‘Michael Owen, Sumi Begum and May Atkinson round up the latest cases and court decisions of interest to housing associations and local authorities.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th December 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Runnymede Borough Council has successfully prosecuted a landlord who converted a three-bedroom bungalow into a 15-room unlicensed house of multiple occupation (HMO).’
Local Government Lawyer, 2nd December 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Natalie Hurst and Jane Goodier round up the latest housing law cases and court decisions of interest to housing associations and local authorities.’
Local Government Lawyer, 5th November 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Angela Piears considers a First-tier Tribunal (FTT) case about HMO licences: How should the FTT approach the hearing of an HMO licensing appeal? Who can challenge the decision to grant an HMO licence? How should a local authority serve notices on a freehold company?’
Local Government Lawyer, 6th November 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has held that potentially inaccurate information on a local authority’s website about houses in multiple occupation (HMO) might give a landlord a reasonable excuse for not having a license in defending a rent repayment order application.’
Local Government Lawyer, 17th October 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Godagam & Edirisinghe v Hanson. Mayors & City of London County Court. 3 May 2024. A county court Circuit Judge judgment on a possession claim with disrepair and unfitness for human habitation counterclaim. Very interesting both as a relatively rare CJ decision on disrepair/fitness, and for the CJ’s viw on the appropriate approach to quantum for unfitness.’
Nearly Legal, 15th September 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The Renters’ Rights Bill was published today, Wednesday, and received first reading. It now looks set for second reading and progress through Parliament after the party conference season. Parliamentary time allowing, there is a good chance it will be an Act before the new year. This is particularly important to note for reasons that will become clear.’
Nearly Legal, 11th September 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has been asked to decide whether a local authority should serve an improvement notice on the owner of a house in multiple occupation if there is doubt about whether a hazard exists.’
Local Government Lawyer, 7th August 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘In a unanimous judgment, the Court of Appeal has dismissed the government’s appeal of a High Court judgment which proscribed the government’s practice of routinely redacting the names of junior civil servants when supplying disclosure in judicial review proceedings. Christian Grierson and Jonathan Blunden analyse the judgment.’
Local Government Lawyer, 9th February 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Barker v Shokar (HOUSING – RENT REPAYMENT ORDER – criteria for identifying a ‘self-contained flat’ – whether building was a house in multiple occupation – adequacy of reasons) (2024) UKUT 17 (LC). This was a landlord’s appeal of a rent repayment order made by the FTT in the sum of £3750. The appeal was on the grounds that the property did not require a licence, and that the FTT did not give sufficient reasons for its calculation of the number of occupants occupying the building as their only or main residence.’
Nearly Legal, 21st January 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Cottam & Ors v Lowe Management Ltd (HOUSING – RENT REPAYMENT ORDER – statutory definitions of “person managing” and “person in control of” an HMO) (2023) UKUT 306 (LC). This is a quite significant Upper Tribunal decision on a rent repayment order application appeal on the statutory meaning of “person managing” and “person in control” of an HMO, with an interesting other issue on the effect of the owner of the property being a “health service body” for the purposes of Schedule 14 Housing Act 2004.’
Nearly Legal, 30th December 2023
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The landlords of a dangerously overcrowded east London flat that suffered a deadly fire in March have pleaded guilty to a total of nine criminal charges.’
The Guardian, 28th November 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A Bradford landlord has had penalties reduced in a case which the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) said raised “some interesting questions about mitigation, totality, and the principle that civil penalties for housing offences should be set at a level that ensures the landlord does not profit from his crime”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 9th November 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal has confirmed that property guardianship companies must licence premises as HMOs (houses in multiple occupation). Ranjit Bhose KC and Tara O’Leary analyse the ruling.’
Local Government Lawyer, 3rd November 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Global 100 Ltd v Jimenez & Ors (2023) EWCA Civ 1243. This was the Court of Appeal judgment in the latest of Global 100 (and Global Guardians) attempts to get out of properties occupied by guardians being subject to local auhtority licensing requirements, and the consequences of that.’
Nearly Legal, 29th October 2023
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘A South Gloucestershire landlord has been ordered to pay more than £44,000 after a court found him guilty of a serious housing offence and for contravening a Local Government Act.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th July 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A South Gloucestershire landlord has been ordered to pay more than £44,000 after a court found him guilty of a serious housing offence and for contravening a Local Government Act.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th July 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Mohammed Rasool has featured here quite often, for getting an ASBi against him for illegal eviction, for his role in quite the bizarrest set of cases, in which he sought re-entry after alleged illegal eviction to properties he had no interest in and didn’t occupy, and for receiving a five year banning order, amongst other things. But the fall out of his track record of truly terrible landlording, and assorted criminal offences continues. Here is a new press release from Camden Council, on the outcome of their latest prosecution of Mohammed Ali Abbas Rasool and associated entities.’
Nearly Legal, 23rd June 2023
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Eight landlords – five individuals and three companies – have been fined £434,000 for offences under the Housing Act 2004, including the operation of 14 unlicensed houses in multiple occupation (HMO) and a catalogue of breaches relating to fire safety, tenant information and maintenance of the properties, following a prosecution brought by West Northamptonshire Council.’
Local Government Lawyer, 3rd April 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘On 1 March 2023, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in Rakusen v Jepsen [2023] UKSC 9. In a unanimous decision delivered by Lord Briggs and Lord Burrows in a joint judgment, the court held that the Court of Appeal had been correct in its interpretation that a Rent Repayment Order (RRO) could only be made against the immediate landlord of a tenancy that generates the relevant rent.’
Tanfield Chambers, 3rd March 2023
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2025