Housing

Welsh Government commissions Valuation Office Agency to undertake revaluation work as part of its plans for the reform of council tax

Minister's progress update to Senedd also confirms that transitional arrangements will be considered in relation to any 'winners and losers' under the new system

Court of Appeal dismisses homeless person’s appeal against out of borough placement finding that council had complied with section 208 Housing Act 1996 duty to search for housing as close as possible to their former home

Moge v London Borough of Ealing [2023] EWCA Civ 464

Round-up of recent decisions from the Housing Ombudsman

Round-up of recent Upper Tribunal housing case law

Scottish Government updates Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework

Guidance includes advice for social landlords on expected standards when housing homeless households and advice for local authorities on complying with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order

More than 1,300 people in the UK died while homeless in 2022

New research also reveals examples of significantly higher numbers of deaths in exempt accommodation than in the rest of the homeless population

One in six children in England are being forced to live in cramped, overcrowded accommodation because of a lack of suitable and affordable homes

Findings from National Housing Federation research also demonstrate ‘grave structural inequalities in our society’, with households from ethnic minority backgrounds three times more likely to be affected by overcrowding than white households

Scottish Government and COSLA launch consultation on increasing council tax charges on second and empty homes

Proposals include new powers for councils to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on second homes from April 2024

High Court dismisses former Grenfell Tower resident’s challenge to the legality of the allocation policies adopted following the 2017 fire as they relate to separated families

Gomes, R (On the Application Of) v Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea [2023] EWHC 778 (Admin)

Council found at fault for three-year delay in moving family with a disabled child from unsuitable housing that could not accommodate essential mobility and safety equipment

Following Ombudsman investigation, Lambeth Council agrees to pay £20,000 compensation to the family for the avoidable risk of harm caused by the delay

Government consults on developing further regulation of the short-term holiday let market in England

Views sought on proposals for a new registration scheme for short term lets, and new restrictions under the planning regime

High Court rules that joint tenancy was not unequivocally surrendered when one tenant continued to live in the property and there was no evidence of her surrender

City of Westminster Council v Kazam & Anor [2023] EWHC 825 (KB)

More than 5,000 Ukrainian households were found to be owed statutory homelessness duty in England between 24 February 2022 and 24 March 2023

New DLUHC figures show that the total has increased by more than 800 since January 2023, and that more than two-thirds of affected households include dependent children

Round-up of recent decisions from the Housing Ombudsman

Round-up of recent Upper Tribunal housing case law

Shelter research finds that private renters who complain about disrepair are more than twice as likely to be served with an eviction notice

Housing charity urges government to urgently introduce Renters Reform Bill to put an end to unfair evictions, drive up standards, and hold landlords to account

Technical drafting amendments to provisions relating to cost of living protections for tenants in Scotland

New statutory instrument