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HOUSING
LAW NEWS & POLICY ISSUES
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Notice periods for renters
On 12 May 2021 the MHCLG
announced that notice periods –
previously extended to six months as an
emergency measure during the pandemic –
will be set at four months from 1 June.
Subject to the public health advice and
progress with the Roadmap, notice
periods will return to pre-pandemic
levels from 1 October 2021. The current
ban on bailiff-enforced evictions,
introduced as an emergency measure
during lockdown, will end on 31 May.
Bailiffs have been asked not to carry
out an eviction if anyone living in the
property has Covid-19 symptoms or is
self-isolating. For the announcement, click
here. For comment by
the Local Government Association on the
ending of the ban on evictions, click
here and for that of
the National Residential Landlords
Association, click
here.
Landlord possession statistics –
England and Wales
On 13 May 2021 the Ministry of
Justice published quarterly national
statistics on possession claim actions
in county courts by mortgage lenders and
social and private landlords. The
statistics cover the period from January
to March 2021. This quarter covers the
period of the third national lockdown.
To respond to the coronavirus pandemic,
there have been several policy
interventions in the possession process
(see above). Volumes of possession
actions remain significantly low across
all regions as these policy
interventions introduced at the
beginning of the pandemic have been
further extended on most possession
proceedings. Landlord possession claims
(6,377), orders for possession (5,427),
warrants for possession (2,480) and
repossessions (262) have decreased 74,
72, 80 and 96 per cent respectively,
compared to the same quarter the
previous year. For the statistics
(combined with those for mortgage
possession below), click
here.
Mortgage possession statistics –
England and Wales
On 13 May 2021 the Ministry of Justice
published quarterly national statistics
on possession claim actions in county
courts by mortgage lenders and social
and private landlords. The statistics
cover the period from January to March
2021. This quarter covers the period of
the third national lockdown. To respond
to the coronavirus pandemic, there have
been several policy interventions in the
possession process. Volumes of
possession actions remain significantly
low across all regions as these policy
interventions introduced at the
beginning of the pandemic have been
further extended on most possession
proceedings. Compared to the same
quarter in the previous year, mortgage
possession claims (735) are down 85 per
cent. Mortgage orders for possession
(145) are down 96 per cent, warrants
issued (43) are down 99 per cent and
repossessions (3) are down almost 100
per cent. For the statistics (combined
with those for landlord possession
above), click
here.
Housing and debt services in
Staffordshire: legal aid tender
On 13 May 2021 the Legal Aid
Agency opened a tender exercise (closing
on 7 June 2021) for housing and debt
services in the Staffordshire
procurement area. There is no limit on
the number of contracts that can be
awarded in this procurement area.
Applicants do not need to be a current
legal aid provider to submit a tender,
enabling organisations new to legal aid
to bid to deliver this work. Housing and
debt contracts will be offered from 28
June 2021 and run until 31 August 2022,
subject to the LAA’s right to extend for
up to a further 12 months. For details,
click
here.
Assured Tenancies and
Agricultural Occupancies (Forms)
(England) (Amendment) and Suspension
(Coronavirus) Regulations 2021
These regulations, which come into force
on 1 June 2021, amend the Assured
Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies
(Forms) (England) Regulations 2015.
Sections 8(3) and 21(8) of the Housing
Act 1988 give the Secretary of State
power to prescribe the form of a notice
of intention to seek possession of a
dwelling house in England in relation to
an assured and an assured shorthold
tenancy respectively. The relevant forms
are prescribed by the 2015 Regulations.
Sections 8 and 21 of the 1988 Act were
modified respectively by paragraphs 6
and 7 of Schedule 29 to the Coronavirus
Act 2020 (the Schedule) in relation to
notices of intention to seek possession
of a dwelling house during the relevant
period which began on 25 March 2020 and
ends on 30 September 2021. These
Regulations also make amendments to Form
No. 3 and Form 6A to reflect the notice
periods in sections 8 and 21
(respectively) of the 1988 Act as
modified by paragraphs 6 and 7 of the
Schedule. For the 2021 Regulations, click
here. For the forms, click
here.
Rough sleeping
On 15 May 2021 the MHCLG announced that
a further £203 million will be allocated
to councils across England in support of
vital projects such as shelters,
specialist mental health or addiction
services. The funding will be used by
councils, charities and other local
groups to pay for up to 14,500 bed
spaces and 2,700 support staff across
England. For details, click
here. For the response
of the Local Government Association, click
here. For comment by
Crisis, click
here and
for that of Homeless Link, click
here.
