[with apologies to the most cited, and brilliant, socio-legal article: Marc Galanter, "Why the 'haves' come out ahead: Speculations on the limits of legal change"] Mr Justice Beatson dismissed a renewed application for judicial review in R(Husband) v...
Continued incompatibility
Readers with a long memory (relative to the general standards of the 21st century) will recall that there was a finding in Connors v UK (2004) that the law that meant that travellers on Local Authority sites could be evicted without the court overseeing...
Rent Repayment Orders
As well as the process of criminal convictions and fines which results from the failure to have the necessary property licence as required by the Housing Act 2004 there is a further penalty which can be imposed on unlicensed landlords. This is the Rent...
Lord Neuberger on housing law
The UKSC - an excellent blog (albeit technically and practically horrible to use) which is dedicated to the doings and ins and outs of the Supreme Court - has a interesting post on Lord Neuberger's keynote to the SHLA conference. I wonder how the SHLA...
On possession, recovery and quia timet injunctions
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Meier and another and others and another and another [2009] UKSC 11 A Supreme Court Judgment handed down today, 1 December 2009. This was an appeal from the Court of Appeal, [2008] EWCA Civ 903,...
Shop an unlawful sub-tenant, win £500
The Government has decided to have a campaign against unlawful sub-tenancies of social housing, or rather against the unlawful landlords and tenants both. The estimated figures are that between 50,000 and 200,000 social properties are occupied by...
An Englishman's room is his castle
Thomas v Director of Public Prosecutions QBD October 23, 2009 (apparently only reported in the Times, although I swear I saw it somewhere else too). This was an appeal by way of case stated against conviction for obstructing a police officer. Mr Thomas lost...
Tenant 1 – 0 Receiver
B v N and others [2009] EWHC 2884 (Admin) The Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes provision for the confiscation of the proceeds of an offence. In the case of realisable property (such as a residential home), s.80(2) permits the appointment of a receiver, who,...
Central Beds v Taylor – Supreme Court permission refused
Central Bedfordshire Council v Taylor & Ors We've just heard that permission to appeal to the Supreme Court in Central Beds v Taylor has been refused. Our note of the Court of Appeal case is here. This was surely a chance for the Supreme Court to revisit Kay...
Thoroughly premature planning injunction…
Brentwood Borough Council v Ball & Ors [2009] EWHC 2433 (QB) This was the hearing of an application for an injunction by Brentwood BC. The defendants were six gypsies who had together purchased a plot of land, called Plot 3, in 2009. This was designated...
Request for info: Powell v Hounslow
We have just heard about a case, Powell v Hounslow, which is apparently due to be heard by the Court of Appeal on 15 November. According to our informant, the issue is whether an Art 8 defence can be made by a non-secure tenant in possession proceedings. We...
Of Car Parks, Caravans and Councillor's commitments
The City & Council of Swansea v Christine Joyce (and others) Cardiff District Registry, Chancery Division 31 March 2009 7CF30099 This is an example of a post Doherty public law defence at first hearing, and one that succeeded where an alternative defence of...