Our thanks to the Housing: Recent Developments team in the July/August Legal Action for notes on these two cases. Lambeth LBC v Casey County Court at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, 5 June 2019 Ms C had succeeded to the tenancy of a two bedroom flat. Lambeth...
Breach of PSED and consequences for possession
Forward v Aldwyck Housing Group Ltd (2019) EWCA Civ 1334 The Court of Appeal considers the effect of an admitted breach of the Public Sector Equality Duty under s.149 Equality Act 2010 on possession proceedings. Mr F had an assured tenancy from Aldwyck. Soon...
A noisy appeal
Curo Places Ltd v Walker [2018] EWHC 2462 (QB) This was Curo Places appeal of a Circuit Judge's dismissal of its possession claim against Ms Walker. Ms W had a six year fixed term assured tenancy of a flat from Curo Places. Soon after the tenancy started, Ms...
Protection from neighbours – no duty
CN & Anor v Poole Borough Council (2017) EWCA Civ 2185 What, if any, duty is owed by a local authority to children to protect them from abuse and harassment by neighbours? This court of appeal decision suggests none in negligence. CN and GN lived with...
Warrant on breach of SPO – permission required
We foreshadowed this appeal hearing here, and now we have the Court of Appeal judgment. And it is important. Cardiff City Council v Lee [2016] EWCA Civ 1034 The sole issue on the appeal was: can the court proceed to validate a warrant of possession where a...
Conditions of repentance – SPOs
City West Housing Trust v Massey [2016] EWCA Civ 704 When considering a suspended possession order, how should the judge exercise their discretion where the tenant's evidence has been disbelieved, in whole or part? And should an SPO impose conditions which...
Closure, possession and legal representation
Courtesy of Jim Shepherd of Doughty Street Chambers comes this account of a county court appeal of a Ground 7A possession claim, following a closure order. The appeal of the possession order was partly on the basis that the Defendant could not get legal aid...
Relief from sanctions for not turning up?
In Home Group v Matrejek [2015] EWHC 441 (QB), the High Court has applied Rule 3.9 of the Civil Procedure Rules and the guidance on applications for relief from sanctions in Denton v TH White Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 906 (our note here) to a possession claim...
Getting around Tuitt
Anti-social behaviour cases are one of the staple cases for the young barrister. If acting for landlords (whether local authority or housing association), they're a great way to develop trial experience in a relatively low-risk environment. I say "low risk"...
Human Rights Round-Up Part 2
Lemo and others v Croatia [2014] ECHR 755 (10/7/2014) Both the facts and the outcome in this case are highly reminiscent of Brezec v Croatia (see our note here). The applicants had occupied flats under protected tenancies from the 1970s until their eviction...
Anti-social behaviour – advance guidance
Given that most of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 is not yet in force, including the provisions which empower the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance, it seems slightly odd that statutory guidance which purports to have...
“Mere likelihood” not enough to engage section 149
Swan v Gill [2013] EWCA Civ 1566 apparently attracted quite a bit of attention at the HLPA conference this year, the general consensus being that the Court of Appeal was wrong in its approach to s.149 Equality Act 2010 and I’m inclined to agree. Mr Gill, an...