‘Social landlords who do not challenge costs are potentially overpaying by tens of thousands of pounds in some of these matters. Alex Bagnall explains how they can secure significant reductions.’
Local Government Lawyer, 17th September 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘An interesting, though non-binding, county court decision on the issue of costs of a disrepair claim that settled pre-allocation.’
Nearly Legal, 30th August 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Homeowners in low-rise apartment blocks are being told they must hand over life-changing sums because their flats could go up in flames, even though the government has claimed the buildings pose “no systemic risk” and don’t need to be fixed.’
The Independent, 22nd August 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘New regulations which will extend the life of domestic electrical products by up to 10 years, could mean manufacturers face more claims for defective products or negligence, experts at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law have warned.’
OUT-LAW.com, 14th July 2021
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘Washing machines, TVs and fridges will be cheaper to run under a new legal right for repairs, the government says.’
BBC News, 1stJuly2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘This was the Court of Appeal judgment on an appeal from the Upper Tribunal … where the issue was whether the leaseholders were liable under their service charge for the costs of works by City of London, the freeholder, to remedy structural defects.’
Nearly Legal, 4th April 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Leaseholders have won a Court of Appeal case against the City of London Corporation over whether certain repairs to their homes are chargeable to them.’
Local Government Lawyer, 31st March 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Fire safety issues in blocks of flats and other multi-occupancy buildings are one of, if not *the* biggest issue in housing law and policy today. The background is pretty well-known and, for present purposes, can be quite easily summarised. Since the Grenfell Tower disaster, it has become clear that there are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dwellings across England and Wales which have fire safety problems, either as a result of how they were originally constructed or because of conversion/adaptation works. Those problems are not limited to ACM cladding (which was the kind of cladding on Grenfell Tower) but also includes lots of other types cladding (including something called HPL cladding, in essence, wood-effect), and the absence of fire breaks (designed to stop fire spreading from one flat to another), defective or absent fire doors.’
Nearly Legal, 10th January 2021
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘A rather odd Upper Tribunal appeal of an FTT decision as to whether the costs of a new roof to parts of a block of flats would be recoverable under the service charge.. which takes us into the nature of a repair or renewal and how far it needs to be ‘like for like’ or whether it simply needs to be such as to make the property ‘reasonably fit for occupation’.’
Nearly Legal, 30th September 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The interplay of cases and statutes including some from the last century hardly makes for exciting bedtime reading but Barlow v Wigan MBC is an important decision for those who suffer injury as a result of a highway defect particularly if they are walking on a path in a park established many years ago. It is also a tribute to solicitors and counsel who pursue such claims with dogged determination, and in the case of those acting for Claimants, at a risk if the claim is unsuccessful of receiving no payment in return.’
No. 5 Chambers, 8th June 2020
Source: www.no5.com
‘This appeal was against the Deputy Master’s refusal in [2019] EWHC 3414 (Ch) to dismiss Blacks, the tenant’s counterclaim or to grant a summary money judgement in relation to S&H, the landlord’s claim for rent for over £400,000. It raised complicated issues concerning the construction and inter-relation between a set-off clause and a certification provision.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 10th June 2020
Source: hardwicke.co.uk
‘A first instance county court judgment on a possession claim, but with a range of interesting issues. The Ratcliffes were the landlords, Ms Patterson was the tenant and Mr Porter a guarantor, who played no part in proceedings. The tenancy was an assured shorthold tenancy with the most recent fixed term beginning in June 2018. Rent arrears accrued (on which more later) and the Ratcliffes brought a claim for possession under grounds 8, 10 and 11 Schedule 2 Housing Act 1988.’
Nearly Legal, 26th April 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘The Upper Tribunal determined, by reference to the interpretation of the specific terms of various “Right to Buy” leases, whether the leaseholders were liable to contribute to the landlord’s costs of repairing structural defects.’
Tanfield Chambers, 2nd April 2020
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘Two important protocols have been revised that apply to social housing providers with effect from 13 January 2020.’
St Ives Chambers, 4th February 2020
Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk
‘The government is failing in its efforts to improve prison conditions, with record levels of safety breaches and “huge” backlogs in repairs, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found. The National Audit Office said plans to “provide and maintain safe, secure and decent prisons” had not been carried out.’
The Guardian, 7th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The First Tier Tribunal had been entitled to reach the conclusions it had as to the degree of separation between two heating systems on adjoining estates. On that basis, the interpretation they had reached of the service charge provisions in the relevant leases was correct, as costs incurred replacing pipes on one estate were not costs “incidental” to the provision of services on the other.’
Tanfield Chambers, 21st January 2020
Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk
‘Two and a half years on from fatal Kensington blaze, more than 21,000 households still living in flats wrapped in flammable cladding that allowed fire to rapidly spread’
The Independent, 16th January 2020
Source: www.independent.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
‘Camden Council has submitted claims to the High Court to recover costs from the contractor PFIC (Partners for Improvement in Camden) and its principal subcontractors, who previously had responsibility for refurbishment and maintenance of the Chalcots Estate, under a private finance initiative agreement.’
Local Government Lawyer, 29th November 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
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