Julia Michalczyk considers some recent Upper Tribunal decisions on rent increases, a helpful reminder that registered providers must ensure that they follow the correct procedures when increasing the rent. Read more
Manchester City Council should have made greater efforts to ensure that an improvement notice and subsequent penalty demand reached a landlord, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has said, upholding an appeal against a decision of the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions have led to households being forced to approach their local authority for homelessness support after receiving a notice more than 80,000 times since the Government announced it would ban the practice, research by Homeless Link has suggested.
Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon) examines an important, but curious, case about the limits of the duties imposed by Article 2 ECHR on public bodies to seek to secure the life of individuals in the community.
There is nothing 'perfect' about the storm local housing authorities are facing – and at the eye of that storm is temporary accommodation. The scale of the problem is daunting and, quite apart from the human cost, the financial cost is staggering, write Scott Dorling, Ian Doolittle and Sarah Monaghan.
Fifty victims of a fire in south-west London in 2019 have this month issued a High Court claim against Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH) housing association and house builder St James.
A rabbi who mostly lived away from his council flat was still entitled to buy it from the London Borough of Hackney since the council could not establish that his main place of residence was elsewhere.
Barristers chambers Garden Court has gained a High Court order requiring an unnamed council to secure suitable interim accommodation under section 188(1) of the Housing Act 1996 for an asylum seeker.
The Housing Ombudsman has hailed the response of many social landlords to its October 2022 Spotlight report on noise complaints, saying that 60% of landlords who responded had self-assessed against its recommendations and were implementing an action plan.
The High Court has agreed to hear a judicial review claim challenging guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that puts limitations on how councils should set local energy efficiency standards for housing that go beyond national regulations.
Islington Council has been ordered to pay costs after the dismissal of possession proceedings it brought against a tenant that the council did not consider was in a homosexual relationship with the former tenant, who had passed away.
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the Local Government Association (LGA) have welcomed the Government’s proposed standard for the competence and conduct of social housing staff, but called for changes to the timetable for its implementation.
A woman with a heightened sensitivity or hypersensitivity to noise and to smell has lost a judicial review in the High Court after Mr Justice Murray decided there was nothing more the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) could reasonably have done to relieve the situation.
Homes England should have "even stronger relationships" with local government in order to boost housing delivery, a Government review of the non-departmental body has found.
The Housing Ombudsman has published its first ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report, featuring cases on discrimination, staff conduct and a lack of adjustments due to vulnerabilities.
A claimant has won a judicial review challenge in the High Court over Westminster City Council’s decision to refuse to agree to her request for a "reciprocal transfer" into accommodation in its area.
The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by Cambridge City Council over whether it was justified in offering the claimant/respondent accommodation with one bedroom despite him wanting a home large enough for his children to stay overnight when visiting.
Housing association Midland Heart, which has 34,000 homes across the UK, serving 55 local authorities, has called for expressions of interest in the supply of legal services.
The chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee, Clive Betts MP, has written to the Social Housing Minister, Baroness Scott, calling for answers to a series of questions on the Government’s proposed reforms to how social housing is allocated in England.
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has written to the chief executives of all social housing landlords reminding them of changes to its regulatory powers and the new standards that they must now meet, following commencement of the four new consumer standards on 1 April.
The Government has published new guidance setting out how councils can seek to disapply the Government-set rent controls on their social housing in situations where it would cause financial difficulty.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has voiced concern that proposed amendments to the Renters Reform Bill tabled by the Government could weaken key measures, including the ban on Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, the redress scheme and essential enforcement measures.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has hailed next week’s (1 April) launch by the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) of the new consumer regulation regime as a “significant milestone” in its programme to improve the quality of social housing.
Shared ownership schemes are “drastically failing to deliver an affordable route to homeownership for too many people” and subject buyers to rising rents, uncapped service charges, and a disproportionate exposure to repair and maintenance costs, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee has said.
The London Borough of Waltham Forest cannot have ended its duty to accommodate a resident because it never took a valid decision to do so, the High Court has found in a judicial review.
The Housing Ombudsman has launched a consultation for social housing landlords after the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 provided it with the power to issue guidance to scheme members on good practice in the carrying on of housing activities covered by the Housing Ombudsman Scheme.
Law firm Anthony Collins has said ‘Awaab’s Law’ should not be extended to cover 28 hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) from its original focus on damp, mould and condensation (DMC).
Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has advised Capital Letters, a not-for-profit organisation owned by ten local authorities, on a £750m deal with housing charity Home Safe Housing.
Two landlords have been hit with a £350,000 fine and an order to cover Camden Council’s costs totalling £247,000 after failing to comply with an enforcement notice that was served more than a decade ago.
The National Housing Federation (NHF) has called for further measures to ensure the Building Safety Levy does not adversely impact the supply of new affordable homes.
Sarah Christy, Laura Waby and Sumi Begum round up the latest housing law cases and court decisions of interest to local authorities and housing associations.
Could the Competence and Conduct Standard affect the way you work? Thaine Wilson and Andrew Harmer look at its potential impact on the social housing sector.
The incoming RSH consumer standards are a catalyst for much wider changes to the regulatory environment for registered providers (RPs) from 1 April 2024, writes Peter Hubbard.
The Housing Ombudsman has recently identified the meaning of 'vulnerability' when it comes to social housing. Sarah Orchard and Deborah Jeremiah look at the report’s recommendations and set out the key risks for landlords.
Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris and Hannah Taylor look at how conscientious and lawful out of borough offers of accommodation under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 can be made.
Nicholas Grundy KC and Daniel Crehan consider a Court of Appeal ruling on whether a council tenant was entitled to succeed to a secure tenancy on the death of his grandmother.
Tom Bradbury, Charlotte Rawson and Janette Plummer round up the latest cases and court decisions of interest to housing associations and local authorities.
The Upper Tribunal has provided guidance and advice on the vexed question of how local authorities should comply with their duty to provide reasons when issuing civil penalty notices (“CPNs”) that allege the commission of housing offences. Tara O’Leary analyses the ruling.
The Government has updated the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including changes primarily in relation to housing delivery and land supply. Matthew Tucker and Sofiya Yerokhina set out the key measures.
In this edition of our Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 Digest series, Ben Pumphrey and Sarah Greenhalgh review the Access to Information Scheme and how this will impact on social housing landlords:
A defendant local authority has successfully defended a judicial review challenge to its housing allocation scheme which included a provision excluding applicants with a history of serious anti-social behaviour. Clare Cullen explains how.