Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames v Moss (2019) EWHC 3261 (Ch) Ever since Jones v London Borough of Southwark (2016) EWHC 457 (Ch) (our report), the position on water rates taken as rent by a number of London Councils and Housing Associations...
All the blog posts, most recent first
Between structural defects and structural repairs
(NB photo is of an entirely unrelated building.) A constant issue in disrepair (at least until the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 for tenancies) and in leasehold major works charges matters has been the difficulties of liability for...
Suitability when? Review and decision dates.
London Borough of Waltham Forest v Saleh (2019) EWCA Civ 1944 The Court of Appeal on section 202 Housing Act 1996 reviews of suitability and what facts should be relevant at the time of review. Mr Saleh was owed the full housing duty by Waltham...
No going back
Regency (UK) Ltd v (1) Hussein Ali Hadi Albu-Swalin (2) Heartland Property Ltd (2019) QBD (Chamberlain J) 18/11/2019 (Note of extempore judgment on Lawtel) Regency had let flats to Heartland on the basis that Heartland would sublet to occupiers....
If you go down to the woods today
Kerr & Anor (as Trustees) v Maass (2019) EWHC 95 (Ch) (This was from January, but has only just appeared.) This is a rather odd case concerning possession of a farmhouse in the Forest of Dean. It had been first occupied by the defendant's...
Tribunals and human rights
RR v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2019) UKSC 52 The question of the powers of the First Tier and Upper Tribunals (and indeed initial decision makers) to disapply secondary legislation where there is a breach of the appellant's human...
The future for me is already a thing of the past
Avon Ground Rents Ltd v (1) Cowley & Others, (2) Metropolitan Housing Trust, (3) Advance, (4) May Hempstead Partnership [2019] EWCA Civ 1827 (no transcript yet on BAILII, we've seen a copy on Lawtel) This is an important Court of Appeal...
Assorted – Licensing and prior offences, RROs and section 8 Notices
A triplet of brief notes. Hussain & Ors v London Borough of Waltham Forest (HOUSING – licensing) (2019) UKUT 339 (LC) This appeal was on the issue of whether a local authority and the First Tier Tribunal could take into account previous...
Upper Tribunal roundup (The Very Late Summer 2019 edition)
There have been a fair few recent (and perhaps no-so-recent) decisions from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on leasehold matters, so it's time for a bit of a round up. Actually, it was time for a bit of a round up back in August when I started...
Discrimination in ‘one succession’ for secure tenancies
Simawi v London Borough of Haringey (2019) EWCA Civ 1770 We saw this case in the High Court - our report here - now this is the court of appeal judgment on Mr S' appeal, seeking a finding that there was discriminatory treatment in the Housing Act...
EPA prosecution and costs
Notting Hill Genesis, R (On the Application Of) v Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court (2019) EWHC 1423 (Admin) I missed this at the time - May this year - I think because I was on hiatus. It is something of an oddity. It may well also be primarily...
More on “vulnerability”
In Guiste v Lambeth LBC (2019) EWCA Civ 1758, the Court of Appeal returned again to the meaning of Lord Neuberger's eliptical phrase in Hotak v Southwark LBC that, for the purposes of the homelessness provisions in the Housing Act 1996,...