The response period closes on 22 January 2019, and we strongly urge all landlords to submit a response. The explanations that go with the questions are only short.
It is not entirely clear what the Government is hoping to achieve as the questions are quite wide-ranging and pick up some fairly random issues. The document states that the Government wants to explore “ways of reducing delays and improving the service for all users” who bring housing cases to the county courts and the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) (FTT).
It also asks whether “a Specialist Housing Court could make it easier for all users…to resolve disputes, reduce delays and secure justice”.
There are four parts to the call for evidence:
The questions in Part Three ask for your experience of what could be made better or easier in the Court processes.
Solicitors and landlords alike are all equally frustrated with the very extensive delays now being typically experienced, (e.g. call centres routinely advising there is a 35-day delay in processing orders and Courts advising they have a shortage of Bailiffs so to expect up to 13 weeks for eviction dates etc. being recent examples).
Now is your chance to give some hard evidence about some of the cases that you are dealing with. Explain how much it is costing you in rent arrears, for example, and in resident dissatisfaction due to the delays in getting through the court process?
No doubt one of the key drivers behind this Call for Evidence and the Housing Court proposal is a desire to reduce costs. Comments are sought on four options proposed, which are:
We look forward to hearing the views of clients and delegates at our Annual Housing Management Law seminars in Birmingham on 20 November, Manchester on 27 November and London on 4 December. We will then collate and add your feedback to our response. However, we strongly encourage all landlords to consider the paper carefully and put in their own response, as this opportunity is a rare one!
Volunteers are often the bedrock of charitable organisations, but they are not protected from sexual harassment within those organisations.
Here at Anthony Collins Solicitors, we have been hard at work advising a charity client, BICMP, on its new music project, ‘Resonance’.
Currently, the only ground for divorce is irretrievable break down of a marriage. Following a consultation, the Government has announced its intention to reform the legal requirements for divorce.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently made some noteworthy changes to its guidance around data subject access requests (DSARs).
In the fourth part of our series on contract management pitfalls, we look at the risks arising out of varying the terms of construction contracts.
A local authority recently received a "roasting" by the Pensions Ombudsman for their delay in processing an employee’s ill-health retirement pension, following her diagnosis with advanced cancer.
The Times is looking for three or four charities to feature in their editions running in December 2019 and early January 2020.
Cliff Mills defines and talks about the importance of social value in his blog, and its potential within Greater Manchester.
Following a power outage at Anthony Collins Solicitors’ (ACS) Birmingham office, our employees and partners currently have limited functionality, including no access to emails.
Joint ventures present an opportunity for housing associations to build organisational capacity, the revenues from which could help deliver on wider social housing commitments.
To receive invitations to our events, as well as information and articles on legal issues and sector developments that are of interest to you, please sign up to Newsroom.