And so the promised 'call for evidence' on the need for and outline of a specialist Housing Court has come to pass. And, frankly, what an odd thing it is. First, the MCHLG press release is headed Except the one thing that is definitely not...
All the blog posts, most recent first
The way of the Wilsons
With a sense of grinding inevitability, and a smidgen of schadenfreude, once more Fergus and Judith Wilson feature in these pages. (Here is the previous trail). This time, the appearance is for Judith Wilson being found guilty of failing to comply...
Residential Purposes
Snarecroft Ltd v Quantum Securities Ltd (2018) EWHC 2071 (Ch) This is a High Court decision from February, but it has just appeared on Bailii. The issue was the construction of a lease term which provided that the tenant must "Following the...
Service charge claims – paying trial fees and concurrent jurisdiction
Hyslop v 38/41 CHG Residents Company Ltd QBD 05/11/2018 (not on Bailii. Lawtel note of extempore judgment) CHG were the freeholder of a property with various leasehold flats. The FTT had determined that Ms Hyslop and other leaseholders owed CHG...
Who needs a wall anyway? Unfit to occupy and risk of collapse
Baillie v Savage (2018) EWHC 3035 Or, the significance of tenancy agreement clauses. A tenant had signed a two year tenancy on a house. There was no break clause. £34,000 in rent - for the full term - was paid in advance. After moving in, the...
Suitability and s.193 accommodation
Anon v LB Lewisham, Central London County Court, 5 July 2018 (Transcript of Judgment here) This was a s.204 appeal of a s.202 review on suitability of temporary accommodation provided to the appellant by Lewisham. This was originally temporary...
Weekend assortment
Some bits and pieces, of various levels of jaw dropping. MHCLG have produced updates for the Homelessness Code of Guidance. Under Chapter 8 'Priority need', there is a new section 8.40: 8.40 Any person who may reasonably be expected to die of a...
Universal Credit – more woes
I may well be late to the party here, but a couple of specific issues with Universal Credit have been pointed out to me that I, at least, had not heard before. So, in case I am not alone, I pass these on. They both amount to a significant departure...
You ain’t the boss of me (yet)
Barrow & Anoe v Kazim & Ors (2018) EWCA Civ 2414 When a section 21 notice is served, does the party serving it (or on whose behalf it is served) have to be the tenant's landlord at that time? The situation in this second appeal was one that...
Succession and discrimination – death or divorce
London Borough of Haringey v Simawi & Anor (2018) EWHC 2733 This was a challenge, arising from a possession claim, to the 'one succession' rule on secure tenancies. Mr S was the son of Mr and Mrs Simawi, who were the joint secure tenants of a...
A way to deal with delinquent lessors?
A not infrequent problem for leaseholders is a landlord who takes a lackadaisical approach to enforcing leasehold covenants, or worse yet allows or waives breaches of covenants by certain leaseholders. It is a very rare lease that will allow direct...
Property Guardians – licence not tenancy in office building
Camelot Guardian Management Ltd v Khoo (2018) EWHC 2296 (QB) I missed this at the time (July). I might well have been on holiday, but also it didn't make the usual sources. This is quite a significant judgment on the issue of property guardians...