HOUSING LAW NEWS & POLICY ISSUES

Sex-for-rent charges
On 25 January 2021 the Crown Prosecution Service reported that Christopher Cox had been charged with two counts of inciting prostitution for gain and one count of controlling prostitution. It is believed that these are the first charges in England and Wales arising from allegations of sex-for-rent. For the CPS report, click here.

Covid-19, homelessness and the private rented sector
On 28 January 2021 the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee examined the impact that Government policies designed to support individuals in precarious housing or rough sleeping have had during the Covid-19 pandemic. In doing so, the Committee questioned Eddie Hughes MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rough Sleeping & Housing, and Penny Hobman, Director for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping at MHCLG. The Committee also investigated whether mechanisms are in place to address these issues in the long-term or whether there is a looming ‘cliff edge’ if better support is not in place, including the risks of eviction for the hundreds of thousands of households in rent arrears. To view the session, click here.

Civil Procedure Rules PD 55C
The 127th Practice Direction Update made various changes, including changes to CPR Practice Direction 55C which was updated, from 29 January 2021, to extend the validity of the PD to 30 July 2021 and to alter the end of the period for filing and service of a reactivation notice (and related requirements) from 29 January 2021 to 30 April 2021. For a note on Nearly Legal concerning the update to PD 55C, click here. For the PD itself, click here. For other changes to Practice Directions introduced by the Update and for amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules (the latter taking effect on 6 April 2021), click here.

Statutory homelessness: July to September 2020 – England
On 28 January 2021 the MHCLG published statistics on statutory homelessness in England. Between July to September 2020:

• 68,680 households were initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness and owed a statutory homelessness duty, down 7.0 per cent from the previous year.
• 31,510 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness, and therefore owed a prevention duty, down 16.9 per cent from the same quarter last year and linked to a 41.5 per cent decrease in threatened homelessness due to service of a Section 21 notice to end an assured shorthold tenancy.
• 37,170 households were initially assessed as homeless and therefore owed a relief duty, up 3.6 per cent from the same quarter last year, driven mainly by single males.
• 7,380 households had their main homelessness duty come to an end, down 5.6 per cent from July to September 2019.

On 30 September 2020 the number of households in temporary accommodation was 93,490, up 7.0 per cent from 87,390 on 30 September 2019. This increase is driven by single adult households, up 42.7 per cent to 27,410. These changes can be linked to the government and local authority response to Covid-19 including:

• households accommodated under the ‘Everyone In’ campaign, whereby local authorities were asked to provide emergency accommodation to rough sleepers, people who were living in shelters with shared sleeping arrangements, and those at risk of rough sleeping; and
• the restriction on private rented sector evictions, and lengthened notice periods for landlords.

For the full statistics, click here. For tables, showing the figures organised by various criteria, including local authority, click here.

Rough sleeping – London
On 29 January 2021 the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) published data showing that from October to December 2020, 3,307 people slept rough across London, with 412 people living on the streets for weeks at a time during this period – a 23 per cent increase on the previous quarter. The figures also show:

• 1,582 people were new to rough sleeping during this period, a 17 per cent drop from the last quarter and a 9 per cent decrease from the same period last year.
• Despite this, 47 people who were new to rough sleeping during this period went straight to living on the streets for weeks at a time, a 47 per cent increase on the previous quarter and a 31 per cent increase on the same period last year.
• 535 people were accommodated in Covid-19 emergency accommodation during this quarter, a 58 per cent drop since the previous quarter.

For the figures, as reported by Crisis, together with the charity’s comment on them, click here.

Anti-social behaviour: guidance
On 29 January 2021 the Home Office published guidance relating to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which builds on previous updates to make sure there is a greater focus on the impact of anti-social behaviour on victims. It provides greater clarity on the process of the Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review, highlighting that relevant bodies should always consider inviting the victim or, if more appropriate, their representative to case review meetings to help the panel understand their perspective. It also explains that local areas can have independent chairs at review meetings to provide an external view on the case. For the guidance, click here. For the related press release, click here. For a short guide to anti-social behaviour complaints, published by the House of Commons Library on 29 January 2021, click here.

Queen’s Bench Guide 2021
On 26 January 2021 the Judiciary of England and Wales published the 2021 update of the Queen’s Bench Guide. For the update, click here.

Civil legal aid application forms changed
On 28 January 2021 the Legal Aid Agency announced that it has made changes to the civil legal aid application forms to reflect amendments to the eligibility regulations removing the mortgage cap as part of the means test for civil legal aid. Previous versions of the application forms will continue to be accepted until 31 March 2021. However, the previous forms still refer to the mortgage cap and providers must ensure that the correct regulations are applied in the calculation of an individual's means and therefore the full mortgage/secured loan must be deducted. The new forms should be used by advisers as soon as possible. For further details of the changes to eligibility criteria, click here.

