Housing

Court of Appeal rules that judge misdirected herself by dismissing possession claim on basis that it was not inevitable that a lawful PSED assessment would reach the same decision to proceed as an inital unlawful assessment

Luton Community Housing Ltd v Durdana [2020] EWCA Civ 445

Coronavirus Act sets minimum three month notice period for eviction for statutory tenants in the private and social rented sectors

However, new law does not prevent landlords from serving a notice of intention to possess, nor does it end a tenant's liability for rental payments

Commons Select Committee warns that protection from eviction measures in Coronavirus Bill do nothing to protect those already subject to eviction processes

Chair of Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee says government must quickly come up with stronger proposals to protect all renters from eviction during the COVID-19 crisis

Scottish Government confirms that it will introduce emergency legislation to ensure that there are no evictions as a result of COVID-19 for six months

Minister also tells Scottish Parliament that notice period will be extended to six months for 'majority' of grounds for eviction

Court of Appeal considers question of the date at which probability of domestic violence should be assessed by a local authority when determining intentional homelessness

LB v London Borough of Tower Hamlets [2020] EWCA Civ 439

Vagrancy (Repeal) Bill 2019-21 receives first reading in House of Commons

Private Members' Bill seeks to repeal Vagrancy Act 1824 which makes it a crime in England and Wales to beg or to be street homeless

Government announces ‘radical package’ of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus

No renter who has lost income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their home, nor will any landlord face unmanageable debts

Institute for Fiscal Studies calls for ‘out of date’ council tax to be revalued and reformed

New report says a more progressive system could be achieved with updated property valuations, bills that are more proportional to value, and reform or abolition of the single person discount

Scottish Housing and Property Chamber postpones scheduled hearings and case management discussions

Measures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will initially be in place until 28 May 2020

Number of households owed main homelessness duty in England increases by more than a third

However, new official statistics highlight that number owed main duty is down by more than a quarter compared to period immediately preceding commencement of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017

Court of Appeal holds that local authority was entitled to possession of property due to false statements from tenant about residence in UK

Oshin v The Royal Borough of Greenwich [2020] EWCA Civ 388

Far more older people are likely to be living in rented accommodation in the future

ONS suggests that this could impact on their finances, housing quality, health, and accessibility and adaptability of the property

NHF says housing association tenants should be reassured they will not be evicted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic

Chief Executive also urges government to do more to strengthen the welfare system, to ensure that everyone who needs it can quickly get help if their income drops

Communities Secretary announces £3.2 million emergency funding to help rough sleepers to self-isolate

Funding will reimburse councils for the cost of providing accommodation and services to those that need to self-isolate during the COVID-19 outbreak

Welsh Government accepts Homelessness Action Group recommendations on steps it needs to take to end homelessness

Two thirds of those presenting as homeless in Northern Ireland granted Full Duty Applicant status and accepted as statutorily homeless

Main reasons for being accepted as homeless are that accommodation is not reasonable, breakdown of sharing or family arrangements, or loss of rented accommodation

Government announces new funding to tackle rough sleeping, and to remove unsafe cladding from residential buildings

Budget 2020 also confirms additional exemptions from the shared accommodation rate to protect benefit claimants at risk of homelessness