‘2020 looks like it will be a busy year for residential property law. Now that the election is finally out of the way and the stasis in parliament has been resolved, we might actually see some changes in the law.’
Tanfield Chambers, 6th January 2019
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘An Upper Tribunal appeal decision where just about everything that could have been wrong about the first instance First Tier Tribunal decision was.’
Nearly Legal, 5th January 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The director of a lettings and property management agency who defrauded more than £230,000 from the landlords and tenants that were his clients has received a two-year prison sentence, following an investigation by Southampton City Council’s Trading Standards Service.’
Local Government Lawyer, 19th December 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Public sector and private sector landlords need to know about a recent housing benefit ruling from the Supreme Court, write Karl Anders and Deborah Brown.’
Local Government Lawyer, 17th December 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘You may or may not have heard that one of the largest Property Guardian firms put itself (and all its related companies) into voluntary liquidation on 6 November 2019. But that is what Camelot did.’
Nearly Legal, 5th December 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘There was inadequate evidence to conclude that a lease was ‘unsatisfactory’ for the purposes of s.35 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (‘the 1987 Act’), and an FTT order varying the lease was overturned. The FTT decision finding no prejudice due to a lack of expert evidence was also set aside: this decision could not stand in circumstances where an application to adjourn to obtain expert evidence had been refused due to their being an expert surveyor on the panel.’
Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘For the purposes of Section 47 of the 1987 Act, where only one address is contained in the invoice, this is sufficient. Where more than one address is given, the landlord’s address should be clearly identified.’
Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘The First-tier Tribunal had been correct to refuse a local authority landlord’s application under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 section 35 to vary 28 subleases granted to the occupiers of flats. The fact that those sublessees made a lower contribution by way of service charges to the landlord’s expenses than the sublessees of other flats in the same development did not mean that their subleases failed, for the purposes of section 35(2), to “make satisfactory provision” for the recovery of expenditure.’
Tanfield Chambers, 29th November 2019
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘Local authorities and housing associations could face having to refund millions of pounds to tenants after a council lost a test case in the High Court on water re-selling, it has been claimed.’
Local Government Lawyer, 2nd December 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Royal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames v Moss (2019) EWHC 3261 (Ch). Ever since Jones v London Borough of Southwark (2016) EWHC 457 (Ch) (our report), the position on water rates taken as rent by a number of London Councils and Housing Associations under agreements with Thames Water has been conflicted. Some councils (including Southwark) refunded tenants the ‘discount’ that they had received. Other councils did nothing, and frantically tried to settle and defence to rent arrears possession proceedings that raised the water rates point (not always successfully), in the hope and expectation that someone else would take another case to the High Court and overturn or distinguish Jones.’
Nearly Legal, 1st December 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Joint action by Hillingdon Council’s planning enforcement and trading standards teams has seen a Hayes landlord ordered to pay more than £430,000 after she turned her property into an illegal House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).’
Local Government Lawyer, 2nd December 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Camden Council is reported to have obtained London’s first rogue landlord banning order against a man who repeatedly placed tenants’ lives at risk through letting unsafe housing.’
Local Government Lawyer, 26th November 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Regency (UK) Ltd v (1) Hussein Ali Hadi Albu-Swalin (2) Heartland Property Ltd (2019) QBD (Chamberlain J) 18/11/2019. Regency had let flats to Heartland on the basis that Heartland would sublet to occupiers. Heartland sublet a flat to Mr Albu-Swalin in 2015. Mr A-S reported defects to the condition of the property. Heartland then served a ‘notice to quit’, which was not effective as a s.21, as it did not give two months notice. Mr A-S did not leave. The locks to the flat were then changed, excluding Mr A-S and his son. Most of Mr A-S’ belongings were not recovered.’
Nearly Legal, 24th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Traditionally it has been supposed that only tenants of leases could obtain relief from forfeiture; Grays’
Elements of Land Law 5th Ed. §4.1.69:
Only a tenant – and not a licensee – may ask for relief against forfeiture.
This has just been reversed by the Supreme Court (23rd October 2019).’
Guildhall Chambers, 7th November 2019
Source: www.guildhallchambers.co.uk
‘Despite being such an important and topical issue, the key piece of fire safety legislation has received very little judicial or academic analysis. This article argues that, properly understood, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires tenants to assist landlords in two ways. First, art.17 requires tenants to allow their landlord access to the demised premises to undertake fire safety repairs and improvements. Secondly, the key duties in the Order provide landlords with a strong defence to any challenge to the reasonableness of fire safety-related service charges.’
Radcliffe Chambers, 14th November 2019
Source: radcliffechambers.com
‘This is a rather odd case concerning possession of a farmhouse in the Forest of Dean. It had been first occupied by the defendant’s mother and step father in 1993. The terms of this were in dispute, but the rent was £155 and the step-father was to undertake repairs and maintenance to the property. The step-father did carry out some repairs, but he moved out in 2002, visiting and leaving some possessions there thereafter. The mother moved out in 2006. Various other family and friends lived at the property in subsequent years. The defendant had rented and bought property of his own, but took on repairs to the farmhouse and regarded it as his family home.’
Nearly Legal, 17th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘This is an important Court of Appeal decision concerning Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.19(2) and the reasonable sum payable in advance on account of works where the landlord may be able in future to recover some of the costs from a third party.’
Nearly Legal, 12th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘This appeal was on the issue of whether a local authority and the First Tier Tribunal could take into account previous convictions that were spent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 in deciding whether an applicant for a Housing Act 2004 licence was a ‘fit and proper person’.’
Nearly Legal, 10th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘In May 2019, the requisite majority of the creditors of Debenhams Retail Ltd voted in favour of a company voluntary arrangement (“CVA”) proposed pursuant to s.1 of the Insolvency Act 1986. As has become common, the scheme of arrangement proposed by the CVA only affected the rights of landlords and rating authorities. All other creditors were to be paid in full.’
Falcon Chambers, 31st October 2019
Source: www.falcon-chambers.com
‘There have been a fair few recent (and perhaps no-so-recent) decisions from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on leasehold matters, so it’s time for a bit of a round up.’
Nearly Legal, 5th November 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
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