It was the Nat Fed conference last week and I know many of our readers were there taking in the sights and experiences and nabbing free pens/drinks. I've never really enjoyed it. Not enough law for me. I'm also deeply sceptical of the Nat Fed after...
All the blog posts, most recent first
An uncaring indifference to wrong and right
Behind every homelessness statistic sits a story - or, more accurately - 88410* stories. Stories of people fleeing violence or abusive relationships. Stories of people struggling with ill-health and addictions. Stories of care leavers being left to...
We’re on a break
You may have noticed a lack of posts, despite cases awaiting writing up like the relief of Ealing, or the 18 month rule in s.20B also applying to 'on account' service charge demands, or legal costs on relief from forfeiture. But reports are going...
Research project to identify and expose the legal gaps exposed by the Grenfell fire
The University of Bristol has been awarded a grant by Shelter to conduct a research project to identify and expose the legal gaps exposed by the Grenfell fire. This research project will use a survey method to address three objectives: To set out...
Sufficient Notice
Partridge v Gupta (2017) EWHC 2110 (QB) Those who have been readers of this blog for a while may recall our campaign about evictions by High Court Sheriffs where the writs were (wrongly) obtained as an administrative act by using form N293A. This...
Dwelling in temporary accommodation
Dacorum Borough Council v Bucknall (aka Acheampong) [2017] EWHC 2094 (QB) When is temporary accommodation provided under the Housing Act 1996 Section 193(2) duty occupied 'as a dwelling' fo the purposes of Section 3 Protection from Eviction Act...
Illegal subletting – an ‘elaborate farrago of lies’
Poplar Housing & Regeneration Community Association Ltd v Begum & Ors [2017] EWHC 2040 (QB) We are no fans of illegal subletting of social housing here at NL. So here is an appeal by the landlord of a county court decision to grant a...
Subletting and defamation – a novel approach
There is a queue of significant and serious cases waiting to be written up. For time and personal reasons, this may not happen for a while. Instead, here is an insignificant case of no wider importance, but possibly some entertainment value. Howell...
Cant Pay
It is rare, if we are entirely honest, for a First Tier Tribunal decision on service charges to be exciting. It is even rarer for there to be mystery and police raids, and "Immunity from Treason" notices, and debts of "Trillions of pounds", and...
Not looked into enough to be unaware
Trindade v London Borough of Hackney (2017) EWCA Civ 942 A second appeal of a homeless decision that Ms T was intentionally homeless, on the issues of whether Ms T's actions were "an act or omission in good faith on the part of a person who was...
On the naughty step – Physician heal thyself edition
If Nearly Legal has a mantra, it is this: "Everyone should have a housing lawyer with them at all times". Or, at the bare minimum, a landlord and tenant lawyer. We had taken the reasonableness of this to be self-evident. However, it seems even this...
Education and out of borough homeless accommodation
This is going to be a very short post on a very long judgment - 275 paragraphs worth. The main case was on the right to education under article 2 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, in relation to a local authority's...