As we look forward to our Housing Day in November…

Housing

It is worth noting that our last Housing Newsletter was produced in March 2022, and since that time:

• Members of the Housing Team have been involved in a number of reported housing cases, such as:
  • Norton v Haringey LBC [2022] EWCA Civ 1340 – Information to be provided with s193 offers of Private rented sector offers.
  • Global Guardians Management Ltd v Hounslow LBC [2022] UKUT 259 (LC) – property guardians and HMO licensing responsibilities.
  • Hussain v Waltham Forest LBC [2022] UKUT 241 (LC) – fit and proper persons, and time to consider.
  • R(Bell) v Lambeth LBC [2022] EWHC 2008 (Admin) – section 193 duty and mandatory orders.
  • R(ZK) v Havering LBC [2022] EWHC 1854 (Admin) – housing needs assessment and personalised housing plan requirements.
  • Northumberland Mews Ltd v Thanet DC [2022] UKUT 179(LC) – selective licensing and Part 3 house definition.
  • R(Roman) v Southwark LBC [2022] EWHC 1232 (Admin) – deliberate act and (homelessness) intentionality.
  • R(Kalonga) v Croydon LBC [2022] H.L.R. 39 – flexible tenancies and extending the time to request a review.
  • R(Cort) v Lambeth LBC [2022] EWHC 1085 (Admin) – coronavirus, emergency powers, homelessness and local authority duties.
  • R(Elkundi) v Birmingham City Council/R(Imam) v Croydon LBC [2022] Q.B. 604 – s193 full housing duty and mandatory orders.
  • R(Fokou) v Southwark LBC [2022] EWHC 1452 (Admin) – interim relief sought in judicial review case re accommodation placement.
  • Biden v Waverley BC [2022] P.T.S.R. 1056 – s202 review, appropriate inquiries and hate crimes.
  • London & Quadrant Housing Trust v Stokes [2022] EWHC 1120 (QB) – apparent authority and tenancy agreements.
• The Housing Team has also retained its ranking as a top tier set for Social Housing in the Legal 500, with 13 members ranked (5 in the top tier), and in Chambers & Partners with 16 members ranked (7 in the top tiers).
• Jack Barber and Verity Bell have joined chambers as tenants after the successful completion of their pupillage.
• Ryan Kohli has been sworn in as a Recorder.

We have also seen 2 wonderful additions to the Housing Team in Lindsay Johnson and Alex Campbell.

Now as we approach the first in-person Cornerstone Barristers Housing Day for 3 years (21 November 2022) we should remind the reader that in the last 8 months the Team has also produced a number of webinars:

1. The cost of getting it wrong – ASB and the Equality Act 2010: Sarah Salmon/Alistair Cantor.
2. Sub-letting & unlawful profit orders – getting over the line: Andy Lane/Raj Vine (Riverside Housing Group).
3. What did the Supreme Court decide in Croydon LBC v Kalonga?: Kelvin Rutledge KC/Riccardo Calzavara.
4. Recent developments in PSED law and practice – A housing practitioner’s guide to the Public Sector Equality Duty: Andy Lane/Dean Underwood/Riccardo Calzavara.
5. Homelessness appeals. Top tips for an effective local authority response: Andy Lane/Dean Underwood.
6. Housing Allocation schemes – their review and revision: Andy Lane/Sarah Salmon/Tara O’Leary.
7. Property guardianship, security of tenure, HMOs and the Housing Act 2004: where are we now, and what comes next? Dean Underwood/Tara O’Leary.

Finally on the issue of webinars, Dean ran an extremely well-received and impressive series of Housing Licensing webinars in July 2022:

1. The law and practice of licensing designations: An overview
2. Licence applications and fees: Commonly-encountered issues
3. Licences and licence conditions: Understanding the scope of local authority powers
4. Prosecutions and financial penalties: Top tips for successful enforcement

In conclusion and returning to this newsletter, you will be able to read the following articles:

• The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016: watch out, here it comes! – Alistair Cantor
• Some things about the Building Safety Act 2022 you want to know but were too afraid to ask – Olivia Davies
• “Housing law can be highly complex” – Private Rented Sector Offers and strict compliance with the statutory requirements – Lindsay Johnson
• Effective Legal Responses to Gang-Related Violence and Drug Dealing – Jack Barber and Sarah Salmon

Enjoy the read!

Tara and Andy

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