Following the judgment in Cardiff City Council v Lee (2016) EWCA Civ 1034 (our report) and the subsequent appearance of new forms, at least for rent arrears suspended possession order cases, the Civil Procedure Rules Committee is having a consultation on...
Northern Waters
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Ltd v Izevbigie (2017) EWHC 790 (CH) (not on Bailii yet, Judgment is here) Rochdale BH is a social housing provider (of what was the council's housing stock). The issue in this case - heard as a preliminary issue - was whether...
Water and youth
Not, I hasten to make clear, a Daily Mail style piece on the health giving properties of drinking expensive water, but a couple of quick notes. First, a Southwark rent arrears possession case, demonstrating that the effects of Jones v London Borough of...
… don’t live here anymore
Dove v London Borough of Havering [2017] EWCA Civ 156 This was an appeal of a possession order made against the joint (formerly secure) tenants on the ground of non-occupation as primary or only home, and also serious rent arrears. Both the Ms Dove (twin...
Erratum – s.21 flowchart
I am surprised it had not happened sooner, because there had to be some, but today someone spotted an error in the section 21 notice flowchart - specifically in the end-note about s.21(4)(a) notices for tenancies that were periodic from the outset. A...
Greenwich has problems with water
The ramifications of Jones v London Borough of Southwark (2016) EWHC 457 (Ch) (our report) rumble on. Following the finding that Southwark were a water reseller for the purposes of The Water Resale Order 2006 in adding water rates to the tenants' rent, it is...
It ain’t what you do, but the way that you do it – property guardians & ‘licences’
(1) Camelot Property Management Ltd, (2) Camelot Guardian Management Ltd v Greg Roynon. County Court at Bristol, 24 February 2017 (copy of Judgment) We've noted the issues bubbling away between Camelot and property guardians in Bristol (here, and here), and...
Failings and functions
BBC News reported on the effect of the Retaliatory Eviction provisions in the Deregulation Act, some 16 months on. A large scale FOI request produced the result that only 19% of councils had recorded stopping even 1 retaliatory eviction through service of an...
Who knows where? – service and the Land Registry
Service of notices, claims etc on 'last known address' can be a bit of a thorny issue. Not least the question of the extent of reasonable inquiries to find the missing person before the 'last known address' can be relied on for service. Thus the intriguing...
‘Solicitor’s agents’ yet again – no rights of audience?
Following on from this post and then this one, there are further developments on the issue of rights of audience for 'solicitors agents' or 'advocates' - those who turn up to represent a party despite not being qualified to provide advocacy on their own...
So now Gopee, walk out the door
There are new cases to report on - the Court of Appeal on suitability reviews and the PSED and the Upper Tribunal on leasehold works charges, fire resistant doors and disrepair - but those will have to wait for a couple of days. I've got places to be and...
‘I should have been a tenant’ – more on Bristol property guardians
As far as property guardians go, all the action seems to be taking place in Bristol. As well as the issues (and possession claim) noted here, there is a separate possession claim going on, with Camelot seeking possession against Greg Roynon, who was also...