Metropolitan Housing Trust Ltd v TM (2021) EWCA Civ 1890 We saw in Taylor v Slough Borough Council (2020) EWHC 3520 (Ch) (our note) that in possession claims where a defence of breach of public sector equality duty was raised, the courts would be prepared to...
How to Rent and Easy Read – updates and issues.
Ah, the How to Rent Guide. Is there anything that would so predictably cause problems and yet has been so frequently messed up by MHCLG? The latest instalment of the saga goes like this. On 21 July 2021, MHLCG updated the 'How to Rent Guide' page. But...
PSED, breach and ‘subsequent compliance’.
Taylor v Slough Borough Council (2020) EWHC 3520 (Ch) An appeal on the issue of whether a Council landlord's initial failure to have regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty on commencing possession proceedings could be remedied by later performance of that...
What a difference a PSED makes…
Luton Community Housing Ltd v Durdana (2020) EWCA Civ 445 Ms Durdana was a tenant of LCH. She faced possession proceedings under ground 17 Sch 2 Housing Act 1988 - that the landlord was induced to grant the tenancy by a false statement made knowingly or...
Alterations, disability and equality
Smailes & Poyner-Smailes v Clewer Court Residents Ltd, Cardiff County Court 30 January 2019 (Unreported but copy of judgment is here). Although only a County Court (Circuit Judge) decision, this is an interesting and potentially significant case on the...
Equalities on the 14th floor
Chatokai v Salford City Council. Manchester Civil Justice Centre, 11 April 2017 (Not reported elsewhere) This was a s.204 Housing Act 1996 appeal of Salford's review decision that Mr C was not homeless. The central issue was whether Salford's review officer...
Discretionary Housing Payments and long term awards
R (on the application of Halvai) v Hammersmith and Fulham LBC (2017) QBD (Admin) (Sara Cockerill QC) 09/03/2017 (Only on lawtel as an extempore judgment, as far as I can see) (Copy of the full judgment now here) This was a judicial review of H&F's...
Suitability and PSED
London Borough of Hackney v Haque [2017] EWCA Civ 4 In which the Court of Appeal grapple with the application of the Public Sector Equality Duty to decisions on suitability of accommodation provided under s.193 Housing Act 1996 (in satisfaction of the full...
Known unknowns – Considering disability in homelessness
Birmingham City Council v Wilson [2016] EWCA Civ 1137 In Pieretti v Enfield LBC [2010] EWCA Civ 1104 (our note) the Court of Appeal held that under (the predecessor to) the Equality Act, in the course of Housing Act 1997 Part VII inquiries, a reviewing...
A non-binary outcome
This is a cautionary tale for DJs and DDJs hearing Equality Act defences. In Birmingham CC v Stephenson [2016] EWCA Civ 1029 (not on Baili yet, but we have seen a transcript), the Court of Appeal considered whether a possession order granted in respect of...
Vulnerability, ‘significantly’ and equality duties
S Butt v London Borough of Hackney. County Court at Central London. 22 February 2016 (PDF of judgment) This was another in a number of county court judgments on section 204 Housing Act 1996 appeals which turned on the question of vulnerability after the...
The (absence of) reasons in Redcar
You may well have seen or heard press stories on a First Tier tribunal bedroom tax appeal decision in Redcar and Cleveland. There has been a lot of excitable comment about it representing a 'landmark appeal' and 'hope for 440,000 disabled'. Even the tenant's...