HOUSING LAW NEWS & POLICY ISSUES

National lockdown: guidance
Following the Prime Minister's announcement on 4 January 2021 of a new national lockdown, the Government published updated guidance clarifying what people can and cannot do. The guidance includes the following: “You can still move home. People outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary. Estate and letting agents and removals firms can continue to work. If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings.” For the guidance, click here.

Covid-19 protections for rough sleepers and renters 
On 8 January 2021 the MHCLG announced extra support to help protect rough sleepers and renters from the effects of Covid-19. An additional £10 million in funding will be made available to councils in England; they have been asked to redouble their efforts to help accommodate all those currently sleeping rough and ensure they are swiftly registered with a GP, where they are not already. The Ministry also announced that the ban on bailiff evictions will be extended for at least six weeks – until at least 21 February 2021 – for all but the most egregious cases, with measures kept under review. The extension is effected by the Public Health (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction) (England) Regulations 2021. For the announcement, click here. For the legislation, click here. For the response of the Local Government Association, click here and for that of Crisis, click here. For comment by Citizens Advice on the extension of the ban on bailiff enforced evictions, click here.

Covid-19 and renters in arrears: Citizens Advice report
On 5 January 2021 Citizens Advice published research which estimated that half a million renters remained in arrears, with the average amount owed being £730, which would mean around £360 million is owed across the country. The charity called for:

• A legal ban on bailiff action (see the above news item) and pause on all possession proceedings during the national lockdown in England and in tiers 2 and above; and
• Targeted financial support for people in England who have built up rent arrears. The government should consider a system of grants and government-backed loans – comparable to schemes in Scotland and Wales – to help people pay back their rent arrears sustainably and stay in their homes.

For the report, click here.

Covid-19 and renters in arrears: joint statement of property organisations and charities
On 7 January 2021 the National Residential Landlords Association, The Big Issue and Ride Out Recession Alliance, Shelter, ARLA Propertymark, the Nationwide Building Society, and StepChange issued a joint statement saying:

“Many thousands of private renters and landlords across the country now face rent arrears due to the impact of the pandemic. Ministers have failed to address the core problem of debts which have built despite the financial package put in place so far. Indeed, the Chancellor confirmed that housing benefit will not be linked to the cost of renting for future years. Renters, landlords and letting agents cannot be expected simply to muddle through indefinitely where they face these financial difficulties. The Government needs to develop an urgent package to help renters in paying off arrears built since March last year. Without further action, debts will continue to mount, making it far more difficult to sustain tenancies and keep renters in their homes after the pandemic.”

For research on the issue, published by the NRLA on 22 December 2020, click here.

Covid-19 and homelessness

On 10 January 2021, the Observer reported that, according to figures compiled by the newspaper, more than 70,000 households have been made homeless since the start of the pandemic, with tens of thousands more threatened with homelessness. According to the Observer, 207,543 households approached their local council for help with homelessness or the threat of homelessness between the start of April and the end of November 2020. Of these, 50,561 were ‘owed the prevention duty’, meaning they were judged to be threatened with homelessness, while 70,309 were ‘owed the relief duty’, meaning they were already homeless. For the report, click here.

Covid-19: Support for landlords and tenants
On 10 January 2021 the House of Commons Library published a briefing paper explaining measures taken by the Government during the coronavirus outbreak to assist households in the rented sector to retain their homes. The paper covers the introduction of extended notice periods and the end of the ban on evictions in England and Wales from 20 September 2020. It has been updated in light of the extended ban on enforcing eviction orders after 11 January 2021. For the briefing paper, click here.

Covid-19 and protection for renters – Wales
On 8 January 2021 the Welsh Government introduced legislation to further suspend evictions (except in cases of anti-social behaviour or domestic violence) until 31 March 2021. The extension is part of a wider package of Welsh Government funded measures to protect tenants and public health during the crisis which include:

• Investing up to £50 million to tackle homelessness and to increase the number of both temporary and permanent homes;
• Announcing an additional £40 million Housing Support Grant and £4 million Homelessness Prevention Grant, both focused on tackling and preventing homelessness and providing the support people need in the draft budget;
• Increased the notice period for evictions from three to six months;
• Introduced a new low interest, affordable Tenancy Saver Loan scheme paid directly to landlords or agents for tenants in rent arrears because of Covid-19; and
• Established a private rented sector helpline run by Citizen Advice Cymru for tenants struggling with rent, income or housing benefits.

For the announcement, click here.

Covid-19: vaccinations for homelessness workers
On 5 January 2021 Homeless Link called for those working with people experiencing homelessness to be treated as a priority occupation for Covid-19 vaccination. The organisation says that just as residents of care homes are at higher clinical risk of severe disease, so are those who use single homeless hostels and other shared homeless accommodation for rough sleepers. Consequently, frontline homelessness workers are also at increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 and of transmitting an infection to the susceptible people they support. The organisation is asking people to write to their local MP to ask that they immediately raise this critical matter with the Minister for Covid Vaccine Deployment on behalf of their constituents. For more details, click here.

Extension of leaseholds
On 7 January 2021 the MHCLG announced that leaseholders of houses and flats will be given the right to extend their lease by a maximum term of 990 years at zero ground rent. An online calculator will be introduced to make it simpler for leaseholders to find out how much it will cost them to buy their freehold or extend their lease. Prohibitive costs such as ‘marriage value’ will be abolished and calculation rates set to ensure this is fairer, cheaper and more transparent. Legislation will be brought forward in the upcoming session of Parliament, to set future ground rents to zero.

The Government is also now establishing a Commonhold Council – a partnership of leasehold groups, industry and government – that will prepare homeowners and the market for the widespread take-up of commonhold. The announcements follow reports by the Law Commission on enfranchisement, commonhold and right to manage published in July 2020. For the announcement, click here. For the Law Commission’s reports, click here.

£310 million fund to tackle homelessness
On 21 December 2020 the MHCLG announced that a further fund of £310 million will be targeted at areas with high numbers of homeless people, those at risk of homelessness, or those living in temporary accommodation in order to help them to rebuild their lives. The funding represents a £47 million increase on last year and can be used to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions, or to provide temporary accommodation to ensure families have a roof over their head. For the announcement, click here.

Domestic Abuse Bill
On 5 January 2021 the Domestic Abuse Bill received its second reading in the House of Lords. The committee stage, at which the bill will be scrutinised line-by-line, is yet to be scheduled. For the second reading debate, click here. For the bill, as introduced in the Lords, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Amendments to civil legal aid eligibility criteria
On 7 January 2021 the Legal Aid Agency announced that compensation provided to claimants of specific compensation schemes will now be disregarded when assessing civil legal aid eligibility. The LAA has implemented the changes made to the regulations to ensure that claimants of those specific compensation schemes are not disadvantaged in applying for legal aid. The legislation also removes the existing cap on the amount of mortgage debt that can be deducted from a property's value, so that all mortgage debt will be deducted. This means that more individuals will pass the financial eligibility criteria for civil legal aid. This change will come into effect from 28 January 2021. For details of the schemes specified, click here.

‘Better housing is crucial for our health’: Health Foundation report
On 28 December 2020 The Health Foundation published a report stating that better housing is crucial for the nation’s health and the Covid-19 recover. The report makes the following key findings:

• Immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, one in three households (7.6 million) in England had at least one major housing problem relating to overcrowding, affordability or poor-quality housing.
• Housing problems such as these can affect health outcomes, including physical health directly from poor quality homes, and mental health from affordability or insecure housing.
• One million households in England experience more than one housing problem. Having multiple housing problems is associated with even worse health.
• While fewer homes are classed as non-decent compared with 10 years ago, overcrowding and affordability problems have increased in recent years.
• The pandemic has highlighted the health implications of housing. Poor housing conditions such as overcrowding and high density are associated with greater spread of Covid-19, and people have had to spend more time in homes that are overcrowded, damp or unsafe. The economic fallout from the pandemic may lead to an increase in evictions.
• These housing problems have multiple causes: a focus on increasing supply to the detriment of other objectives; sustained reductions in housing benefits; and a private rented model which does not meet the needs of tenants.
• A combination of greater investment in social housing, more secure private tenancies, and reversing reductions in housing benefit support – such as the cuts to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) – will be needed to improve the contribution of housing to health.

For the full report, click here.

Empty Homes Grant Scheme – Wales
On 7 January 2021 the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport announced that more than 500 applications have been received to bring empty homes back in to use through the Welsh Government’s £10 million Valleys Taskforce Empty Homes Grant Scheme. For the announcement, click here.

