Category: housing

Reading Borough Council v Holt – WLR Daily

Posted June 13th, 2013 in appeals, housing, landlord & tenant, law reports, local government, repossession by sally

Reading Borough Council v Holt [2013] EWCA Civ 641; [2013] WLR (D) 222

“When determining whether a possession order should be made under section 84 of the Housing Act 1985, the expression ‘suitable accommodation’ in section 84(2)(b) and (c) and Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1985 was broad enough to encompass accommodation identified by reference to its essential characteristics and did not require the identification of a specific property.”

WLR Daily, 7th June 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Johnson v. Old, deposits and rent paid by housing benefit – The Barristers’ Hub

Posted June 13th, 2013 in appeals, benefits, deposits, housing, landlord & tenant, news, rent by sally

“We’ve all seen the ubiquitous scene from the American court-room drama where the bespectacled and previously underrated legal assistant/student/intern etc. bursts into the back of the crowded court, and shouts ‘State v. Jones’ whilst waving the paper judgment triumphantly at the judge. The judge is thereby stopped from making the patently unjust ruling he was about to make, changing his mind in favour of the film’s protagonist. This doesn’t happen in real life, so it was with much anticipation that I awaited the case of Johnson v Old [2013] EWCA Civ 415, which I used in court less than 24 hours after it was handed down. My thanks go to Karen Reid, one of our pupils at 1 Gray’s Inn Square, who rushed from the RCJ, clutching the judgment, ink still drying from Sir John Chadwick’s quill (well, printer at least).”

Full story

The Barristers’ Hub, 12th June 2013

Source: www.barristershub.co.uk

Not in my court – NearlyLegal

Posted June 7th, 2013 in covenants, forfeiture, housing, leases, news by tracey

“Forfeiture is, for the most part, beloved by landlords and hated/feared by tenants. For what might be relatively minor breaches of covenant, you can lose your lease and the landlord make an enormous windfall. The legislative trend is (slowly) in favour of restricting (and possibly even abolishing) forfeiture as demonstrated by s.168, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. By s.168, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, a landlord may not serve a notice under s.146, Law of Property Act 1925, or otherwise exercise a right of re-entry (i.e. forfeiture) in respect of a breach of a covenant (other than one to pay rent – which is unaffected by s.146, see s.146(11); or service/administration charges, which are dealt with under s.81, Housing Act 1996), unless the breach has been admitted by the tenant or determined by a court, LVT or arbitral tribunal.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 3rd June 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Newbold and others v Coal Authority – WLR Daily

Posted June 6th, 2013 in appeals, housing, law reports, notification by sally

Newbold and others v Coal Authority [2013] EWCA Civ 584 ; [2013] WLR (D) 216

“Where damage notices relating to subsidence said to have been caused by coal mining contained ostensibly inaccurate particulars, the effect of the failure to comply strictly with the applicable statutory requirements had to be considered by construing the statutory or contractual requirement in question and then asking whether strict or adequate compliance was required, bearing in mind that even non-compliance with a requirement might not be fatal to the notice’s validity.”

WLR Daily, 23rd May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Hunt v Conwy County Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted June 3rd, 2013 in bankruptcy, housing, insolvency, law reports, local government, statutory interpretation by sally

Hunt v Conwy County Borough Council [2013] EWHC 1154 (Ch); [2013] WLR (D) 205

“It was open to the court to entertain an application under section 320(2)(c) to vest a dwelling in its occupants notwithstanding that the applicant occupied only part of the disclaimed property as his dwelling house and it was open to the court, on such an application, to make an order relating to only a part of the disclaimed property.”

WLR Daily, 8th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Run down on recent and anticipated welfare benefit changes – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted May 29th, 2013 in benefits, disabled persons, housing, news, taxation by sally

“In April 2013, the so called ‘bedroom tax’ was introduced, meaning that a single person or couple with no children will have their housing benefit reduced by 14% where they occupy two bedroom accommodation and 25% if they occupy three or more beds.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 24th May 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Shared ownership, Art 8 and A1P1 – NearlyLegal

Posted May 28th, 2013 in appeals, housing, landlord & tenant, leases, news, repossession by sally

“The entrepreneurialisation of social housing over the last twenty years has led to a diversity in the types of shared ownership. Of course, the standard leasehold type (what in the old days was called DIYSO) predominates, but there are a multitude of other types. In Ker v Optima Community Association [2013] EWCA Civ 579, the Court of Appeal had to deal with one of these other types in Optima’s claim for possession; but in quite odd circumstances for, by the time of the hearing of the appeal, Ms Ker had accepted that the property was unaffordable for her so that she had to give up possession. What was in issue seems to have been whether she was entitled to return of some of the amounts she had paid. Patten LJ, who gave the only substantive judgment, held that she did not have such a claim and ordered possession.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 25th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Too soon? – NearlyLegal

Posted May 28th, 2013 in housing, injunctions, judicial review, local government, news by sally

“Unusually, this is a published Judicial Review permission decision. Further, Anthony Thornton QC J has ‘certified that this judgment may be cited and referred to in other cases or situations. This direction is made pursuant to paragraph 6.1 of the Practice Direction (Citation of Authorities) [2001] 1 WLR 1001, CA.’. Why will become clear.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 27th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Mobile home residents given better protection – BBC News

Posted May 28th, 2013 in bills, housing, leases, news by sally

“Residents of mobile home parks in England have been given new rights to protect them from rogue site operators.”

