The draft of The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 has been laid in Parliament. The regs require a resolution of each house, so this will not be an immediate approval, but should be soon - it looks...
All the blog posts, most recent first
“I know it gives a person pause”
Camelot! Camelot! I know it gives a person pause But in Camelot, Camelot Those are the legal laws Camelot Guardian Management Ltd previously pleaded guilty to 15 charges for failing to licence an HMO and for multiple breaches of HMO management...
Tenancy deposit – unserved prescribed information
Liaw v Sohal. Central London County Court, 10 January 2019. (unreported elsewhere, we've seen the approved judgment). A county court first instance deposit claim decision, but with elements of interest and broader relevance (as well as some lessons...
New Pre-Action Protocols coming! Social Possession and Housing Conditions.
[Update 13 Jan. The new protocols are out and in force today - Housing Disrepair (England), and Social Landlord Possession Claims ] Be still my beating heart, there will be two new/revised pre-action protocols on 13 January 2020. There will be a...
On not being entitled to make decisions, let alone wrong ones
Holding And Management (Solitaire) Ltd v Miller (LANDLORD AND TENANT - SERVICE CHARGES) (2019) UKUT 402 (LC) An Upper Tribunal appeal decision where just about everything that could have been wrong about the first instance First Tier Tribunal...
I wanna be your dog
I was listening to the Stooges this morning, drinking my tea and wondering if I could postpone those DIY tasks for just a little bit longer, when a Twitter post from Robert Jenrick MP (Sec of State for Housing) popped into view. The Minister...
Improper purposes
First, a quick erratum to yesterday's post on upcoming housing law. The post had wrongly stated that the 1 June 2020 Tenant Fees Act changes would mean repaying deposits of over five weeks rent on pre 1 June 2019 tenancies. That is not the case, so...
Sibylla*
2020 then. The years keep coming, with uncaring relentlessness. Still, putting a brave face on it, I shall combine the roles of soothsayer and almanac for what is likely to be a busy year for housing law. First, the things that we know will happen...
Tis the Season…
The new government's Queens Speech confirmed that there will be a Bill that will involve the ending of section 21 'no ground' possession procedure. This is something we've talked about before. It will be complicated, will involve new grounds of...
Second homelessness application and new facts
Bukartyk, R (on the application of) v Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (2019) EWHC 3480 (Admin) A judicial review of a refusal to take a second homeless application which should really be put in the 'Councils, don't do this' list of things that...
Property Guardians and Rent Repayment Orders
Oxley v Live in Guardians Limited LON/00BG/HMF/2019/0037 Thanks to Flat Justice (who represented the applicant) for news of this First Tier Tribunal decision. Ms Oxley occupied a room and shared communal space at a property that was formerly...
Private sector discharge and unknown landlords
Teresa Ward v LB Hillingdon. County Court at Central London. HHJ Lamb QC. 11 July 2019 (not reported elsewhere, we've seen the judgment.) The issue in this s.204 Housing Act 1996 appeal was whether the review decision upholding a private rented...