In what can only be described as a deeply embarrassing, indeed humiliating turn of events, the new Labour MP for Ilford South, Jas Athwal, has provided a clear lesson in poor practice in the private rented sector. (BBC report here, and Guardian report here.)...
Landlords behaving badly corner – racial discrimination and harassment
Our thanks to Doughty Street Chambers for their note on this judgment. Hickmet and Cheerz Express Limited v Dragos (Luton County Court, 19 January 2024) Ms Dragos was the assured shorthold tenant of Cheerz Express, with the tenancy beginning 1 June 2017. A...
Illegal eviction – attempted or accomplished?
Wu v Chelmsford City Council (2023) EWCA Crim 338 Not something we see very often, an appeal from a conviction for illegal eviction (not that we see many convictions for illegal eviction in the first place). Brief facts - Mr and Mrs Krishnamoorthy had a...
Selection box
Brief notes on an assortment of cases. Kensington & Chelsea RLBC v Airbnb Payments Ltd (2022) EWHC 2209 (Ch) - not on Bailii Kensington sought a Norwich Pharmacal order against Airbnb Payments Ltd to require disclosure of whether there were booking for...
Freezing Houses
Still lots of cases and other things to write up, now including an appeal decision on liability for unlawful eviction damages by an intermediate landlord where the superior landlord illegally evicted the sub-tenant, and tomorrow (or today, depending on when...
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...
Things! Useful and allowing for schadenfreude
An assortment of useful and amusing things for a Sunday. First, the many and varied changes to the notice periods and validity periods of section 21 notices over the last 18 months has caused headaches for all involved in trying to calculate the relevant...
Harassment and hot water for leaseholders
Grateful thanks to September 2019 edition of Legal Action - Housing: recent developments for this one. Whale and others v Maunder Taylor and Northwood Hall RTM Company Ltd, County Court at Central London, May 2019 Mr Maunder Taylor was an FTT-appointed...
PRS enforcement corner
Three items relating to PRS licensing/HMO regulations and property management enforcement, with some added harassment of tenants thrown in. Thanks to Dean Underwood at Cornerstone for news of this Magistrates Court case. London Borough of Waltham Forest v...
Landlords behaving badly
While the Magistrates Courts continue to hand out paltry fines to landlords on conviction for illegal eviction, despite the removal of the upper £5000 limit, it is good to see that the civil courts are capable of taking a more reasonable approach to quantum....
The JP, the BBC trainee and the Unlawful Eviction
An unlawful eviction case with some unusual dramatis personae. Rebecca Claire Webb v Samina Amreen Birmingham County Court 31 August 2012 [Unreported elsewhere] Ms Webb was the assured shorthold tenant of Ms Amreen, for a 6 month term from September 2007...
On crowbars and considered conduct
Strydom v Fowler. Brentford County Court 24 November 2010 A County Court case involving possession, unlawful eviction, trespass and Housing Act 1988 s27 and s28. Our thanks (as ever) to the Legal Action 'Recent Developments in Housing Law' for this one. Mr F...