The shortlist for the Legal Aid Practitioners Group Legal Aid lawyers of the year awards is out (see previous post here), and given that housing only featured as a subset of social welfare, there is a good crop of housing lawyers in there. Not NL, of course....
Request for info – Ground 8
Ah, Ground 8. How we love it. We have been asked by some researchers, who are investigating housing association rent arrears management as well as their use of Ground 8, if readers would get in touch with them if they have experience of RSLs using Ground 8...
Darling's Keynesian splurge
And what is promised for housing? According to this DCLG press release, the following (with my comments in brackets): * Agreement with major lenders to wait at least three months before initiating repossession proceedings, in order to explore all other...
Not enough of a house
This is another of the occasional cases on s.2(1) Leasehold Reform Act 1967 - the definition of a 'house' for the purposes of leasehold enfranchisement. Not strictly on point for Nearly Legal, but I enjoy them, so you get them... Grosvenor Estates Ltd v...
HMO licensing actually working?
Thanks to Tessa at landlordlaw for pointing me to this news snippet from Liverpool, in which the HMO licensing scheme is not only enforced, but the Local Authority aids the tenants, Following conviction of the landlords, Raymond Whalley, and Ray Whalley Ltd,...
For old times' sake
This is only for for those of you who have been reading this blog for some time, but I'm quite pleased to be able to say that Nearly Legal (the person) has finally been admitted to the roll as a solicitor. Everyone else involved in the blog is, of course,...
Harassment by possession claim
In what appears to be a good week for somewhat bizarre cases, may I present Carlos Allen v London Borough of Southwark [2008] EWCA Civ 1478. This was an appeal by Mr Allen to the Court of Appeal of the striking out of his claim for harassment against LB...
Retaliatory Eviction Campaign
As many readers will know, Debbie Crew has been conducting a campaign about retaliatory evictions - typically in private tenancies where a tenant has complained about conditions in the property and got Environmental Health in, and the landlord promptly...
Deposits – another County Court decision
Tessa Shepperson at Landlord Law has a report from a landlord's solicitor on another tenancy deposit case in the County Court, this time Bedford County Court. In short, the Court found that payment of the deposit and provision of the required information by...
On ramps and suitability
Boreh v London Borough of Ealing [2008] EWCA Civ 1176 was an appeal from a s.204 appeal of a s.202 review that upheld a finding that a property offered in discharge of s.192(3) duty was suitable. Mrs Boreh was owed the full housing duty by Ealing. Ealing...
Manchester CC v Moran – Lords appeal
One of Nearly Legal's band of information elves (sorry H) brings news that Sharon Moran in Manchester City Council v Moran [2008] EWHC Civ 378 has been given leave to appeal to the Lords. This was the important Court of Appeal case on women's refuges and...
Trying to avoid Council Tax liability by not being a tenant
In what might be described as an audacious, or perhaps foolhardy, appeal from the Valuation Tribunal, Mr Jackson sought to challenge his liability to pay Council Tax in Jackson v Cambridge City Council [2008] EWHC 2529 (Admin). Normally, this wouldn't...