May: Living in UK to get tougher for illegal immigrants – BBC News

Posted October 10th, 2013 in banking, bills, health, housing, immigration, news by tracey

“Home Secretary Theresa May says illegal immigrants will find it much harder to set up home in the UK under new laws. The Immigration Bill will require banks to check the immigration status of people applying to open accounts, and private landlords to make similar checks on their tenants.”

Full story

BBC News, 10th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bedroom Tax – Exciting but steady on…! – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted October 8th, 2013 in appeals, benefits, housing, news, regulations, social security by sally

“I was fortunate at the end of September in two respects when delivering seminars on the subject of welfare reform; firstly I had been allocated the primary subject of the bedroom tax to talk upon, and secondly I was able to report and expand on exciting news that was breaking in this field.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 2nd October 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Genesis Housing Association Ltd v Liberty Syndicate Management Ltd for and on behalf of Liberty Syndicate 4472 at Lloyd’s – WLR Daily

Genesis Housing Association Ltd v Liberty Syndicate Management Ltd for and on behalf of Liberty Syndicate 4472 at Lloyd’s [2013] EWCA Civ 1173; [2013] WLR (D) 368

“The inadvertent naming of the wrong builder in a proposal form for insurance against latent defects including cover for the insolvency of the builder during the construction of social housing units, constituted a breach of warranty entitling the insurers to avoid the policy.”

WLR Daily, 4th October 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

The (absence of) reasons in Redcar – NearlyLegal

Posted October 7th, 2013 in appeals, benefits, disabled persons, housing, landlord & tenant, news by sally

“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 landlord, who supported her, described it as ‘fantastic news’ which ‘which should give hope to hundreds of thousands of disabled people right across the country’.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 5th October 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Lord chancellor faces legal aid court action – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 4th, 2013 in housing, judicial review, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

“A leading East Midlands firm is to take court action against the lord chancellor Chris Grayling over restrictions on its legal aid contract.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

And another one… – Nearly Legal

“Another bedroom tax judicial review has just been issued.”

Full story

Nearly Legal 30th September 2013

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

Munir Farooqi case: Family home set to be seized under terrorism laws – The Independent

Posted October 1st, 2013 in appeals, assets recovery, forfeiture, housing, news, terrorism by sally

“The family home of a man convicted of attempting to recruit two undercover police officers to fight British soldiers in Afghanistan is set to become the first to be seized in the UK under terrorism laws.”

Full story

The Independent, 30th September 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Westminster clear up – NearlyLegal

Posted September 30th, 2013 in appeals, benefits, disabled persons, housing, landlord & tenant, local government, news by sally

“There has been a lot of excitement about the Westminster FTT bedroom tax appeal by Mr Surinder Lall (eg Guardian, CAB). As I mentioned in my last post on the FTT bedroom tax decisions, it was hard to tell what had happened by looking at the decision itself and the press reports. Some, like the CAB, have taken the view that it was Mr Lall’s use of the second room to hold and use equipment related to his disability (he is blind) that was the basis of the decision. If so, this would be a ‘current use’ decision and highly significant, in view of the DWP’s position that ‘tenant use’ should not be a factor.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 28th September 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Court of Appeal to rule in terror house seizure case – BBC News

Posted September 30th, 2013 in Afghanistan, appeals, families, housing, news, repossession, terrorism by sally

“The Court of Appeal could pave the way later for the first ever seizure of a family home as a terrorist asset.”

Full story

BBC News, 30th September 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bedroom tax defeat for Westminster council in landmark case – The Guardian

Posted September 27th, 2013 in benefits, disabled persons, housing, local government, news, social security by tracey

“A housing association tenant in central London has won an appeal against the imposition of the bedroom tax by Conservative-run Westminster city council, in what is thought to be the first such victory in England.”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Council to pay out after housing families in B&Bs for longer than six weeks – Local Government Lawyer

“A local authority is set to pay out thousands of pounds after it housed 40 homeless families in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the recommended limit of six weeks.”

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 24th September 2013

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Changing rooms – NearlyLegal

“The bedroom tax First Tier Tribunal decisions are coming in now. And they are intriguing. In some ways, not a surprise, in others somewhat opaque. As well as the first Fife decision, there are another four Fife decisions that I’ve now seen, and a rather frustrating one from Westminster.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 24th September 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

It cost you how much? – NearlyLegal

Posted September 24th, 2013 in costs, fees, housing, news, tribunals, valuation by sally

“Law can be expensive.

This is particularly so in relation to the process of law, i.e. the costs of going to the law. By this I mean things such as the court or tribunal fees, but particularly the costs of the lawyers. If you lose in civil litigation, the normal rule is that you’ve got to pay not just for your own lawyers, but for the other side’s too. Due to the way that costs are assessed and recovered, even the winner often has to foot the bill for some their own lawyers’ fees. It is fair to say that the general public doesn’t think too highly of the fees charged by lawyers. Now, a lot of the criticism is unfair (‘If you think a professional is expensive, wait ’til you try an amateur’) and based on misinformation and misunderstanding. Nonetheless, there is force in some of the criticism.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 24th September 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

MPs back new legal rights for unmarried couples – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 17th, 2013 in cohabitation, housing, news by sally

“A clear majority of MPs would support a change in the law to give unmarried couples greater legal rights, a poll has found.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 16th September 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

LAG: ‘disturbing’ drop off in legal aid cases – LegalVoice

Posted September 11th, 2013 in civil justice, debts, housing, legal aid, news, statistics by tracey

“The Legal Action Group has warned that what remains of civil legal aid could just ‘wither away’ as new research reveals ‘a disturbing reduction’ in the take-up of cases, writes Jon Robins. According to the group, there has been a marked drop off even for the cases still covered by legal aid.”

Full story

LAG report

LegalVoice, 11th September 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

‘Shocking’ bedroom tax should be axed, says UN investigator – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2013 in government departments, housing, human rights, news, taxation, United Nations by tracey

“Housing expert Raquel Rolnik says policy could constitute a violation of the human right to adequate housing.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

 

High Court quashes 116-home St Albans scheme refusal – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 10th, 2013 in housing, local government, news, planning by tracey

“A Planning Inspector was wrong to use Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) figures as a base for a Council’s projected housing need, a High Court judge has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 9th September 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Councils seeks judicial review of mayor’s rent plan – BBC News

Posted September 9th, 2013 in housing, judicial review, local government, news, rent by tracey

“Four councils are taking legal advice to challenge Mayor Boris Johnson’s decision by which affordable rents can be set at up to 80% of market prices.”

Full story

BBC News, 8th September 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UN to investigate impact of ‘bedroom tax’ on human rights of low-income households – The Independent

Posted September 5th, 2013 in benefits, housing, human rights, news, social security, United Nations by sally

“The impact of the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ on the human rights of low-income households is being examined by a senior United Nations official.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th September 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The Master across the water – NearlyLegal

Posted August 28th, 2013 in housing, mortgages, news, Northern Ireland, repossession by sally

“Santander (UK) Plc v McAtamney and other cases [2013] NIMaster 15 is, as the neutral citation should reveal, a case from Northern Ireland, decided by a Chancery Master. It is not, therefore, a binding authority on the law of England and Wales. Nevertheless, it is very interesting and, as we’ll see, highly persuasive.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 27th August 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk