[Update 22/01/2014 - Anyone concerned with proceedings brought by Mr Ghopee under any company name should see this new post] Since our post on Barons Finance Limited, we've heard various things about the property and landlord related activities of Barons...
Room without review: Thoughts on tackling the bedroom tax
With the beginning of the bedroom tax looming up for April and upwards of 700,000 households affected, I've been thinking about the position when the inevitable rent arrears possessions start to appear - probably by about October - and also whether the...
When a deficiency makes no difference.
Ibrahim v London Borough of Wandsworth [2013] EWCA Civ 20 The question for the Court of Appeal in this second appeal from a homeless appeal, was "How should the courts deal with a plainly deficient homelessness decision when the deficiency has had no adverse...
Don’t tell (and didn’t ask)
Introductory tenancies require a notice under s.128 Housing Act 1996 to be served before possession proceedings. That notice shall inform the tenant of his right to request a review of the landlord’s decision to seek an order for possession and of the time...
Monkey on my back*
Even since McCann v. UK (2008) 47 EHRR 40, a lot of people (around these parts) have been waiting for a case on Article 8 and the rule in Hammersmith v Monk (Hammersmith and Fulham LBC v. Monk [1992] AC 478) to reach the higher Courts. Is the rule that...
Premises ‘reasonably required’
A rare Rent Act 1977 possession case, with possession sought as 'reasonably required' under Case 9 Of Schedule 15 of the 1977 Act via section 98(1). Miles v Law [2012] EWCA Civ 1756 [Transcript on Lexis. Not on Bailii yet] This was a permission to...
Wrong priorities
Every now and again, there is a Local Government Ombudsman report that seems to go beyond individual instances of maladministration and instead capture something of the zeitgeist. The LGO decision summarised here (and see here for the full decision [pdf])...
Article 8 success in the County Court
This was a failed succession case where an article 8 proportionality defence was, at least in part successful. Our thanks to Legal Action 'Recent Developments in Housing Law' January 2013 for bringing it to our attention. Affinity Sutton Homes Ltd v Cooper....
The anachronistic roundabout
An odd appeal on an adverse possession case, of no legal interest per se, but entertaining on the facts. Devanney v LB Hounslow [2012] EWCA Civ 1660 [not on baili yet. Transcript on lawtel] Mr D operated a mobile cafe from a layby on the edge of Heathrow...
Of elves, statistics and the turn of the year
In the slow, dark days between Christmas and New Year, it is customary to reflect on the past year, plucking out whatever crumbs of comfort, or acorns of change may be found. So, in the spirit of grudging introspection, I've taken a look at the last year of...
Request for information
[Updated 20/12/12. See below] There is a rather odd case note on Lawtel on a High Court appeal of a dismissed defence to possession following an apparently failed succession... Evans v Brent London Borough Council QB (Ramsey J) 18/12/2012 [note of extempore...
I think someone has got a little confused
According to this article, the Residential Landlords Association are up in arms about the European Court of Human Rights being about to rule on article 8 defences in a case affecting private land owners. Richard Jones, the RLA policy director (and a...