PracticeBeatrice Prevatt is credited with "an admirable ability to simplify and explain complex issues of law." She enjoys the full support of the market, and is "extremely experienced and knowledgeable" Chambers & Partners 2009. Beatrice "possesses a deep legal knowledge which helps her to formulate watertight arguments off the cuff." She is best known for her housing disrepair work and peers insist that she is "always a pleasure to deal with." Chambers & Partners 2008 Beatrice practises in all areas of housing including homelessness (County Court appeals and judicial review); Children Act and Community care accommodation duties, accommodation issues for asylum seekers, security of tenure, illegal eviction and harassment, statutory nuisance prosecutions and disrepair. Beatrice is regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor to act on behalf of protected parties. Beatrice is also a trained mediator.
She is a member of the Bar Civil Legal Aid Subcommittee. PublicationsBeatrice has contributed to various housing law publications including Landlord and Tenant Review and Current Law. She currently writes the annual Repairs Round Up for Legal Action and is co authoring the next edition of the Legal Action Repairs handbook. TrainingBeatrice has provided training for the Independent housing ombudsman and the Housing Law Practitioner Association both at is meetings and at its annual Conferences. She also provides the disrepair training for Legal Action. Notable CasesMendes v Southwark LBC [2009] CA TLR 24.3.2009 (a successful appeal against an order made on the papers that there should be no order for costs in relation to a judicial review claim where interim relief had been granted but which had not proceeded to the permission stage). Brighton and Hove City Council v Knight [2009] Brighton County Court (the dismissal of a possession claim in a demoted tenancy case where the Council sought a possession order despite its failure to comply with the statutory provisions as to notification of the review process by the specified date. The Council's argument that there was still a discretion to make a possession order was rejected). London & Quadrant v Parnham [2008] Horsham County Court (an outright possession order made on the basis of rent arrears, including ground 8, was set aside as the tenant was a patient but no litigation friend had been appointed. The possession proceedings were then defended and a counterclaim brought on the basis of unlawful discrimination and breach of statutory duty under the Disability Discrimination Act which resulted in a payment of £3500 in respect of the counterclaim which cleared the arrears and resulted in a payment of the balance to the tenant). Lambeth LBC v Assing [2007] Legal Action June 2007 (a successful defence to a possession action and a claim for a demotion order where the tenant had assaulted a concierge. The District Judge's decision to make no order on the claim and award the tenant the costs of the action was upheld on appeal to the Circuit Judge and the Court of Appeal refused permission for a 2nd appeal).
Bristol City Council v Grimmer [2003] EWCA Civ 1582 (refusal of permission to appeal an outright possession order for anti social behavior) Smart v Sheffield CC & Wilson v Central Sunderland Housing Company [2002] EWCA Civ 4, [2002] HLR 17 (human rights defences in possession actions against non-secure tenants). more info R (McLellan) v Bracknell Forest DC & Reigate & Banstead BC v Benfield & Forrest [2001] EWCA Civ 1510, [2002] QB 1129 (human rights defences in possession actions against introductory tenants). more info R v Southwark LBC ex p Vantansever [2001] EWHC Admin 546 (a successful challenge to Southwark's allocations policy's failure to allow for composite needs) R v Newham LBC ex p Begum [1999] 32 HLR 808 (a successful challenge to a failure to provide suitable accommodation which decided that the duties under the Housing Act 1996 cannot be deferred) BackgroundBeatrice worked at the Southwark Law Centre for eight years (1987/1995), specialising in housing and immigration cases. Whilst there she set up the Lambeth County Court duty rota scheme for possession cases and negotiated the terms of the Southwark Council tenancy agreement. She was also a director of the National Housing Law Service. SocietiesHousing Law Practitioners Association
Legal Action Group
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