An interesting and novel first instance case has recently emerged from Reigate County Court. Minter v Mole Valley District Council was heard by DJ George on 25th May 2011 and it was reported in the papers here. The facts in summary are as follows: M...
No, that is your elbow
In which we discover what happens when an RSL serves a notice confirming an assured tenancy after serving a s.21 notice on an assured shorthold tenant. Saxon Weald Homes Ltd v Chadwick [2011] EWCA Civ 1202 Mr Chadwick had been given an AST by Saxon...
Sale and Rentback (again)
I've got to admit it, I've fallen for HHJ Behrens. I've no knowledge of him, have never appeared before him, and have only read his written words, but he just seems to be that type of property lawyer who is also human. He is developing something of an...
Turning up is usually the best idea
Williams & Anor v Hinton & Anor [2011] EWCA Civ 1123 This, and please bear with me here, was an application for leave to appeal a Circuit Judge's trial judgment. It was also an application for an injunction to restrain enforcement of the trial judgment,...
Mental Capacity Act and Tenancy: An open question
I have had a question from the editor of the Small Places blog, which is a very fine blog on human rights and community care, with attention to Court of Protection matters. I think it is a question which might benefit from the assembled housing law mavens...
Starter tenancy: proportionality ‘just about arguable’
West Kent Housing Association v Haycraft [2011] EWCA Civ 992 (Not on Bailii. We've seen a transcript) This was a renewed application for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal on a second (or perhaps first- see below) appeal from the granting of a...
Tenancy deposit penalties awarded!
There are two appeals on cases involving claims for the return of deposits and the three times penalty in both of which - astonishingly, given the recent history of High Court and Court of Appeal decisions - the tenant was awarded the penalty. We have said...
Back in the consulting room
R (Peat and others) v Hyndburn DC [2011] EWHC 1739 (Admin) is the first successful challenge to a selective licensing scheme. We've previously covered the permission hearings (here and here). It's quite a fun judgment to read, if only for the absolute...
Standards in private renting: A bit of a mess?
My good friend, Alex of Alex's Archives, has sent me a link to a discussion in the GLA corridors of power on standards in the private rented sector. I haven't finished listening to the GLA debate, but, as Alex said in his email, it does expose some "shaky...
A Not So Unlawful Eviction
R v Q [2011] EWCA Crim 1584. On Lawtel but not on BAILII This is an appeal concerning s1(3A), Protection From Eviction Act 1977. This subsection was inserted by the Housing Act 1988 and was intended to fix a problem with s1(3). S1(3A) reads: Subject to...
Tenancy Deposits Back in the Localism Bill
We have previously posted on amendments to the Localism Bill tabled in Commons committee which would have had the effect of rewriting the tenancy deposit protection provisions in the Housing Act 2004. The changes were designed to reset the position back to...
“Bright lines” and housing benefit
The re-design of the administration of housing benefit has sought to address the scheme's complexity in recent years - the local housing allowance is a particular example of this re-design, with the shift to flat rate payments according to household size. ...