The Latest Housing Law News
New Ministers: the new Housing Minister is Rt Hon John Healey MP. Like his predecessor, he will attend Cabinet. The new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is Rt Hon John Denham MP. For a full list of the new Cabinet, click here.
Private rented sector: as part of the ongoing consultation about the future of the private rented sector (see below), last week the Government published two impact assessments. The first deals with the proposed national registration scheme for landlords. For a copy, click here. The second deals with the proposed new independent regulatory scheme for letting agents and managing agents. For a copy, click here.
New National Standards for Social Housing: this week, the Tenant Services Agency will launch the second round of consultation on the draft new statutory standards for social housing providers. For more details, click here.
Sale and rent-back: on 2 June 2009 the Government laid before Parliament secondary legislation to bring sale and rent back agreements within the scope of Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation. The Government also published a summary of responses to its consultation on the sale and rent back market. For a copy of that summary, click here. On 3 June 2009 the FSA published details of its interim regulatory regime, which will take effect on 1 July 2009 subject to Parliamentary approval. For the detailed paper on that regime, click here. The full FSA regulatory regime will kick-in on 30 June 2010.
Dementia and Housing: a new publication from the Housing Learning and Improvement Network and the Journal of Care Services Management covers housing issues arising from dementia. For access to a copy, click here.
National Tenant Voice: having completed its House of Lords passage, the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill had its Commons second reading last week and will go into Committee this week. The Bill will, if passed, establish the new National Tenant Voice. For the second reading debate, click here and scroll to the bottom of the screen.
The Latest Housing Case Law
No cases to report this week
Housing Law Articles
Ground 8 and article 8: a modest success for the HRA
I. Loveland
[2009] June Legal Action 42
Share and share alike
(shared ownership leases)
S. Bagg
(2009) 231 Property Law Journal 9
[For a related briefing note by the author on shared ownership leases, click here.]
Recent Developments in Housing Law
HHJ Madge and J. Luba
[2009] June Legal Action 30
Expiry Issues
(rents for assured tenancies)
N. Rees
(2009) 231 Property Law Journal 2
[For a copy of the article, click here.]
Housing Law Consultations
Closing on 9 June 2009
Last chance to respond to CLG consultation on an unusual proposal as to how disputes relating to occupation of park site homes should be resolved. For the consultation paper, Dispute resolution under the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended): Summary of responses and further consultation, click here.
Closing on 31 July 2009
Views are invited on the issues relating to costs in housing litigation by Lord Justice Jackson's review of civil litigation costs. His Preliminary Report contains a Housing Claims chapter (Chapter 31 in Volume 1) canvassing a range of issues. For the Preliminary Report, click here.
Closing on 7 August 2009
A consultation exercise relating to the private rented sector is currently underway. It covers the proposed national registration scheme for private landlords and the proposed regulation of letting agencies and managing agents. For the consultation paper, click here.
Closing on 31 August 2009
The consultation on the London Housing Strategy is now underway. For a copy of the draft strategy, click here.
Housing Law Events
This Month
17 June 2009
Judicial Review
A Garden Court Chambers Conference
For the details click here
19 June 2009
Successful Housing Litigation
A Jordans Training Seminar
For the details click here
24 June 2009
The "Do and Don't" of Possession Hearings in the County Court
A free Garden Court Chambers evening seminar
For the details, click here
Next Month
10 July 2009
Introduction to Housing Law
A Legal Action Group training event
For the details, click here.
15 July 2009
Housing Law: the Legal Update 2009
Northern Housing Consortium Conference (York)
For the details, click here
15 July 2009
Relationship Breakdown & Housing
An HLPA meeting in London
For the details, click here