Funding for support of domestic abuse victims
On 1 February the Ministry of Justice announced that victims of rape and domestic abuse will be helped by a further £40m of funding for specialist support services which is intended to help organisations recruit more staff, keep helplines open for longer and adapt to remote counselling where necessary. Funding of £16 million will aid the recruitment of more independent sexual violence and domestic abuse advisers across the country. For the announcement, click here.

£30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund open for applications
On 31 January 2021 the MHCLG announced a £30 million fund designed to protect leaseholders from the high costs of Waking Watches, where a building is continually patrolled in case of a fire. The fund will provide financial support for fire alarms, which will also make buildings safer in the long term. The fund will be distributed through councils, regional authorities and directly through the MHCLG, depending on the location of the building. The funding is available for buildings across England which are over 18 metres with unsafe cladding systems; £22 million has been targeted to the cities with most high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding, including Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. For the eligibility criteria, click here. For an outline of the average cost of waking watch per building, click here. For the announcement of the fund, click here.

Labour calls for Government action over cladding
On 1 February 2021 the Labour Party announced that it would use an opposition day motion to urge the Government to help leaseholders facing the cost of making safe the cladding of their properties. The party says up to 11 million people may live in properties with unsafe cladding. In the House of Commons Thangam Debbonaire moved: “That this House calls on the Government to urgently establish the extent of dangerous cladding and prioritise buildings according to risk; provide upfront funding to ensure cladding remediation can start immediately; protect leaseholders and taxpayers from the cost by pursuing those responsible for the cladding crisis; and update Parliament once a month in the form of a Written Ministerial Statement by the Secretary of State.” The motion was carried by 263 votes to none, with most Conservative members abstaining.

For the Hansard report of the debate, click here. For a report in the Guardian, click here. For an LGA position statement on the costs to leaseholders of the remediation of dangerous cladding, click here.

New standard tenancy agreement to help renters with pets
On 28 January 2021 the MHCLG published a new Model Agreement for a shorthold assured tenancy under which landlords will no longer be able to issue blanket bans on pets. Instead, consent for pets will be the default position, and landlords will have to object in writing within 28 days of a written pet request from a tenant and provide a good reason. For the Model Agreement, click here. For the announcement, click here.

LGA Housing Advisers’ Programme
On 28 January 2021 the Local Government Association announced the 17 successful applicants for its Housing Advisers Programme 2020/21 (HAP), a scheme to help councils overcome housing challenges in their local areas, address the impact of COVID-19 on the housing crisis and meet the housing needs of local communities. For the announcement, click here.

Public Health (Protection from Eviction) (Wales) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 – 28 January 2021 review
On 28 January 2021, the Welsh Minister for Housing and Local Government, as required by Reg 3 of the above Regulations, reviewed the need for the restrictions and requirements imposed by the Regulations and concluded that, given the continued prevalence of Covid-19 in the community and the decision that Wales should remain at Alert Level 4, the Regulations should not be modified or revoked. For the Minister’s statement, click here.

Youth homelessness – Wales
On 28 January 2021 the Welsh Government launched a campaign urging young people who are at risk of homelessness or already homeless to call a free Housing Advice Helpline run by Shelter Cymru and Llamau. For details, click here.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry
On 28 January 2021 the Grenfell Tower Inquiry published an update on its work. The update provides a digest of: Resumption of hearings; Phase 2 modules structure; disclosure figures; core participants; drop-in sessions. For the Update, click here.

Housing Ombudsman finds severe maladministration
On 27 January 2021 the Housing Ombudsman reported that its investigation had found that Orbit, as landlord, failed to ensure that a family had a properly working heating and hot water system over a period of at least eight months. The Ombudsman found severe maladministration with the landlord’s handling of the complaint about repairs to the heating and hot water system after it stopped working. The mother and son were provided with heaters as a short term solution but the problems continued for several months, during which time they took out gym membership in order to shower. A new heating system was installed but broke down a week later and also caused damage to the property. In response to the complaint, the landlord offered £200 in compensation which the resident did not accept as she had claimed for other costs incurred.

The Ombudsman ordered the landlord to: pay the resident £1,460 compensation; consider payment for actual losses such as the cost of gym membership; and review its responsibilities to carry out repairs to address damage caused to the property. The Ombudsman also recommended that the landlord should provide training to staff on complaint handling. For the report, click here.