Homelessness ‘own initiative’ investigation launched – Wales
On 8 January 2021 the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales launched an ‘own initiative’ investigation into the administration of the homelessness review process by local authorities in Wales. The investigation will focus on three local authorities: Cardiff Council, Carmarthenshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council. The Ombudsman, Nick Bennett, said he wanted to take the opportunity to use his new investigation powers to both support public services and make a ‘real time’ difference to the people of Wales. The findings of the investigation will be published later this year. For more details of the investigation, click here.

Rent Smart Wales: NRLA report
On 11 January 2021 the National Residential Landlords Association published a report which found that an ‘accountability deficit’ exists within Rent Smart Wales (RSW), the nation’s registration and licensing authority for the private rented sector. The main conclusions of the report include:

• RSW has an accountability deficit and lacks transparency.
• There is no regular evaluation of RSW, hampering improvements to the regime.
• The absence of a central, guiding strategy for the private rented sector (PRS) from the Welsh Government has contributed to RSW’s shortcomings.
• RSW has not engaged well enough with landlords, tenants, or local authorities.
• Landlords are paying in more than they get out of RSW.
• In meeting its objectives, RSW’s record has been far from stellar despite meeting a number of its targets for participation.

For more details, click here.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry: temporary suspension of hearings
On 6 January 2020 the Grenfell Tower Inquiry announced that, in light of recent developments and the Prime Minister’s announcement on 4 January 2020 of a new national lockdown, it has decided to suspend temporarily oral hearings. The Panel is keen to maintain the momentum of the Phase 2 hearings, and so has made the decision to switch to remote hearings as soon as possible. The Panel recognises that the subject of remote hearings was fully explored with core participants last spring during the first 2020 lockdown, and that it was not in favour of that option for the reasons given at that time. However, the Panel has decided it is better to have remote hearings than no hearings at all while the current restrictions are in place, and wishes to emphasise that this is a temporary measure to be used only for as long as it is absolutely necessary. For the full announcement, click here.

Rogue landlords – London
On 7 January 2021 the London Mayor’s Office reported that between March and December 2020 the Mayor’s Report a Rogue tool received 1,443 complaints about landlord and agents, more than double the 638 reports received during the same period in 2019. The number of reports during the last three months of 2020 was particularly high: 546, compared to 193 in the same period in 2019. Around one in five of the complaints received in the first three quarters of the year reported unfair eviction at a time when evictions for most renters were banned or could not be enforced by bailiffs. For the report, click here.

Severe weather provision for rough sleepers – London
On 7 January 2021 the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, activated the pan-London Severe Weather Emergency Protocols (SWEP) from that date until 11 January in order to protect homeless people as temperatures were forecast to fall below 0°C across London during that period. The activation of SWEP compels councils across London (in association with homelessness charities) to open emergency accommodation for people who are sleeping rough during the worst weather conditions. For the announcement, click here.

HOUSING LAWS IN THE PIPELINE

Fire Safety Bill
This Government bill would make provision about the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 where a building contains two or more sets of domestic premises; and would confer power to amend that order in future for the purposes of changing the premises to which it applies. The bill completed its final stages in the House of Commons on 7 September 2020. It received its first reading in the House of Lords on 8 September 2020 and its second reading on 1 October 2020. The committee stage was completed on 29 October 2020. The report stage took place on 17 November 2020. The third reading took place on 24 November 2020. The House of Lords have returned the Bill to the House of Commons with amendments. The amendments will be considered on the floor of the House on a date to be announced. For the bill, as amended on report, click here. To read debates on all stages of the bill, click here. For a briefing note prepared by the Local Government Association on second reading in the House of Lords, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Supported Housing (Regulation) Bill
This private member's bill, sponsored by Kerry McCarthy, would regulate supported housing; make provision about local authority oversight and the enforcement of standards of accommodation and support in supported housing; and prohibit the placing of children in care in unregulated accommodation. It received its first reading on 11 November 2020. The second reading has been postponed to 22 January 2021. The bill is being prepared for publication. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Domestic Properties (Minimum Energy Performance) Bill
This private member’s bill, sponsored by Sir David Amess, would require the Secretary of State to ensure that domestic properties have a minimum energy performance rating of C on an Energy Performance Certificate; to give the Secretary of State powers to require persons to take action in pursuance of that duty. The first reading was on 14 July 2020 and the second reading has been further postponed to 22 January 2021. The bill is being prepared for publication. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Sublet Property (Offences) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Sir Christopher Chope, would make the breach of certain rules relating to sub-letting rented accommodation a criminal offence and would make provision for criminal sanctions in respect of unauthorised sub-letting. The bill is being prepared for publication. It received its first reading on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been yet further postponed to 22 January 2021. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Mobile Homes and Park Homes Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Sir Christopher Chope, would require the use of published criteria to determine whether mobile homes and park homes are liable for council tax or non-domestic rates; make provision in relation to the residential status of such homes; and amend the Mobile Home Acts. The bill is being prepared for publication. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been yet further postponed to 5 February 2021. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Sir Christopher Chope, seeks to amend the Mobile Homes Act 1983. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been yet further postponed to 15 January 2021. For the bill as introduced, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Houses in Multiple Occupation Bill
This private member’s bill, sponsored by Ian Levy, would amend the law relating to the licensing of houses in multiple occupation and increase penalties for the contravention of such licences. The bill received its first reading on 9 September 2020. The second reading has been further postponed to 5 March 2021. The bill is being prepared for publication. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Homeless People (Current Accounts) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Peter Bone, would require banks to provide current accounts for homeless people seeking work. The bill is being prepared for publication. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been postponed to 12 March 2021. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Caravan Sites Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Sir Christopher Chope, would amend the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 to remove planning permission requirements for caravan site licence applicants. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been further postponed to 15 January 2021. For the bill as introduced, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Asylum Seekers (Accommodation Eviction Procedures) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Chris Stephens, would make provision for asylum seekers to challenge the proportionality of a proposed eviction from accommodation before an independent court or tribunal and would establish asylum seeker accommodation eviction procedures for public authorities. The first reading was on 10 February 2020. The second reading is scheduled for 5 March 2021. The bill is being prepared for publication. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Vagrancy (Repeal) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Layla Moran, would repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on 18 March 2020. The second reading has been further postponed to 26 March 2021. For the bill as introduced, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill
This Welsh Government bill seeks to amend the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 to provide greater security for people who rent their homes in Wales. This will particularly affect those who live in the private rented sector and occupy their homes under a ‘standard occupation contract’, the equivalent to the current assured shorthold tenancy, after the 2016 Act comes into force. This additional security will primarily be achieved by extending the minimum notice period for issuing a section 173 notice under the 2016 Act (the equivalent of the current section 21 notice under the Housing Act 1988) from two months to six months. Landlords will also be prevented from issuing such a notice until at least six months from the date of occupancy. Further provisions will also ensure that landlords are unable to issue rolling ‘speculative’ notices on a ‘just in case’ basis. The bill was introduced in the Senedd on 10 February 2020. The Stage 1 motion to agree the general principles of the Bill was agreed in Plenary on 13 October 2020. Stage 2 began on 14 October 2020. Stage 2 consideration took place in Committee on 27 November 2020. Stage 3 commenced on 30 November 2020. Amendments may now be tabled to the Bill (as amended at Stage 2). For the bill as amended at Stage 2, all other documents relating to it, and to follow progress on the  bill, click here.

Domestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill
This private member’s bill, sponsored by Lord Foster of Bath, would require the Secretary of State to ensure that domestic properties have a minimum energy performance rating of C on an Energy Performance Certificate; to make provision regarding performance and insulation of new heating systems in existing properties. The first reading was on 8 January 2020 and the second reading on 7 February 2020. The committee stage will commence on a date to be appointed. For the bill, as introduced, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Rented Homes Bill
This private member’s bill, sponsored by Baroness Grender, would amend the Housing Act 1988 to abolish assured shorthold tenancies; and to extend the grounds upon which landlords of residential housing may recover possession. First reading took place on 22 January 2020. The second reading will be on a date to be announced. For the bill, as introduced, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill
This Government bill would amend the electronic communications code set out in Schedule 3A to the Communications Act 2003; by doing so, it would address one stated policy barrier: making it easier for telecoms companies to access multi-dwelling buildings (such as blocks of flats) where a tenant has requested a new connection, but the landlord has not responded to requests for access rights. The bill received its first reading in the House of Commons on 8 January 2020 and its second reading on 22 January 2020. For the second reading debate, click here. The committee stage was completed on 11 February 2020. For the committee debate, click here. The third reading in the House of Commons was on 10 March 2020; for the debate, click here. First reading in the House of Lords was on 11 March 2020. The second reading was on 22 April 2020. The committee stage was completed on 2 June 2020 and the report stage on 29 June 2020. The third reading will be on a date to be announced. For the bill, as amended on report, click here. To follow progress of the bill, click here. For a briefing, prepared by the House of Commons Library after second reading in the House of Commons, click here.

Evictions (Universal Credit Claimants) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Chris Stephens, seeks to place a duty on the Secretary of State to prevent the evictions of Universal Credit claimants in rent arrears. The bill is being prepared for publication. It received its first reading in the House of Commons on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been further postponed to 29 January 2021. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

Housing Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill
This private members’ bill, sponsored by Sir Christopher Chope, seeks to amend Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 to provide that any selective licensing scheme for residential accommodation extends to social housing. The bill is being prepared for publication. It received its first reading on 10 February 2020. The second reading has been further postponed to 15 January 2021. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

NEW HOUSING CASES

Nur & Anor, R (On the Application Of) v Birmingham City Council [2020] EWHC 3526 (Admin) (19 December 2020)

The case considers the application for judicial review brought by the Claimants regarding Birmingham City Council’s housing allocation policy.

The facts
Mrs Nur lived with three adult daughters. She acted as a full-time carer for Zakiya (the second Claimant), who had been assessed as needing modifications to her home, including a level shower. Mrs Nur and her daughters made a housing application to Birmingham Council (the Council) in 2011. The family then became homeless in 2018 and were temporarily housed in a property which did not meet Zakiya’s needs.

The court was shown records for 2019 indicating that Mrs Nur had come to the top of the priority list for housing, but her bids were ‘skipped’. This included a bid on a three-bed property with adaptations.

The Council had skipped her application in line with their Housing Allocations Scheme 2017 para 8.1 which set out “preference for houses with two or more bedrooms will be allocated to families with dependent children”. However, this had been superseded by 2018 guidance which read: “Properties with adaptations will be allocated to persons with a physical or sensory disability”.

In July 2020, Mrs Nur bid for another three-bed house with adaptations and again her application was skipped in preference for a family with dependent children. The Council explained in correspondence that they first looked for families with dependent children and only if there were none, would they look then at whether there was a customer with a disability [21].

In September 2020, the Council agreed to make an exception to its existing policy by letting a property to Mrs Nur in order to avoid costly litigation.

The legislation
Section 166A(1) of the Housing Act 1996 requires every local authority to have an Allocation Scheme. Section 166A(14) provides: “A local housing authority in England shall not allocate housing accommodation except in accordance with their scheme”.

Section 149 of the Equality Act imposes a public sector equality duty (PSED) which requires those exercising public functions to have due regard to the need to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations.

The application
Mrs Nur brought an application for judicial review on the grounds that:

1.         The Council acted unlawfully in contravening its own allocation scheme and thus breached the duty under section 166A of the Housing Act 1996;
2.         The allocation scheme was unlawful in prioritising families with dependent children over those with disabilities because:
a.         It constituted unlawful indirect discrimination against families with household members who were disabled;
b.         It breached the PSED; and
c.         It failed to comply with the duty under section 29 of the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for persons with disabilities;
3.         The allocation scheme was unlawful on the grounds of unfairness; and
4.         The allocation scheme was irrational.

In breach of CPR 54.8, the Council failed to serve an acknowledgement of service or provide summary grounds to explain its position to the court.

In reliance upon their having allocated a property to Mrs Nur, the Council contacted the Claimant seeking agreement. David Lock QC, sitting as a deputy judge of the High Court, found that this indicated “a fundamental misunderstanding of the differences between private and public law litigation” as it failed to recognise that the case was brought to review legality affecting many, not just the individual [33].

The Council made an application five days before the hearing to serve detailed grounds resistance and evidence, in reliance upon CPR 54.14. The court found that it was not entitled to rely upon rule 54.14 as it had not served an acknowledgement of service [39].

The hearing
The court was highly critical of the Council’s handling of the proceedings; this was not tempered by the court’s acknowledgement of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic [2].

The court was also critical of the nature of the evidence the Council had sought to serve, as in spite of the alleged breach of PSED: “the evidence did not disclose the equalities analysis prepared by the Council in advance of the adoption of the Allocation Scheme” [42]. It also failed to address the practicalities of the operation of its policy as it did not address the likelihood of those with disabilities securing a property with the rule in operation [43-45].

