‘On 1st May 2026, the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (“RRA2005”) came into force (Chapter 1 of Part 1). Readers will be aware of significant reforms to the private rental sector that are intended to provide greater security for tenants, improved housing standards and transparency in the rental market. The headline change is the abolition of Assured Shorthold Tenancies, and with this the extinction of the section 21 ‘no-fault eviction’ notice. The last date for validly serving a section 21 notice was 30th April 2026, and a private landlord who served such a notice must issue possession proceedings by 31st July 2026 (or, if sooner, the limitation date specified on the notice) – section 21 possession proceedings are soon to be extinct.’

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Becket Chambers, 11th September 2026

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

‘In Rehman, Master Davison considered applications by the Defendants to strike out twenty-three claims arising from deaths in care homes from Covid-19 during the pandemic. The claims were brought under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 and the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. All but one of the Claimants alleged that the Secretary of State’s policy not to mandate 14-day isolation of asymptomatic patients upon discharge from hospital to care homes was negligent. The Claimants also alleged that there was a failure by care homes to ensure sufficient Covid-19 protection measures. On the Claimants’ case, these breaches of duty caused care home residents to contract Covid-19, which led to their deaths [1]. The Defendants sought to strike out the claims under CPR 3.4(2)(a) on the basis that the Claimants had no realistic prospect of success because they could not prove causation [6].’

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1 QMLR, 17th September 2026

Source: 1corqmlr.com

‘A former police officer has been jailed for misconduct in public office after he requested a sexually explicit video from a female suspect’s phone.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 16th September 2026

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

‘The Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill was given its First Reading on 15 September 2026; a copy of the two-clause Bill is here and the Explanatory Notes (“the Notes”) are here. Whilst the historic legislation which prevents a person who professes either the Roman Catholic or Jewish faiths from advising the Sovereign on Church appointments is clearly discriminatory, there continue to be alternative arrangements which ensure that Church appointments can be made. Nevertheless, primary legislation is required to remove this restriction. The Explanatory Notes include information inter alia on the policy and legal background, the need to fast-track the legislation, and the territorial extent.’

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Law & Religion UK, 18th September 2026

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Fred Holker sets out the lessons from a recent County Court case where a teacher making a Prevent referral was found to have subjected the pupil to direct discrimination.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘A recent High Court ruling puts a spotlight on transparency notices under the Procurement Act 2023. Natalie Gorse and Claire Gamage look at the lessons for contracting authorities and suppliers.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Creation of the Business and Property Division (BPD) next month will provide a larger pool of judges and “opportunities to look at how we do things”, its first president has said.’

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Legal Futures, 18th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘A judge has warned litigants in person (LiPs) that, like lawyers, they need to take personal responsibility for the use of AI in drafting court documents.’

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Legal Futures, 18th September 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘A celebrity florist has succeeded in a trade mark infringement claim against a rival which took ‘unfair advantage’ of her company Flowerbx’s reputation by using similar names.’

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Law Society Gazette, 16th September 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘A baby boy who was found with twine looped and knotted round his neck and wrapped in a 116-year-old newspaper was unlawfully killed, a coroner has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 17th September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The founder of Addison Lee owes £20.5m in tax after a tribunal dismissed a claim that he should be treated as a nom-dom despite living in the UK since childhood.’

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The Guardian, 17th September 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to spraying abusive graffiti on mosques in east London, in a case linked to the Russian state network behind arson attacks against the former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.’

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BBC News, 17th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A man has been jailed for 14 years for raping two teenage girls after encouraging them to drink alcohol at his flat.’

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BBC News, 17th September 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘I wanted to speak to the Association about the new Division, for what I hope are fairly obvious reasons. The changes relate directly to your work and your clients will be just as important users of the Rolls Building in future as they are today. I mention the Rolls Building because this event is happening here in London. But I will say something about the Business and Property Courts outside London as well.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 16th September 2026

Source: www.judiciary.uk

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal against a special guardianship order, ruling that the judge should have determined whether the threshold criteria were established, and should have considered whether the order was “necessary and proportionate”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The London Borough of Hounslow’s planning committee proceeded on a false premise because an officers’ report was misleading, the High Court has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The Court of Appeal (Civil Division) has allowed an appeal against the dismissal of an application for judicial review of London Borough of Haringey’s assessment of a young man’s social care needs under the Care Act 2014.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th September 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘We are back from our summer break with a new episode of the Talking Pensions podcast, in which Paul talks to Mark Kowalik about his long career as a pensions lawyer at CMS. They discuss the evolution of pensions law and regulation since the 1980s and look forward to future developments in the field.’

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Pensions Barrister, 17th September 2026

Source: www.pensionsbarrister.com

‘A recent ruling by the Upper Tribunal affirms the UK financial services industry’s zero-tolerance approach to non-financial misconduct, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th September 2026

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com