Yes, I know we still need to write up Rother District Council v Freeman-Roach (2018) EWCA Civ 368 on the approach to 'significantly more vulnerable' in homeless review decisions, and we will, we will. And there are other cases too. I also want to...
All the blog posts, most recent first
Job ads – Wandsworth, South London
Youth Legal – Community Care Solicitor with housing experience A position has opened for a Community Care Consultant Solicitor with housing experience to enhance and expand the community care and housing work presently undertaken. This is a...
Possession and section 11, Children Act 2004
In Davies v Hertfordshire CC [2018] EWCA Civ 379, the Court of Appeal addressed the question of the relevance of s 11, Children Act 2004 on a mandatory possession claim brought by Herts against Mr Davies, a former school caretaker living in tied...
Promises, promises: Estoppel in the West Country
As we University academics are currently on strike (pension cuts - see today's report and this Guardian article), I can catch up on a little blogging as a form of "teaching out". While Bristol Combined Court was flooded, HHJ Matthews, an academic...
Oh the Humanity!
'Humanity Torbay' is apparently a charitable incorporated organisation, and one that has worthy, if semi literate, aims. So it would be a little surprising to find Humanity Torbay being described as vigilantes by the local council and told to stop...
‘No DSS’ and discrimination
The BBC ran a new report today on a case in Birmingham. The headline - "Landlords who say 'no DSS' breaking equality laws" - was, as we shall see, somewhat misleading, but the report did indeed cover a discrimination claim against a letting agency...
There can be only one!
The MHCLG have announced a consultation 'Strengthening consumer redress in the housing market', which primarily about reviewing and reforming Ombudsman schemes in the housing sector, with the proposal floated for a single Ombudsman/redress scheme...
‘Can’t Pay..’ will have to pay.
Ali and Aslam v Channel 5 Broadcast Ltd (2018) EWHC 298 (Ch) I won't go into detail - do read the judgment for the oddest mashup of housing law, media law and privacy law we have encountered (so far) - but suffice it to say that a husband and wife...
Homelessness Reduction Act Code of Guidance (mostly) out
MHCLG has published the Statutory Code of Guidance for the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, with just over a month to go until it is in force (3 April 2018). 25 chapters and one annex are here (with no downloadable version in...
Children Act and Housing – (not) joining the dots.
J and L, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Hillingdon (2017) EWHC 3411 (Admin) This is a very interesting judicial review, concerning the interrelation of a council's housing duties under Part 6 and Part 7 Housing Act 1996 and duties to...
I can serve this only once – gas safety certificates
Caridon Property Ltd v Monty Shooltz. Central London County Court. 2 February 2018 (Now with approved transcript of judgment) First our thanks to Matthew Cannings of 3 Paper Buildings for note of judgment and Richard Cherry of 33 Bedford Row for...
Breaching licensing and proceeds of crime
(Our thanks to Spencer Turner for this guest post) Brent Council v Shah and Others, unreported 29 January 2018 (Crown Ct (Harrow)) The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘POCA’) has been successfully used by Brent Council against landlords for breach of...