Our Housing team assists with various aspects of landlord/tenant matters, including challenging decisions of large organizations, such as councils and housing associations. We offer a wide range of legal advice and assistance, comprising of representation in the Courts, representation against private individuals, public bodies and local authorities.
We provide high-quality assistance in the following areas;
Homelessness
Homelessness Applications
Review against negative/ unfavourable Council decisions-
Appeal to the County Court against negative /unfavourable decisions
Securing temporary accommodation pending decision on a homeless application
Judicial Review in the High Court, of local authority decisions
Legal advice and assistance for those subject to immigration control
Possession / Eviction
Application for stay of eviction.
Representation at court in defending possession proceedings.
Negotiating with landlords, benefits agency and other third parties.
Applications to set aside possession order.
Applications to re-instate secure tenancy.
Right -to-buy.
Disrepair
Claims for compensation and damages against the landlords (local authority, housing association, housing cooperatives, other social landlords) for breach of their repairing obligations, where they have refused or delayed in repairing defects in your home
Injunction against landlords (local authority, housing association, housing cooperatives, other social landlords) to compel them to immediately repair outstanding defects
Negotiations to resolve disrepair issues and obtain compensation using the pre-action protocol.
Where possible, we arrange for “no win – no fee” in disrepair cases.
Anti Social Behaviour
Defending proceedings for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders brought by the Council against individuals under the Housing Act 1996
Bringing and Defending applications for Injunction brought between individuals under the Protection from Harassment ACT 1997
Defending possession proceedings brought against tenants for anti-social behaviour and harassment.
Overcrowding and Unsuitability
Is your council property overcrowded or does any member of your family have a special need? We can help by securing your transfer to a larger Council accommodation if your property is overcrowded.
Unsuitability may culminate from medical reasons such as a member of the household is disabled and in need of a ground floor property, or back problems may preclude you from walking up those stairs. You have rights, which ensure that the local authority owes you a duty to provide you with accommodation which is suitable for your family’s needs. We can help you assert those rights by liaising with the Council to secure your transfer to more suitable accommodation.
It may be that none of the above applies to you, but you feel that you have issues that you believe warrant legal advice and that you wish to discuss with us. You can contact our Housing Team for advice and enquiries. You can also contact the office to schedule an appointment.