Commonhold Council launched
On 13 May 2021 the MHCLG announced the
launch of the Commonhold Council, an
advisory panel of leasehold groups and
industry experts who will inform the
government on the future of this type of
homeownership. The commonhold model is
used widely around the world and
provides a structure for homeowners to
collectively own the building their flat
is in, with a greater say on their
building’s management, shared facilities
and related costs. There are no hidden
costs or charges, preventing some of the
egregious practices currently seen in
some leaseholds. The Commonhold Council,
chaired by Building Safety Minister Lord
Greenhalgh, will form a partnership of
leasehold groups and industry
representatives. For more information, click
here.
Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent)
Bill
On 12 May 2021 the Leasehold
Reform (Ground Rent) Bill received its
first reading in the House of Lords.
This Government Bill would make
provision about the rent payable under
long leases of dwellings. Second reading
is scheduled for 24 May 2021. For the
Bill as introduced, click
here.
Grenfell Tower: future of the
building
On 12 May 2021 the MHCLG announced
meetings to be held in order to decide
if, and when, the Tower should be taken
down, to maintain safety. There will be
three different types of meetings. For
details, click
here.
Help to Buy (equity loan
scheme): 1 October to 31 December 2020
On 13 May 2021 the MHCLG published
statistics showing cumulative sales
since the launch of the Help to Buy
(equity loan) scheme on 1 April 2013.
Between 1 October and 31 December 2020
21,026 properties were bought with an
equity loan, an increase of 40 per cent
from the same period in 2019. From 1
April 2013 to 31 December 2020, 313,043
properties were bought with an equity
loan. The total value of these equity
loans so far totals £18.9 billion. The
value of the properties sold under the
scheme totals £86 billion. 82 per cent
of all completions are by first-time
buyers. For the full statistics, click
here.
Help to Buy (ISA Scheme): 1
December 2015 to 31 December 2020
On 13 May 2021 HM Treasury published
statistics on the government’s Help to
Buy: ISA scheme. Since the launch of the
scheme:
- 386,728 property completions have
been supported by the scheme.
- 508,492 bonuses have been paid
through the scheme with an average
bonus value of £1,051.
- The highest number of property
completions with the support of the
scheme is in the North West, Yorkshire
and The Humber, with the lowest number
in the North East and Northern
Ireland.
- The mean value of a property
purchased through the scheme is
£174,531 compared to an average
first-time buyer house price of
£210,727 and a national average house
price of £251,500.
- The median age of a first-time buyer
in the scheme is 28 compared to a
national first-time buyer median age
of 30.
For the full statistics, click
here.
Homelessness Winter
Transformation Fund
On 14 May 2021 Homeless Link
announced that the Homelessness Winter
Transformation Fund (£1m capital and £2m
revenue), which it is distributing in
partnership with Housing Justice, is
open for receipt of pre-application
questionnaires. The Fund is “proactive,
seeking early adaptations and works to
enable the provision of winter
services”. The eligibility criteria are:
- A primary focus on Winter Night
Shelter services via grant spend on
acquiring, or significantly upgrading
a fixed asset such as land, a building
or equipment;
- A need for between £25,000-£100,000
of grant funding;
- Ability to spend the capital grant
by 31 October 2021.
For more details, click
here. For the
pre-application questionnaire, click
here.
Housing Ombudsman: Complaint
Handling Failure Orders report
On 11 May 2021 the Housing
Ombudsman published its first quarterly
report setting out how it has used its
new power to issue complaint handling
failure orders. The Housing Ombudsman
issued 10 orders between January and
March 2021 mostly due to unreasonable
delays by landlords in accepting or
progressing residents’ complaints
through their process. For the report, click
here.
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HOUSING
LAWS IN THE PIPELINE
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Leasehold Reform (Ground
Rent) Bill
This Government Bill would make
provision about the rent payable under
long leases of dwellings. First reading
in the House of Lords took place on 12
May 2021. Second reading is scheduled
for 24 May 2021. For
the Bill as introduced, click
here. To follow
progress of the Bill, click
here.
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HOUSING
LAW CONSULTATIONS
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Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016
Draft Regulations
The Welsh Government is consulting on:
- draft model written statements
regulations, including the design,
structure and order of the model
written statements
- draft explanatory information
regulations for written statements.
The consultation ends on 16
June 2021. For the
consultation document, click
here. For the draft
regulations, click
here.
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HOUSING
LAW ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS
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Housing: case note – R
(Ncube) v Brighton and Hove City
Council Jo Underwood
Robert Brown and Joshua Hitchens Legal
Action 11 May 2021 – to read the
article, click
here
The relentless expansion of
permitted development rights -
creating more homes but at what cost?
