[Update 13 Jan. The new protocols are out and in force today - Housing Disrepair (England), and Social Landlord Possession Claims ] Be still my beating heart, there will be two new/revised pre-action protocols on 13 January 2020. There will be a...
2020 then. The years keep coming, with uncaring relentlessness. Still, putting a brave face on it, I shall combine the roles of soothsayer and almanac for what is likely to be a busy year for housing law. First, the things that we know will happen...
Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames v Moss (2019) EWHC 3261 (Ch) Ever since Jones v London Borough of Southwark (2016) EWHC 457 (Ch) (our report), the position on water rates taken as rent by a number of London Councils and Housing Associations...
RR v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2019) UKSC 52 The question of the powers of the First Tier and Upper Tribunals (and indeed initial decision makers) to disapply secondary legislation where there is a breach of the appellant's human...
Case of J. D. and A. v United Kingdom 32949/17 34614/17 The Supreme Court (Lady Hale and Lord Carnwath dissenting) found justified discrimination in imposing the bedroom tax on a woman who, as a result of domestic violence, had had her home treated...
A couple of county court cases, with grateful thanks to Legal Action Housing: recent developments for reporting them. (Link requires subscription. Of course you should be subscribing.) Majiyagbe v Singh and Sandhu, County Court at Central...
Where a landlord already has a possession order for rent arrears, but then seeks a warrant also on the basis of anti-social behaviour, the usual route has been for the landlord to ask the court to consider whether the warrant should be stayed in...
As should be well known, when it comes to landlord's repairing responsibilities, an awful lot depends on the wording of the tenancy agreement. See for example, Welsh v Greenwich LBC (2001) 33 HLR 40 CA line of cases where a tenancy clause...
This is something I've been mulling over for a while, and have sounded off about in conversations, but the ongoing proliferation of housing disrepair claims farmers (and associated solicitors) has pushed me to go public with something of a rant. A...
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...
Livewest Homes Ltd v Bamber (2019) EWCA Civ 1174 This was the Court of Appeal hearing of a second appeal on the issue of when six months notice of intention to terminate a tenancy must be given under section 21(1B). We noted the first appeal here....
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v Hockley & Anor (2019) EWCA Civ 1080 If you can only actually fit one child into a bedroom and you have two children, how many bedrooms should you be allowed under the bedroom tax regulations...