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BBC News, 27th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Disclaimers and discretionary vesting orders – A piercing reminder – 11 Stone Buildings

Posted May 21st, 2013 in appeals, housing, insolvency, news by sally

LexisNexis asked David Nicholls to consider the court’s discretion to make a vesting order in light of the recent case Hunt and another v Conwy County Borough Council [2013] All ER (D) 101 (May) in the Chancery Division.”

Full story (PDF)

11 Stone Buildings, 15th May 2013

Source: www.11sb.com

The meaning of care and attention – NearlyLegal

Posted May 20th, 2013 in appeals, asylum, duty of care, homelessness, housing, immigration, local government, mental health, news by sally

“SL v Westminster [2013] UKSC 27 is a very important case concerning the meaning of ‘care and attention’ in the context of s.21, National Assitance Act 1948.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 20th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Good Intentions are Not Enough: Thompson v Hurst – Family Law Week

Posted May 20th, 2013 in appeals, cohabitation, housing, land registration, mortgages, news by sally

“Sheila Hamilton Macdonald, barrister, examines the implications of the Court of Appeal judgment in Thompson v Hurst; a cohabitee property dispute in which the property had been registered in the name of only one of the cohabitees.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 16th May 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Hotak v Southwark London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted May 20th, 2013 in appeals, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Hotak v Southwark London Borough Council [2013] EWCA Civ 515; [2013] WLR (D) 180

“When assessing an applicant’s priority need for accommodation under section 189(1)(c) of the Housing Act 1996 the local housing authority was entitled to consider evidence of personal support and assistance provided by a family member which would continue should the applicant become street homeless. The weight to be given to the evidence was a separate and important consideration. The reviewing officer was required to assess the vulnerability of the applicant as it would be when he was made homeless.”

WLR Daily, 15th May 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Night Shelters, dwellings and housing benefit – NearlyLegal

Posted May 20th, 2013 in benefits, homelessness, hotels, housing, local government, news, tribunals by sally

“This a late note on OR -v- Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Isle of Anglesey CC [2013] UKUT 065 (AAC) because, bluntly, I had read it quickly at the time and overlooked its broader significance.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 19th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Priority need – NearlyLegal

Posted May 16th, 2013 in appeals, homelessness, housing, learning difficulties, local government, mental health, news by sally

“Hotak v Southwark LBC [2013] EWCA Civ 515 concerned a short point on whether an authority was entitled to have regard to the assistance that a homeless person would receive, in the event he became homeless, when determining whether he was vulnerable or not.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 15th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Court of Appeal dismisses leasehold enfranchisement claim on mixed-use property – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 15th, 2013 in appeals, enfranchisement, housing, leases, news by sally

“The Court of Appeal has dismissed a claim for leasehold enfranchisement by the occupiers of a mixed-use property, ruling that the property, part of which had been converted into a flat against the landlord’s wishes, was not a ‘house reasonably so called.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 14th May 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Housing benefit changes legal test to begin at High Court – BBC News

Posted May 15th, 2013 in benefits, budgets, disability discrimination, equality, housing, human rights, news by sally

“A legal test is set to begin into the government’s decision to cut housing benefit for recipients living in properties that have a spare room.”

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BBC News, 15th May 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Yet another one…NearlyLegal

Posted May 13th, 2013 in appeals, enfranchisement, housing, leases, news by tracey

“The Leasehold Reform Act 1967 gives qualifying long leaseholders of houses the right, inter alia, to acquire the freehold. The definition of ‘house’ is quite technical, but, in essence, it turns on whether it could reasonably be called a house (even if it could reasonably be called something else). There is a quite eye-watering amount of law on this issue, most recently Day v Hosebay Ltd; Howard de Walden v Lexgorge [2012] UKSC 41.”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 12th May 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

SL (FC) (Respondent) v Westminster City Council (Appellant) – Supreme Court

Posted May 10th, 2013 in housing, immigration, local government, mental health, news, Supreme Court by sally

SL (FC) (Respondent) v Westminster City Council (Appellant) [2013] UKSC 27 | UKSC 2011/0229 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 9th May 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Regina (JL) v Secretary of State for Defence – WLR Daily

Posted May 7th, 2013 in appeals, enforcement, housing, human rights, law reports, repossession by sally

Regina (JL) v Secretary of State for Defence [2013] EWCA Civ 449; [2013] WLR (D) 161

The occupant of a house was entitled to rely upon article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, entitling the occupant to a proportionality review, by way of opposition to the enforcement of a possession order already obtained by the owner in the exceptional circumstances where there had been a substantial change of circumstances which gave rise for the first time to an article 8 issue which neither was nor could have been pursued prior to the making of the possession order.

WLR Daily, 30th April 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk