Berrisford v Mexfield Housing Co-operative Ltd (Rev 1) [2011] UKSC 32 What happens to a lease for an uncertain term? Or a tenancy that ends on some specified event, whose date is not known and which may or may not happen? Can either the tenant or...
All the blog posts, most recent first
Proportionality. A precis on ‘summary’
Holmes v Westminster City Council [2011] EWHC 2857 (QB) An interesting appeal from a summary possession order on the issue of consideration of proportionality. While the outcome is not, perhaps, a surprise, some of the arguments are. Plus this is...
Just one small but crucial fact..
Tricky things, ex parte interim injunctions. Dealt with on the papers, or possibly by a phone hearing with a duty Judge, there is little time for detail and, obviously, no argument from the other side. Which makes it all the more important that the...
HB Changes: Lawful but what impact?
We have previously covered the changes to housing benefit (HB) introduced by the Con-Dems and the DCLG's concerns over them as well as those of certain London boroughs. In truth, nobody really quite knows what the "impact" of those changes will...
Contracts and public law: The Cornwall case
Charles Terence Estates Ltd v Cornwall Council [2011] EWHC 2542 (QB) (subnom oh dear, oh dear) Forgive the length of this note, but this seems to be a significant case with potentially far-reaching ramifications. The judgment of Cranston J (in my...
Trial Separation
Quigley v Masterson [2011] EWHC 2529 (Ch) raises an interesting point about the severance of a beneficial joint tenancy. The background is sadly familiar. The late Mr Pilkington formed a relationship with Mrs Masterson. They lived together in a...
Mastering Dilapidations
Lord Neuberger MR recently gave a speech to the RICS conference on dilapidations. This conference focuses on dilapidations in commercial property and the speech partly discussed the forthcoming dilapidations pre-action protocol and so might be...
Back in the Consulting Room
The London Borough of Newham is holding a consultation on the introduction of selective licensing accross the whole borough. Selective licensing is a byproduct of the HMO licensing provisions in the Housing Act 2004. It permits a local authority to...
It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission
Westbrook Dolphin Square Ltd v Friends Provident Life and Pensions Ltd [2011] EWHC 2302 (Ch) This is probably one of the most factually complicated collective enfranchisement cases imaginable. In outline, as you know, qualifying tenants of flats...
Tenancy deposit penalties awarded!
There are two appeals on cases involving claims for the return of deposits and the three times penalty in both of which - astonishingly, given the recent history of High Court and Court of Appeal decisions - the tenant was awarded the penalty. We...
Back in the consulting room
R (Peat and others) v Hyndburn DC [2011] EWHC 1739 (Admin) is the first successful challenge to a selective licensing scheme. We've previously covered the permission hearings (here and here). It's quite a fun judgment to read, if only for the...
Transfers and allocations
In Babakandi v Westminster CC [2011] EWHC 1756 (Admin), Mr Babakandi made a bold challenge to Westminster's allocation scheme (bold, as in post-Ahmad v Newham LBC) together with other grounds. Westminster now has a choice-based lettings scheme...