Community organisations

We advise and work in partnership with tenant management organisations (TMOs), Locality members, community-based organisations, community land trust networks (CLTs) and community-led housing.

We have been supporting the community-led housing development for over 25 years, supporting clients including nationally-award-winning projects like Witton Lodge Community Association in Birmingham and Granby 4 Streets CLT in Liverpool, to name just two.

Most importantly, we share your values – our purpose is to improve lives, communities and society, and our aim is to do that on a national level. We believe that local ownership is a key part of communities making their own places better and support in a variety of ways.

There will be stages in the life of community organisations when legal advice is crucial, especially around development.  There might also be legal issues that crop up unexpectedly and our expert teams can provide peace of mind on a range of issues, including:

• Advice on land acquisition
• Development advice and negotiating agreements
• Construction contracts
• Board training
• Dealing with complaints or disputes
• Health and safety
• Housing management
• Governance issues

We are also able to provide support on other issues, such as:

• Job evaluations for the purpose of equal pay or discrimination claims
• Detailed advice about pensions
• Disciplinary investigations
• Defending Employment Tribunal claims.

We work in partnership with the National CLT Network and can provide helpline packages to members and start-up affiliates from support at incorporation through to the day-to-day organisational running.

At incorporation stage we can prepare drafts of constitution, complete legal application forms, and liaise with relevant registration or sponsoring bodies. 

We have been involved in setting up and working with TMOs, the National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations (NFTMO) and other umbrella bodies within the sector for many years.

We have over 140 specialist lawyers, many of whom have experience and expertise in dealing with issues that arise within the TMO sector, with specialist housing, local government, charities and social business teams to ensure that your needs are understood and met.