Hannah Keilloh CIH Blog 11 May
2021 – to read the article, click
here
What the recent elections
and Queen’s Speech mean for housing
Alastair Harper Shelter
Blog 12 May 2021 – to read the
article, click
here
Less Notice! More Forms! End
of eviction ban! Giles
Peaker Nearly Legal 12 May
2021 – to read the article, click
here
21 things private renters
should know Andrew
Parnell Shelter Blog 14 May
2021 – to read the article, click
here
Converting shops to flats
‘could lead to low-quality homes’ Rupert
Jones Guardian 15 May 2021 –
to read the article, click
here
Nur v Birmingham (Part 2):
some on the allocation scheme are
more equal than others SW
Nearly Legal 16 May 2021 – to
read the article, click
here
Important Changes following
the introduction of The Fire Safety
Act Mark London and
Michael Wharfe Devonshires 17
May 2021 – to read the article, click
here
Owner-occupiers: review 2021
(May 21) Dave Cowan Legal
Action May 2021 – to read the
article (subscription required), click
here
Housing: recent developments
(May 21) Sam
Madge-Wyld and Jan Luba QC Legal
Action May 2021 – to read the
article (subscription required), click
here
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24 May 2021
Second reading of the Leasehold
Reform (Ground Rent) Bill (see Housing
Laws in the Pipeline)
24 May 2021
Deadline for pre-application
questionnaires for the Homelessness
Winter Transformation Fund (see Housing
Law News and Policy Issues)
31 May 2021
End of ban on bailiff evictions from
residential tenancies (see Housing
Law News and Policy Issues)
31 May 2021
New Judicial Review Practice Directions
come into force
31 May 2021
Housing Benefit and Universal Credit
(Care Leavers and Homeless) (Amendment)
Regulations 2021 come into force
1 June 2021
Introduction of four-month notice
periods (see Housing Law News and
Policy Issues)
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Featured
Job of the Week
Featured
Job of the Week
Assistant
Director - Housing Services
Permanent
37 hours per week
Salary: Package up to £66,278 pa
subject to Job Evaluation
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is
looking to recruit a dynamic and
experienced senior manager to deliver
its Housing Strategy and Corporate Plan.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is an
ambitious local authority with big plans
for the future and massive opportunities
ahead. With one of the most successful
enterprise zones in the country, Great
Yarmouth is England’s offshore energy
hub and Norfolk’s biggest seaside resort
at the edge of the Broads National
Park. With 5,754 Council owned homes
and a further 369 leasehold homes, the
Council is committed to delivering an
excellent housing management service and
ensuring that there are enough homes of
the right size, type and tenure across
the borough to support the Council’s
economic growth ambition and support the
wellbeing of residents.
The Assistant Director – Housing
Services post is responsible for
supporting service managers to transform
their service delivery and ensuring
performance data and customer insight
information supports the delivery of
excellent customer service.
Housing delivery is key
to this post, the post holder will
manage the Housing Strategy and Delivery
Team to build effective relationships
with developers, landowners and
Registered Providers to ensure the
timely delivery of the homes required to
meet housing need and demand. The post
will also lead the renaissance of the
Council’s own new build programme –
building on the current planning
applications to deliver 36 new
high-quality Council homes on three
sites.
The successful post holder is
self-motivated, has a track record of
successfully delivering projects, is
able to influence and negotiate and is
politically astute.
If you are looking for a diverse,
exciting role which allows you to build
upon your passion for housing and make a
real difference whilst working for an
ambitious Council which punches above
its weight, the Assistant Director –
Housing Services role is for you.
If you would like to have an informal
discussion about the role, please
contact Nicola Turner, Housing Director
on 01493 846516.
Closing date: 9am on Tuesday 8
June 2021
Stage 1 Interviews: Tuesday 15
June 2021
Stage 2 Interviews: Wednesday 16
June 2021
We offer a friendly working environment
with attractive terms and conditions
including generous holiday entitlement,
flexible working and membership of the
Local Government Pension Scheme.
Note: CVs are not accepted.
Please clearly demonstrate how you meet
the requirements of the role using the
job description / person specification
in your supporting statement.
The Council operates an
equal opportunities policy and we
welcome applications from all parts of
the community.
To apply, click
here and scroll
for details
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Rough
Sleeper Co-Ordinator
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North
West Leicestershire District Council
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insert ‘housing’ in key words
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Housing
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Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
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Housing
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Royal
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Housing/Hospital
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Rugby
Borough Council
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Gypsy
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Private
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Welwyn
Hatfield Borough Council
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Income
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Hightown
Housing Association
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Housing
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Apprentice
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Oxford
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Private
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Homelessness
Prevention and Rough Sleeping
Commissioning Manager
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London
Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
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Tenancy
Management Team Leader
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Tenancy
Sustainment Officer (Part Time)
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Oxford
City Council
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Senior
Private Rented Standards Officer
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Housing
Options Advisor (18 months Fixed Term
Contract)
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