Council prosecutes landlord over fire risk flat
On 19 January 2021 Croydon Council reported that a man who let out a former bank vault as an illegal and dangerous flat has been ordered to pay over £9,400 and will be added to a London list of rogue landlords after being convicted of housing offences. At Croydon Magistrates’ Court, Anthony Roy Roe was convicted in his absence of both breaking a prohibition order and failure to license the property via the landlord licensing scheme. Mr Roe was ordered to pay a £2,640 fine for breaking the prohibition order, the council’s full costs of £6,624, and a £170 victim surcharge. For the report, click here.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: NAO Departmental Overview 2019-20
On 28 January 2021 the National Audit Office published a summary of the MHCLG, its spending in 2019-20, its major areas of activity and performance, and the challenges it is likely to face in the coming year, based on the insights from the NAO’s financial audit and value for money work. For the report, click here.

HOUSING LAWS IN THE PIPELINE

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 was on 28 January 2021. 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 by the Lords, 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.

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. Stage 3 consideration will take place in Plenary on 10 February 2021 to consider amendments to the Bill (as amended at Stage 2). 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.

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 Accommodation Bill
This private member’s bill, sponsored by Steve McCabe, would require developers to disclose for planning purposes an intention to use a building for supported housing or other accommodation that is specified for the purposes of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit; establish a suitability test for accommodation proposed for such use; and make provision about the fitness of persons to be landlords or managers of supported or other specified accommodation. The bill had its first reading on 18 November 2020 and is due to have its second reading on a date to be announced. The bill is being prepared for publication. 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 further postponed to a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. 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 further postponed to a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. 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 has been postponed to a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. For the bill as introduced, click here. To follow progress of 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.

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 a date to be announced. 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 a date to be announced. To follow progress of the bill, click here.

NEW HOUSING CASES

Croydon London Borough Council v Kalonga [2021] EWCA Civ 77 (27 January 2021)

This case looks at whether a landlord can terminate a fixed-term flexible tenancy before the end of the term where there is not a forfeiture clause included in the tenancy agreement. It also considers what can be termed as a forfeiture clause.

Facts
The respondent tenant was subject to a flexible tenancy for a fixed term of five years from 25 May 2015 until 24 May 2020. On 2 August 2017 the landlord, Croydon London Borough Council (‘Croydon’) served notice seeking termination of the tenancy agreement and recovery of possession. The notice relied on grounds 1 and 2 of Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1985. Croydon then issued a claim for possession on grounds 1 and 2 of Schedule 2, namely rent arrears of £703.04 and alleged anti-social behaviour. No claim was made on the ground of forfeiture.

Judgment in the High Court
The case was transferred to the High Court for consideration of the correct manner in which to determine a secure flexible tenancy during the fixed term, and whether forfeiture principles apply. It was found that the tenancy agreement did not include a forfeiture clause and that, in the absence of such a clause, Croydon did not have any right to determine the tenancy agreement prior to the expiry of the fixed term. It was further found that Croydon did not need (i) to serve notice under section 146 of the 1925 Act or (ii) to bring proceedings for an order under section 82(3) of the 1985 Act.

The Law
Prior to the enactment of the Localism Act 2011, most secure tenancies were periodic tenancies rather than fixed term tenancies. A flexible tenancy is a secure tenancy granted by a landlord in England who has notified the tenant in writing prior to entering into the tenancy that it would be flexible and for a fixed term of not less than two years. Flexible tenancies were introduced by Part 7 of the 2011 Act.

Section 82 of the Housing Act 1985 does two main things. First, it makes provision for possession against a periodic tenancy. Secondly, it makes provision for termination of a fixed term tenancy and its subsequent replacement with a periodic tenancy. There are three methods by which it allows a landlord to terminate a tenancy. The landlord may obtain an order for possession and execution of the order or obtain a demotion order under section 82A.

The third option is set out at s.82(3):

“Where a secure tenancy is a tenancy for a term certain but with a provision for re-entry or forfeiture, the court shall not order possession of the dwelling-house in pursuance of that provision, but in a case where the court would have made such an order it shall instead make an order terminating the tenancy on a date specified in the order and section 86 (periodic tenancy arising on termination of fixed term) shall apply.”

Section 82 also specifies that Section 146 of the Law of Property Act 1925, restriction on and relief against forfeiture, shall apply in cases where the landlord is relying on a provision for re-entry or forfeiture.

