‘Sex for rent’ landlord jailed in first conviction of its kind in UK – Daily Telegraph

‘A landlord who forced a tenant to wear a bikini at all times has become the first person to be convicted for “sex for rent” offences in England and Wales.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th May 2022

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Supreme Court to consider rent repayment order regime and superior landlords – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Supreme Court has granted permission to appeal in a case concerning the Rent Repayment Order regime in the Housing Act 2004 and Housing and Planning Act 2016, it has been reported.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th May 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

EV charging infrastructure – landlord and tenant issues – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘In the second blog in our series looking at common questions we receive on the roll out of EV infrastructure, we focus on two queries we regularly see in the context of landlord and tenant relations.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 26th April 2022

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

No-fault evictions: 200,000 renters in England served notices in three years – The Guardian

Posted April 27th, 2022 in housing, landlord & tenant, news, repossession, statistics by sally

‘More than 200,000 private renters in England have been served eviction notices without doing anything wrong in the three years since the government first promised to ban the practice, housing campaigners have claimed.’

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The Guardian, 26th April 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

One in eight private rented homes poses ‘serious threat’ to occupants’ health, damning report finds – The Independent

‘More than one in eight privately rented homes in England pose a “serious threat” to the health and safety of their occupants, a damning report has revealed.’

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The Independent, 13th April 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Cooke v Northwood (Solihull) Ltd; Northwood (Solihull) Ltd v Fearn [2022] EWCA Civ 40 – Lamb Chambers

Posted April 7th, 2022 in appeals, chambers articles, company law, deposits, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal answered the questions of whether an agent is able to sign (i) a certificate required as part of the prescribed information relating to tenancy deposits , (ii) a section 8 notice and it reiterated the position on statutory requirements and the validity of notices more generally.’

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Lamb Chambers, March 2022

Source: www.lambchambers.co.uk

Case Comment: R (on the application of Z) v Hackney LBC [2020] UKSC 40 – UKSC Blog

‘The narrow result of this appeal is that, on the facts, it was proportionate and lawful for a charity to restrict the allocation of its housing stock to Orthodox Jewish families. However, in reaching that conclusion, Lord Sales, giving the leading judgment, made a number of points of wider importance.’

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UKSC Blog, 4th April 2022

Source: ukscblog.com

Case Comment: Croydon London Borough Council v Kalonga [2022] UKSC 7 – UKSC Blog

‘Ms Chipo Kalonga (“Ms Kalonga”) was the tenant of a property in Croydon under a flexible tenancy for a fixed term of five years from 25 May 2015 to 24 May 2020 (the “Tenancy Agreement“). Croydon London Borough Council was her landlord (“Croydon“).’

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UKSC Blog, 5th April 2022

Source: ukscblog.com

Service and admin charges – from the Upper Tribunal – Nearly Legal

‘The First Tier Tribunal had been wrong to grant dispensation from section 20 consultation requirements on the basis that the freeholder “had started the consultation process and had kept the leaseholders of flats in the block informed until the works became sufficiently urgent that the respondent had had to carry them out without waiting for the consultation to be completed.”’

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Nearly Legal, 3rd April 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Fixed term secure tenancies and forfeiture – Nearly Legal

‘Croydon London Borough Council v Kalonga (2022) UKSC 7. In which the Supreme Court considered the position on termination of “flexible tenancies” – fixed term secure tenancies – during the fixed term. We saw the Court of Appeal judgment dismissing Croydon’s appeal of the dismissal of its possession claim. Croydon then appealed to the Supreme Court.’

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Nearly Legal, 27th March 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Ombudsman calls for stronger regulation of managing agents – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 24th, 2022 in agency, housing, landlord & tenant, maladministration, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘A culture clash between a regulated and largely unregulated sector creates challenges for the social housing sector’s engagement with managing agents, according to new research from the Housing Ombudsman.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd March 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ombudsman makes two severe maladministration findings against major social landlord over handling of temporary move for resident with vulnerabilities – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Housing Ombudsman has made two severe maladministration findings for L&Q’s failure to minimise the disruption of a temporary move for a resident with physical and mental health vulnerabilities.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th March 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Landlord couple ordered to pay £27,000 after renting property ‘not fit for human habitation’ – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 16th, 2022 in fines, health & safety, housing, landlord & tenant, local government, news by tracey

‘Husband and wife landlords whose tenants had to live with no heating, broken fire safety equipment and raw sewage outside their Northwood property have been ordered to pay £27,000.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th March 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Property Guardians and HMOs – they are, you know – Nearly Legal

‘Global 100 Ltd v Jimenez & Ors (HOUSING – HOUSE IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION – RENT REPAYMENT ORDER – “property guardians”) (2022) UKUT 50 (LC) In which Global 100, flushed by their win in the Court of Appeal in Global 100 Ltd v Laleva (2021) EWCA Civ 1835 (our note), appealed a First Tier Tribunal decision that a commercial office building, in which 10-12 guardians were living, was an unlicensed HMO and rent repayment orders followed.’

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Nearly Legal, 2nd March 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Evictions rise: ‘I was quite upset, it was panic mode’ – BBC News

Posted February 24th, 2022 in coronavirus, deposits, landlord & tenant, news, rent, repossession by sally

‘The government introduced a ban on evictions in March 2020 to protect renters during the pandemic, but this was lifted in May 2021.

Now government figures show that repossession claims by private landlords are returning to pre-pandemic levels.’

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BBC News, 24th February 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Sex for rent’ ads to be banned in Online Safety Bill – BBC News

Posted February 21st, 2022 in advertising, bills, housing, internet, landlord & tenant, news, sexual offences by sally

‘Social media firms who allow “sex for rent” adverts will face prosecution under planned new laws.’

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BBC News, 18th February 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The leasehold reform consultation – Mills & Reeve

‘The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is seeking views on the reform of the residential leasehold and commonhold system in England and Wales.’

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Mills & Reeve, 14th February 2022

Source: www.mills-reeve.com

This is not my beautiful house – Nearly Legal

Posted February 15th, 2022 in disclosure, injunctions, landlord & tenant, news, repossession, trespass by tracey

‘Rasool v Paddington Company One Ltd (2021) EWHC 3633 (QB). A combined hearing of a return date on an ex parte interim injunction for re-entry, and a claim for possession by the property owner against a trespasser. A somewhat unusual combination, you might think, though not outside the bounds of possibility. But bear with me, because this will turn out to be quite the ride.’

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Nearly Legal, 13th February 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Company landlords and signing notices – Nearly Legal

‘Northwood (Solihull) Ltd v Fearn & Ors (2022) EWCA Civ 40. This was a second appeal on the issue of the signing of tenancy deposit prescribed information certificates and section 8 notices by company landlords. The first appeal (our note here) had held that while signing a section 8 notice did not have to comply with the requirements of section 44 Companies Act, the signing of the prescribed information certificate did, so that it could not be signed by a sole director.’

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Nearly Legal, 26th January 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

RROs, company directors and reasonable excuses – Nearly Legal

Posted January 24th, 2022 in housing, landlord & tenant, news, rent, tribunals by tracey

‘A couple of Upper Tribunal appeal decisions on rent repayment order cases.’

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Nearly Legal, 23rd January 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk