Housing

High Court rules that council breached main housing duty owed to a homeless disabled claimant, having housed him for more than three years in accommodation it acknowledged was unsuitable

Jaberi, R (On the Application Of) v City of Westminster (Re Housing Act 1996) [2023] EWHC 1045 (Admin)

Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee draws draft regulations exempting Home Office accommodation for asylum seekers from requirement to have HMO licence to special attention of the House

Lords Committee advises that the House may wish to seek assurance that the proposed policy will not lead to 'poor-quality, unsafe or inappropriate housing' being used for asylum seekers

Ombudsman highlights council’s ‘catalogue of clerical confusion’ and billing errors that led to resident being unfairly threatened with court action for not paying her council tax

London Borough of Barnet also criticised for ignoring resident’s request to communicate by post, in line with its 'inflexible' policy of emailing everyone regardless of their circumstances

Mobile Homes (Pitch Fees) Bill receives Royal Assent

New Act changes the inflationary index for annual pitch fee reviews in England from RPI to CPI

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

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

Scottish Housing Regulator publishes new strategy and work plans for 2023/2024

Pending a review of its Regulatory Framework next year, SHR says its priorities include people experiencing homelessness, quality of accommodation on Gypsy/Traveller sites, and ensuring the standards and outcomes in the Social Housing Charter are met

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