The December Legal Action also has the annual housing repairs update. A big tip of the hat to Beatrice Prevatt. We've covered most of the cases here, but there are some others that are well worth a mention... Brunskill v Mulcahy [2009] EWCA Civ 686 (no link)...
Unlawful eviction quantum again
Aricioglu v Kaan Clerkenwell & Shoreditch County Court, 16 October 2009. The December 2009 Legal Action Housing Updates included this County Court claim for harassment and unlawful eviction. Mr A rented a room in a shared house from Mr K for £75 per week in...
Pinnock Permission
We've just heard that Pinnock in Manchester CC v Pinnock has been given permission by the Supreme Court. Our note of the Court of Appeal case is here ([2009] EWCA Civ 852). We had wondered about permission after Central Beds v Taylor was refused. I would...
New Local Authority Allocation Guidance
DCLG has released the new Code of Guidance for Local Authority allocation of housing. There is a slightly unfinished page about it here and a press release here. The Code of Guidance itself is here [link to pdf]. We will come back to the Guidance in a proper...
How to claim Housing Benefit without mentioning it
Novitskaya v London Borough of Brent & Anor [2009] EWCA Civ 1260 Just a brief note on this appeal from the Social Security Commissioners. At issue was what could constitute a claim for housing benefit, albeit a 'defective' claim. Ms N was granted refugee...
Lord Neuberger on housing law
The UKSC - an excellent blog (albeit technically and practically horrible to use) which is dedicated to the doings and ins and outs of the Supreme Court - has a interesting post on Lord Neuberger's keynote to the SHLA conference. I wonder how the SHLA...
On possession, recovery and quia timet injunctions
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Meier and another and others and another and another [2009] UKSC 11 A Supreme Court Judgment handed down today, 1 December 2009. This was an appeal from the Court of Appeal, [2008] EWCA Civ 903,...
Shop an unlawful sub-tenant, win £500
The Government has decided to have a campaign against unlawful sub-tenancies of social housing, or rather against the unlawful landlords and tenants both. The estimated figures are that between 50,000 and 200,000 social properties are occupied by...
An Englishman's room is his castle
Thomas v Director of Public Prosecutions QBD October 23, 2009 (apparently only reported in the Times, although I swear I saw it somewhere else too). This was an appeal by way of case stated against conviction for obstructing a police officer. Mr Thomas lost...
Seen anything strange lately?
I've had an email from a reader who has found that the Nearly Legal URL is redirecting to a spam blog. I can't replicate this behaviour, but has anyone else seen it? I'm checking to see if we've been hacked, but I'd be grateful if anyone could confirm...
Homeless reviews and fact finding in the Supreme Court
We've been told that Ali & Ibrahim v Birmingham City Council (now Ali, Ibrahim and Tomlinson v BCC) was heard in the Supreme Court today, 23 November, and continues tomorrow. Our report on the Court of Appeal judgment ([2008] EWCA 1228) is here. The issue is...
Succession – the afterlife of the tolerated trespasser
R (Neville) v London Borough of Wandsworth [2009] EWHC 2405 (Admin) [not on Bailii yet] This was a renewed application for permission for a Judicial Review of Wandsworth's refusal of a discretionary succession. Mr Neville had been living with his mother. Mrs...