Rakusen v Jepson & Ors, Safer Renting Intervenor (2021) EWCA Civ 1150 This is the Court of Appeal judgment on an appeal from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) appeal (our report here). It is of huge significance for Rent Repayment Order applications...
RROs – late payments, rent arrears and deposits considered by the Upper Tribunal
Kowalek v Hassanein Ltd (HOUSING - RENT REPAYMENT ORDER) (2021) UKUT 143 (LC) An Upper Tribunal appeal decision on a Rent Repayment Order decision that raised three issue. t"he treatment of payments made by a tenant after the landlord has stopped committing...
The Building Safety Bill
The Building Safety Bill is here. There is a lot in it and I can't claim to have mastered it in the few hours since it was published, but I wanted to get something down on paper as soon as possible. This is, so we have been repeatedly told, the vehicle...
A reasonable excuse defence to an RRO – ‘they told me they’d tell me’
D'Costa v D'Andrea & Ors (HOUSING - RENT REPAYMENT ORDERS - the defence of reasonable excuse) (2021) UKUT 144 (LC) An Upper Tribunal appeal of a rent repayment order. Ms D'Costa was the owner of a property in Tower Hamlets. In 2015, she let the property...
Property guardians, council properties, licensable HMOs and RROs against directors
I somehow missed this fascinating rent repayment order application decision back in February, and just had my attention drawn to it by a remarkably dimwitted rule 13 costs application decision on the same case (on which more later on). There are a lot of...
Smorgasbord: Updated s.21 flowchart, EPA prosecution costs and an unsuccessful RRO
Having realised a day late that the Section 21 validity flow chart needed updating to take into account the new 4 month notice period (and 8 month 'use it or lose it' period) for section 21 notices served on or after 1 June 2021 brought in by The Coronavirus...
Banning Order? Simples.
LB Camden v 1) Simple Properties Management Ltd 2) Mr MIguel Cabeo Cespedes LON/00BA/HBA/2020/0011 (not on Bailii yet. Copy of decision here.) A banning order! One of - if we are being honest - far too few to date (even taking into account the time lag for...
The Inferno of the private rental sector
For some reason, a whole tranche of First tier Tribunal decisions on rent repayment order applications have just shown up on Bailii. Collectively, they confirm that should you wish to take a journey through the 9 circles of the hell of the private rented...
Rent Repayment Order and legal costs
Leibel v Baird CHI/29UC/HMF/2020/0035 (4 May 2021) (FTT decision available here) This was an application for a rent repayment order in respect of an unlicensed property. Unusually, it also featured a rule 13 costs application by the tenant. Ms Leibel was one...
Assortment – RROs, landlord compensated for delay to homeless application, and consultation on mould
A handful of brief notes of things of interest. 16 Cornwall Gardens, London, NW10 2QX - (2021) UKFTT LON_00AE_HMF_2020_0097 A First Tier Tribunal decision on an application for a rent repayment order in respect of an unlicensed HMO. The landlord, Mr Ali...
Arrears, conduct and Tribunal discretion on RRO awards.
Awad v Hooley (2021) UKUT 55 (LC) This was an appeal to the Upper Tribunal of the FTT decision on a rent repayment order application that we first saw here. The applicant tenant had had rent arrears at the start of the period for which an RRO was sought, and...
Rent Repayment Order miscellany
A couple of Upper Tribunal decisions on rent repayment order appeals, with broader significance. Ficcara & Ors v James (2021) UKUT 0038 (LC) The applicant tenants had sought rent repayment orders for a) failure to licence, b) harassment under Protection...