Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Mailley (2022) EWHC 2328 (QB) A quick note on this possession claim, which involves a challenge to Section 87 Housing Act 1985 as incompatible with Article 8 and 14 ECHR. Ms Mailley was defending possession of a Dudley...
Notes and events: rent and evictions freezes, illegal eviction – the police and Art 8, & DA and benefit caps
A few things of interest... The Scottish government has put the cat amongst the pigeons by announcing that there will be a ban on evictions and a freezing of rent increases until 31 March 2023, to be implemented by fast track legislation. This would apply to...
Solicitors’ agents and rights of audience – appeal decision
[Updated 8 August 2022 to correct re LPC being on the record as party's solicitor and significance of this.] This is an issue that has come up here a few times (eg this post and this post) - the rights of audience of people who do not have a right of...
Rabbit holes to fall down
In case you are in need of distraction from the heat/the tory leadership contest/getting your first, second or third bout of covid/the general state of all things, may I present a small collection of judgments at which to rubberneck. None seem massively...
U definitely can’t do this.
Hammad & Hammad v Paolini. County Court at Clerkenwell & Shoreditch. 27 June 2022 (We've seen a note of judgment) Yes, even while large chunks of the government resign and (as of this point in the evening of 5 July, it looks likely that Carrie...
The Trecarrell Conundrum revisited
Byrne v Harwood-Delgardo. Luton County Court. 21 June 2022. (Copy of Judgment) In my comments to our post on the Court of Appeal judgment in Trecarrell House Limited v Rouncefield (2020) EWCA Civ 760, I pointed out that the judgment only addressed late...
And no extensions
Kalonga, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Croydon (2022) EWCA Civ 670 The Court of Appeal was faced with the question of whether a local authority had the power to extend time for a flexible tenant to request a review of the authority's decision...
Unravelling – the effect of a debt moratorium on enforcement steps taken during it.
Lees v Kaye (2022) EWHC 1151 (QB) This is another judgment on the operation of the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England & Wales) Regulations 2020. (The first was part of the Brake v Axnoller...
Notes and gloats.
It is being reported that reform of the private rented sector, including the abolition of section 21, will be in the next Queen's Speech. It may not be a renters reform bill but part of a larger 'levelling up' bill, which does make one wonder about its...
Fixed term secure tenancies and forfeiture
Croydon London Borough Council v Kalonga (2022) UKSC 7 In which the Supreme Court considered the position on termination of 'flexible tenancies' - fixed term secure tenancies - during the fixed term. We saw the Court of Appeal judgment dismissing Croydon's...
Delays to services…
Apologies, I know updates have been slow in the last few weeks - I have been very busy on a lot of time sensitive stuff and what down time I've had, has really been needed as, well, down time... But the blog has not been forgotten or abandoned, honest. There...
Excluded grounds of possession and subsequent grounds
Poplar HARCA v Kerr. Clerkenwell & Shoreditch County Court. February 2022. DJ Bell (Unreported, we've seen a note of extempore judgment.) Our thanks to Daniel Skinner for the note of judgment in this case, which is of interest on the argument that the...