Now that it's the silly season and there's not much happening out there, there's an opportunity to reflect on what's not happening with the Code of Guidance on Choice-Based Lettings, or more accurately, why it hasn't been issued. Is CLG on the naughty step?...
Housing and Regeneration Bill
The Housing and Regeneration Act has now received royal assent. A full history of its passage through Parliament is here. 24/7 - the full text of the act is now up on the OPSI site [pdf]
Faarah Allocation Appeal
This was a judicial review against Southwark's allocation policy, reported in this post, which Southwark, rather surprisingly, appealed. Faarah, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Southwark [2008] EWCA Civ 807 was the result. The issue was the...
Liability for mesne profits
Jones v London Borough of Merton [2008] EWCA Civ 660 addresses whether a tolerated trespasser's liability to pay mesne profits ends when they leave the property or when they notify the former landlord that they have left. Ordinary trespassers are only liable...
X v Hounslow
I have now got hold of the judgment in X v Hounslow [2008] All ER 337 (May) (thanks to assorted helpful sprites). [Edit 23/06/08 - now up on Bailii]. Previous posts on this one are here and here - this was the case that apparently instituted a potential duty...
Duty to protect update 1
Update on this case from Friday 24 May. No judgment available yet that I have seen, but there is a further new story on the Hounslow case at 24dash.com, which gives a few more details. Specifically, the negligent failure found was that housing did not invoke...
A duty to protect?
A case is reported in the Guardian which apparently extends local authorities' duty to protect tenants from third parties to include vulnerable adults, not only children. A couple, both with learning difficulties, were terrorised in their flat by a group of...
When does enforceability end?
Or, to be precise, when does a Suspended Possession Order for rent arrears cease to be enforceable? In broad terms, the answer is clear - when all sums due under the order have been paid off. But when is that? After Marshall v Bradford MC, it is vital for a...
Hey, you asked 2
More brief but hopefully helpful replies to the civil litigation and housing questions that brought searchers to Nearly Legal. As ever, nothing of what follows should be taken as legal advice and no action should be taken without obtaining full legal advice....
Hodge woz wrong – official
It may have taken nearly a year after Margaret Hodge's 'they come over here taking our housing' outburst, but it turns out that she was wrong (and I was right, so there). The early findings of a major survey into social housing allocation ordered by the...
Discretionary Housing Payments
A short note on Gargett, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Lambeth [2008] EWHC 663 (Admin) which was an application for Judicial Review on Discretionary Housing Payments. The applicant had applied for a DHP to cover rent arrears, being at risk of...
Non-secure tenants
Just a quick comment on Westminster CC v Boraliu [2008] EWCA Civ 1339, which is not on Bailii yet. I was alerted by Housing View at Sweet & Maxwell. This was Court of Appeal decision on the effect of Schedule 1, Housing Act 1985 on exclusions from...