Housing news and case law

7 December, 2020 Open access

Scottish Government launches £10 million fund to offer interest-free loans to tenants who are struggling with rent arrears

Tenant Hardship Loan Fund designed to help people who have had their finances or employment impacted by COVID-19 and who don't have other means of housing support

4 December, 2020

Homeless Link welcomes almost six-fold increase in Housing First capacity in England since 2017

However, new report finds there is more to do if approach is to become viable and accessible to all those who need it

3 December, 2020

Government announces extra £68 million funding for Disabled Facilities Grants in England

New funding is in addition to the £505 million paid to councils in May 2020

3 December, 2020 Open access

Scottish Government announces temporary ban on enforcement of evictions from rented properties for six-week period until 22 January 2021

However, Housing Minister advises that evictions may still proceed in cases of serious anti-social or criminal behaviour, including in cases of domestic abuse

3 December, 2020

MHCLG issues ‘initial guidance’ to local authorities on managing applications for social housing or homelessness assistance from EEA citizens from 1 January 2021

Letter to chief executives advises that the guidance should be considered pending updates to the Allocation Guidance and Homelessness Code of Guidance

2 December, 2020

Court of Appeal considers whether terms of tenancy agreement permitted housing association to start charging tenant for service it was already providing without charge

[2020] EWCA Civ 1621

1 December, 2020 Open access

All political parties in Scotland urged to back proposals for ten-year plan to end homelessness

Homelessness is 'neither inevitable nor an insolvable problem', says Everyone Home Collective

30 November, 2020

Court of Appeal considers nature of ‘final offer of accommodation’ and whether the property on offer must be available at the date that offer is refused

[2020] EWCA Civ 1586

27 November, 2020 Open access

Justice Committee seeks further information about the stay on evictions that is due to expire on 11 January 2021

Letter to Lord Chancellor asks if government will legislate to limit evictions in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas when current stay expires, and seeks clarity on exception to stay where rent arrears accrued before March 2020

26 November, 2020

Court of Appeal rules statutory overcrowding was not determinative as to whether a homeless applicant had obtained ‘settled’ accommodation and therefore whether the causal link to previous incidence of intentional homelessness had been broken

[2020] EWCA Civ 1587

25 November, 2020 Open access

High Court considers vulnerability and homelessness as a result of ‘emergency’ in the context of priority need assessments and the COVID-19 pandemic

[2020] EWHC 3100 (Admin)

25 November, 2020

Housing Ombudsman seeks views on plans to strengthen its role, including proposals to raise residents’ awareness of its services and the support it offers to landlords

Consultation launched further to proposals outlined in the social housing white paper published earlier this month

24 November, 2020

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

Housing Minister confirms that her Department will move forward to implement all of the report's recommendations together with those in the Group's previous two reports

24 November, 2020 Open access

Many councils have serious concerns about whether they can provide adequate emergency accommodation during the cold weather, warns LGA

New report highlights that some councils face a choice between leaving people sleeping rough, or using night shelters which risk spreading COVID-19

20 November, 2020

Government confirms that EEA and Swiss citizens are to only have online access to evidence of their immigration status, and will no longer be issued with biometric cards

Ending of physical proof is in line with government's 'wider direction of travel' to make its products and services 'digital by default', says Minister

20 November, 2020

Home Office has a long way to go before it delivers what it promised on the provision of accommodation and essential services for asylum seekers, MPs warn

Public Accounts Committee report on early stages of new service contracts finds Department’s lack of preparation and failure to share data meant elements of new services were ‘set up to fail’

20 November, 2020

Bill to introduce further regulation of supported accommodation sector receives first reading in the House of Commons

Bill would require developers to disclose intention to use dwelling as supported accommodation, establish suitability test for proposed accommodation, and introduce fitness test for landlords

19 November, 2020 Open access

Crisis publishes new research that tracks changing needs of people facing homelessness over first six months of coronavirus pandemic

Findings include that, while recorded increase in homelessness during the first wave of the pandemic was largely driven by people already experiencing homelessness becoming more visible, increases in the second wave were more often newly homeless people

19 November, 2020

Ombudsman finds that council failed to meet requirements of Public Sector Equality Duty in its housing allocation policy

District Council's policy did not consider the needs of people with disabilities when excluding caregivers from qualifying for a local connection

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