The court highlighted the importance of councillors being aware of their duties to disabled people, as set out in R (Chavda) v London Borough of Harrow [2007] EWHC 3064 (Admin) (2007) 11 CCLR 187.The court also referred to the decision in R (Brown) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2008] EWHC 3158 (Admin) which sets out the need to have regard to this duty at the time any new policy is being considered.

In the present case it found that to comply with PSED the potentially discriminatory effect of the allocations policy upon disabled people should have been highlighted to decision makers and specifically considered. Further, the duty of candour requires the Council to make proper disclosure so that the decision-making process can be examined by both the Claimant and the court [49].

The court did not proceed to determine the discrimination claims brought by the Claimant as it recognised that doing so would have far reaching consequences for residents of Birmingham. The court did determine ground 1 of the appeal as this went only to these individual circumstances. It gave further directions regarding the outstanding grounds.

Judgment on Ground 1
The parties accepted that, following the decision in Tesco Stores Limited v Dundee City Council [2012] PTSR 983, the true meaning of the Council’s policy was a matter for the court, based on a proper construction of the words used in the policy, and not a matter for decision by council officers.

The court found that the 2018 policy was clear that properties with adaptations WILL be allocated to those with disabilities.  The court found that the Council had misunderstood the effect of its own policy because properties with adaptations were preferentially being allocated to families with children. Accordingly, the Council had acted unlawfully because it failed to comply with its duty under section 166A(14) of the Housing Act 1996.

Summary by Parissa Najah, barrister, Trinity Chambers. For the judgment, click here.

HOUSING LAW ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS

PSED, breach and ‘subsequent compliance’ Giles Peaker Nearly Legal 2 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Housing case law update - December 2020 Christopher Skinner, Sarah Christy and Ian Larkins Local Government Lawyer 4 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Local authorities and the Charter for Social Housing Residents Scott Dorling Local Government Lawyer 5 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

New year, same arrears: How the pandemic is leaving private renters with unmanageable debt Citizens Advice 5 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Prescribed information and signing as a company – erratum/update Giles Peaker Nearly Legal 7 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Leasehold reform in prospect – part 1 Giles Peaker Nearly Legal 7 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Leasehold Reform Update – the news leaseholders have been waiting to hear William Bethune Trowers and Hamlins 7 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Is there a link between youth homelessness and youth offending? Tara Self Centrepoint Blog 9 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Ping Pong and fire safety J Nearly Legal 10 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

In the first lockdown, England proved it could end homelessness. Why not now? Francisco GarciaGuardian 10 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Supporting housing and care – the new subsidy control system Paul McDermott and Victoria Thornton Trowers and Hamlins 11 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

The Dying Homeless Project Miranda Keast Homeless Link 11 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Is This Goodbye To Ground Rents? – The Latest Government Update on Leasehold Reform Charlotte Sawyer and James Gostling Devonshires 11 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Gypsy and Traveller: Update (December 20) Tessa Buchanan, Chris Johnson, Dr Angus Murdoch and Marc Willers QC Legal Action December 2020 / January 2021– to read the article (subscription required), click here

Housing: recent developments Sam Madge-Wyld and Jan Luba QC Legal Action December 2020 / January 2021 ‒ to read the article (subscription required), click here

HOUSING LAW DIARY

15 January 2021                                  
Postponed second reading of Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

15 January 2021                                   
Postponed second reading of Caravan Sites Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

15 January 2021                                   
Postponed second reading of Housing Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

22 January 2021                                  
Postponed second reading of Domestic Properties (Minimum Energy Performance) Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

22 January 2021                                   
Postponed second reading of Sublet Property (Offences) Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

28 January 2020                                   
Changes to civil legal aid eligibility come into effect (see Housing Law News and Policy Issues)

29 January 2021                                   
Postponed second reading of Evictions (Universal Credit Claimants) Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

5 February 2021                                   
Postponed second reading of Mobile Homes and Park Homes Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

Advertise your vacancy to Housing Law Week Readers

Send details of the vacancy and a link to the vacancy on your website to info@limelegal.co.uk

RECRUITMENT

London Borough of Brent
Click here for details

Brighton and Hove City Council
Click here for details

Folkestone & Hythe District Council
Click here for details

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Click here for details

Milton Keynes Council
Click here and scroll for details

Milton Keynes Council
Click here and scroll for details

London Borough of Hounslow
Click here and insert ‘housing’ in key words

Brighton and Hove City Council
Click here for details