To end this horrible year, a video that is most definitely not a review of 2020.... (For reasons that were beyond me, the audio drafts out of sync once the edited video is exported from the editing app. I've tried to correct it but alas to no avail. I think...
County court homelessness appeal assortment
AB v London Borough of Barnet. County Court at Central London, 1 October 2020. HHJ Saunders (Unreported. Copy of judgment here.) A s.204 Housing Act 1996 appeal of a review decision that an offer of accommodation in West Yorkshire was suitable in discharge...
Suitable means available
Nikolaeva v London Borough of Redbridge (2020) EWCA Civ 1586 A quick note on this Court of Appeal decision concerning offers of permanent accommodation in discharge of duty. Ms N was owed the full housing duty as homeless by LB Redbridge. An offer of a...
Intervening but overcrowded accommodation
Bullale v City of Westminster Council [2020] EWCA Civ 1587 An important Court of Appeal judgment on when intervening accommodation is settled so as to end the effect of a previous finding of intentional homelessness, including a careful revision of Doka v...
When is suitable?
London Borough of Bromley v Broderick (2020) EWCA Civ 152 When assessing the suitability of a (refused) offer of accommodation made under s.193 Housing Act 1996 duty, what is the relevant date, or dates? That was the issue for the Court of Appeal in this...
Of late reviews and multiple appeals
Stanley v Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (2020) EWCA Civ 1458 A second appeal on the vexed issue of s.204 appeals of late or 'out of time' s.202 reviews. We've seen this issue come up earlier this year (and indeed before) but now the Court of Appeal has had...
This isn’t going to be Priti
On 22 October 2020, the government published just over 500 pages of changes to the immigration rules. Thankfully, most of those can be ignored by this blog. But there is one bit that we really, really, need to talk about. With effect from 9am on 1 December...
Tell me why – ‘Minded to’ letters and reasons
Scanlon v London Borough of Lambeth, Central London County Court 14 September 2020 (We've see a note of the decision). This was a section 204 Housing Act 1996 appeal following Lambeth's review decision that Ms S had made herself intentionally homeless. This...
Suitability, affordability and benefit claims
Tiemo, R (on the application of) v Lambeth London Borough Council (2020) EWHC 1193 (Admin) A interim judicial review decision from May, but judgment just out. The issue was the suitability of temporary accommodation under section 188 Housing Act 1996...
Either/Or, not Both.
Karimi v Southwark LBC, County Court at Central London, 26 April 2020 (note in July/August 2020 Legal Action - Housing: Recent Developments) Mr Karimi had applied to Southwark as homeless. Southwark found he was not in priority need in a s.184 decision. Mr K...
New Homelessness Statutory Guidance for England – priority need
Today, 29 June 2020, MHCLG issued an update to the statutory Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities. The relevant updates are to the chapter on priority need and consist of a new paragraph 8.44 and 8.45, as follows: 8.44 COVID-19: Housing...
Unfurnished temporary accommodation – is it suitable?
Escott, R (On the application of) v Chichester District Council (2020) EWHC 1687 (Admin) A judicial review where the relevant parts played out in the early stages of the pandemic lockdown, and where the central question was whether self contained...