The Judgment
The court noted the purpose of section 82, to protect tenants by providing them with security of tenure, and the need to interpret it to give effect to that purpose [50]. It held that as a matter of contract the words “subject to termination by the landlord” in section 82(1) must mean termination by any lawful means available, this being the natural interpretation supported by the difference in wording between the subsections, and the interpretation which allows a tenant to have full security of tenure [53].

The court found that there is a clear legislative intent that a periodic tenancy can only be brought to an end by obtaining an order for possession, while a fixed term tenancy can only be brought to an end by obtaining an order for termination pursuant to a forfeiture clause (whereupon a periodic tenancy will come into effect pursuant to section 29) [55].

There was no previous authority which was directly in point. Both sides relied upon earlier authorities as supporting their interpretation. The decision is consistent with the finding in Islington LBC v Uckac [2006] EWCA Civ 340, [2006] 1 WLR 1303 that section 82, read together with section 84, impliedly removed any right of the landlord to bring a secure tenancy to an end by rescission, and Schedule 2 provided an exhaustive code of the grounds upon which a landlord could bring a secure tenancy to an end and obtain an order for possession.

It was acknowledged that this position is slightly inconsistent with what was said in Livewest Homes Ltd v Bamber [2019] EWCA Civ 1174, [2019] 1 WLR 6389. That case looked at whether a fixed term tenancy with a break clause was a tenancy for a “term certain”. The Court of Appeal stated there that “[a] tenancy granted for a fixed term of, say, two years is limited by grant to a term certain of that duration notwithstanding that it may be brought to any end sooner by forfeiture or by the operation of a break clause. ….”. In moving away from this, the court in the present case noted that in Livewest the court had not undertaken the same full exploration of section 82 [60].

The court thereby agreed, albeit upon different reasoning, with the High Court in finding that “a fixed term flexible tenancy can only be terminated by the landlord if the tenancy agreement contains a forfeiture clause” [61]. It went on to consider whether the present tenancy contained a forfeiture clause. The court clarified that the dictum of Lord Templeman in Billson v Residential Apartments Ltd [1992] 1 AC 494 at 534 does not support the contention that a clause which provides for an application to be made to the court for a possession order qualifies as a forfeiture clause [68]. It therefore found that in the present case the tenancy agreement did not have a forfeiture clause.

It was further found that section 82(4) is clear that, in addition to the requirement of a forfeiture clause, where applicable, a notice under section 146 of the 1925 Act must be served. A landlord may serve a notice under section 146 and a notice under section 83(1)(a) of the 1985 Act, proceedings both for termination of the fixed term tenancy and possession against the periodic tenancy which will then arise [62-63].

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

HOUSING LAW CONSULTATIONS

Right to Regenerate: reform of the Right to Contest
This consultation is to help to shape a reform of the Right to Contest, in order to encourage the right to be utilised more effectively and more widely to stimulate regeneration and the more productive use of land. Strand 2 of the Community Right to Contest allows members of the public to request that the government directs the disposal of unused or underused land, including vacant homes and garages, owned by public bodies. This right is little-known and little-used, with only one direction to dispose issued since 2014.

The aim of this consultation, which will close on 13 March 2021, is to strengthen the right and make it simpler to use as the new ‘Right to Regenerate’. This will provide a quicker and easier route for individuals, businesses and organisations to identify, purchase and redevelop underused or empty land in their area. In turn, the strengthened right will support greater regeneration of brownfield land, boost housing supply and empower people to turn blights and empty spaces in their areas into more beautiful developments. For the consultation document, click here.

Safer buildings in Wales
The Welsh Government is consulting on proposals for comprehensive reform of legislation that contributes to building safety in Wales. It focuses on legislative change across the lifecycle of buildings as well as setting out aspirations for culture change in the way buildings are designed, constructed and managed. The consultation ends on 12 April 2021. For the consultation documents, click here.

HOUSING LAW ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS

Lancashire Hot Pot – waiver of forfeiture and landlord knowledge of breach Giles Peaker Nearly Legal 26 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

What are the signs of domestic abuse? Pascale Day Centrepoint Blog 26 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Finding new ways to provide gender-informed support Beverley Alder and Nicole Forster Homeless Link 26 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

What the Social Housing White Paper says about: consumer regulation CIH Blog 27 January 2021 – to read the article, click here

Housing conditions: update (Feb 21) Catherine O'Donnell Legal Action February 2021– to read the article (subscription required), click here

HOUSING LAW DIARY

8 February 2021                                   
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Module 2 hearings to resume (see Housing Law News and Policy Issues)

10 February 2021                                 
Consideration in Plenary of amendments to the Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill (as amended at Stage 2) (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

18 February 2021                                 
Closing date for legal aid tenders for housing and debt advice

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RECRUITMENT

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