housing – Page 78 – Current Awareness

Babes out of the Forest – NearlyLegal

Posted February 4th, 2015 in carers, children, employment, families, homelessness, housing, local government, medical treatment, mental health, news, school children by sally

‘The out of borough temporary accommodation position continues to get worse, with increasing numbers of homeless shipped out of borough (and for London councils, often out of London). London Councils (pace Nzolameso v Westminster CC ) have put the DCLG ‘Supplementary Guidance on the homelessness changes in the Localism Act 2011 and on the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2012‘ at naught.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 2nd February 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Ealing London Borough Council and others v Notting Hill Housing Trust and another – WLR Daily

Posted February 3rd, 2015 in council tax, evidence, housing, law reports, local government, regulations by sally

Ealing London Borough Council and others v Notting Hill Housing Trust and another;[2015] EWHC 161 (Admin); [2015] WLR (D) 37

‘Article 3 of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992 provided that a dwelling was an exempt dwelling for the purposes of section 4 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 if it fell into Class B: “a dwelling owned by a body established for charitable purposes only, which is unoccupied and has been so for a period of less than sixmonths since the last occupation day, and was last occupied in furtherance of the objects of the charity”. When seeking exemption from council tax under that provision applicants were required to provide sufficient evidence to show that those conditions were satisfied.’

WLR Daily, 29th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Unnoticed – NearlyLegal

Posted January 29th, 2015 in appeals, easements, housing, landlord & tenant, news, repairs by sally

‘Mr Edwards rented a second floor flat from Mr Kumarasamy. Mr K was the leaseholder of that flat, but did not own any other part of the property. Mr K’s lease granted him “the right to use on foot the entrance hall, lift and staircases giving access to the flat; the right to use an access road and parking space and the right to use the Bin Store (which is part of the Communal Areas as defined) and other facilities provided by the landlord. Regulations forming part of the lease in fact require all domestic rubbish to be placed in the Bin Store.”’

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NearlyLegal, 28th January 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Hussain v Waltham Forest London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted January 27th, 2015 in appeals, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government, London, psychiatric damage by sally

Hussain v Waltham Forest London Borough Council [2015] EWCA Civ 14; [2015] WLR (D) 21

‘The phrase “other violence” in section 177(1) of the Housing Act 1996 covered not only physical violence (actual or threatened) but other threatening or intimidating behaviour or abuse, if of such seriousness that it might give rise to psychological harm.’

WLR Daily, 20th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Qualification criteria and allocations: An outlier? – NearlyLegal

Posted January 27th, 2015 in appeals, housing, local government, news, time limits by sally

‘In R(Hillsden) v Epping Forest DC [2015] EWHC 98 (Admin), McCloskey J held the council’s allocation scheme valid in circumstances which, I must say, did not seem propitious to the council. The council’s new allocation scheme, which came in to force in September 2013, had a qualification criterion which required applicants to have a continuous residence for three years and, for those already registered, to have two and a half years. It was argued by the council that there was no “exceptional circumstances” get-out clause, because, apparently, the council “wanted clear rules that left no room for doubt about whether an individual qualified in the first place”. Now, like Ms Hillsden’s counsel (Jan Luba and Bethan Harris), I would have said that whole criterion was a real problem – indeed, our past notes on this precise issue have argued this too. So, fair play to Epping – how did they win? Will it survive an appeal?’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 24th January 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Asking for relief – NearlyLegal

Posted January 12th, 2015 in case management, civil procedure rules, disclosure, housing, legal aid, legal representation, news, proportionality, repossession, time limits by sally

‘This is a housing case, but the procedural issue in this decision is only tangentially related to that. Nonetheless, it is a matter worth noting.’

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NearlyLegal, 10th January 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Hot, hot, hot – NearlyLegal

Posted January 12th, 2015 in appeals, benefits, housing, landlord & tenant, local government, news, tribunals by sally

‘Here is an interesting First Tier Tribunal bedroom tax appeal decision from Bexleyheath. [Decision notice]. It is a decision made after the Fife Upper Tribunal decision, but upholds the tenant’s appeal on the basis, in part, that the room is inadequately sized to be a bedroom, as well as being just too damn hot.’

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NearlyLegal, 11th January 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Disabled tenants to challenge bedroom tax in supreme court – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2015 in appeals, benefits, disability discrimination, disabled persons, housing, landlord & tenant, news, statistics, Supreme Court by sally

‘A legal case to be heard at the supreme court will decide whether the government’s housing benefit regulations – the bedroom tax – discriminates unfairly against disabled adults. The ruling could have consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gypsies and Travellers: “A litmus test not of democracy but of civil society” – No. 5 Chambers

Posted January 6th, 2015 in equality, housing, human rights, news, planning, race discrimination, travellers by sally

‘“[T]here is force in the observation attributed to Václav Havel, no doubt informed by the dire experience of central Europe: “The Gipsies are a litmus test not of democracy but of civil society”.” So said Lord Bingham of Cornhill in the House of Lords in South Buckinghamshire DC v Porter (No 1).’

