Quite remarkably in my view, but, as is becoming clear,...
Phoenix from the flames
There was an interesting case-note on Lawtel this week which I suspect most of you saw. The case was LB Enfield v Phoenix and others, High Ct, March 19, 2013, and seemed to concern the circumstances in which a possession claim can properly be issued in the...
Would you like ketchup with that hat?
Ok. Confession time. For the last year or so, I have been confidently predicting (often vocally and to unsuspecting passers-by) that the landlord would lose its appeal in Daejan Properties Ltd v Benson [2013] UKSC 14. Well, the landlord won.* And so I have a...
Catching up with the LVT
Sorry (both to readers* and the rest of the NL team) for the delay in getting these done. We've had a few Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) cases over the last few weeks and I've been rather less efficient than I had hoped. So, here goes. LB Southwark v Bevan...
Job Opportunity
Now, whilst this may look a bit cheeky, I think this is pretty interesting. The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) is recruiting for a Deputy President (see here) and, exceptionally, the Lord Chancellor has agreed to waive the requirement that you already be a...
CLG on PRS
The CLG Select Committee was hearing evidence today on reform in the PRS. The evidence session is available to watch online, here.
Same old, same old
People who are both regular readers of this blog and interested in the LVT (admittedly a small number) will know that the UT(LC) has been doing the judicial equivalent of laying the smack down on the LVT for deciding cases on points that no-one raised and...