Full story

No. 5 Chambers, 18th December 2014

Source: www.no5.com

Ng and another v Charalambous and another – WLR Daily

Posted December 19th, 2014 in deposits, housing, landlord & tenant, law reports, repossession by sally

Ng and another v Charalambous and another [2014] EWCA Civ 1604; [2014] WLR (D) 540

‘Section 213 of the Housing Act 2004, as amended, which provided that any tenancy deposit paid to a person in connection with a shorthold tenancy in existence on 6 April 2012 had to be dealt with in accordance with an authorised scheme, was concerned not with the date at which the deposit was received but with the date on which the tenancy was in effect. Where such a deposit was not held in an authorised scheme, having been received before the relevant date, the sanctions for non-compliance in section 215(1) nevertheless applied so as to preclude the landlord from serving on the tenant a valid notice stating that possession was required under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.’

WLR Daily, 16th December 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Supreme Court homeless appeals – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 18th, 2014 in appeals, disabled persons, homelessness, housing, learning difficulties, mental health, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘Three landmark appeals being heard this week should clarify who is ‘vulnerable’ and entitled to priority rehousing by local authorities.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 16th December 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Conscious Re-coupling and Succession – Nearly Legal

Posted December 15th, 2014 in appeals, cohabitation, delay, housing, human rights, judicial review, landlord & tenant, local government, news by sally

‘In R (Turley) v LB Wandsworth , the Claimant was the partner of the late Mr Doyle, who was the secure tenant of a property at Battersea Park Rd, London, SW8 from 1995 until his death on 17/3/2012. Mr D and Ms T had 4 children together and they lived at the property throughout, apart from a critically important period of separation between December 2010 and January 2012.

Ms T applied to succeed to the secure tenancy but the council decided that because she had not resided at the property for the 12 months immediately preceding Mr D’s death, she did not qualify to succeed. Ms T brought judicial review proceedings against that decision.’

Full story

Nearly Legal, 14th December 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/

High Court judge quashes selective licensing scheme over consultation failings – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 15th, 2014 in appeals, consultations, housing, landlord & tenant, licensing, local government, news by sally

‘The High Court has quashed a selective licensing scheme that Enfield Council was seeking to apply to the entire borough.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 12th December 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Housing: Homeless Persons and Review of Accommodation Needs – No. 5 Chambers

Posted December 11th, 2014 in homelessness, housing, local government, news by sally

‘This paper considers some selected topics in the broad (and full of case law) topic of homeless persons, together with a brief mention of the duty of local housing authorities to carry out a review of accommodation needs.’

Full story (PDF)

No. 5 Chambers, 9th December 2014

Source: www.no5.com

Legal aid slashed with no thought for consequences, MoJ chief admits – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in budgets, debts, employment, families, housing, legal aid, news by sally

‘The legal aid bill is being slashed by £300m without research into the potential effect of the cuts, the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has admitted.’

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The Independent, 5th Decemeber 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The elephant in the bedroom – NearlyLegal

Posted December 8th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, housing, news by sally

‘Finally, the long awaited Upper Tribunal decision on room size and the bedroom tax has been released.’

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NearlyLegal, 7th December 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

How much?! Damages for unlawfully evicted secure tenants – NearlyLegal

Posted December 5th, 2014 in damages, housing, local government, news, repossession by sally

‘So, if a local authority unlawfully evicts a secure tenant (and yes, it happens) what should the measure of damages be? Under s.27 and s.28 Housing Act 1988, damages fall to be assessed under a valuation exercise, governed – so far as is relevant to this case – by s.28(1).’

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NearlyLegal, 4th December 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

The pitfalls of sale and rent back – New Square Chambers

Posted December 3rd, 2014 in fraud, housing, landlord & tenant, loans, mortgages, news, sale of land, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court has confirmed the risks of sale and rent back arrangements in Southern Pacific Mortgages Ltd v Scott [2014] UKSC 52. Mrs Scott was the vendor in a sale and rent back. Against her knowledge the purchaser had obtained a mortgage to fund the purchase of her home and defaulted, causing it to be repossessed. She was unsuccessful in arguing that her lease took priority to the mortgage.’

Full story

New Square Chambers, 28th November 2014

Source: www.newsquarechambers.co.uk