Rakusen (Respondent) v Jepsen and others (Appellants) [2023] UKSC 9: A Detailed Analysis Introduction to the Case The United Kingdom Supreme Court case, Rakusen v Jepsen and others [2023] UKSC 9, represents a pivotal moment in UK property law, particularly concerning the relationships between landlords, tenants, and sub-tenants. This case delves into the complexities surrounding […]

Rent Repayment Order for Failure to Obtain a License If you have received an application seeking a Rent Repayment Order, contact our team to arrange a consultation with one of our experts by completing the form below. There are various defences available to landlords who find themselves Respondents to an application for a Rent Repayment […]

Enforcing A Suspended Possession Order A suspended possession order, is an order for possession of property, that is suspended on specific terms set out in the order. The consequence of this is that the landlord cannot enforce th order, unless the terms upon which it has been suspended have been breached. The Court of Appeal […]

Defending a Rent Repayment Order Application A rent repayment order (“RRO”) is an order made by a Tribunal requiring the landlord or agent to repay rent (including housing benefit or housing element of universal credit) where the landlord or agent has committed a particular offence, which are listed below. It is not necessary that the landlord […]

Judges Discretion to Grant Possession Orders In the case of City West Housing Trust v Massey, Manchester and District Housing Association v Roberts [2016] EWCA Civ. 704 the England & Wales Court of Appeal considered joined cases where social landlords attempted to recover possession of properties which had been used for the cultivation of cannabis. […]

  Eviction During the Coronavirus Pandemic The Coronavirus Bill was introduced by the Government on 21 March 2020 and has already had its third reading in the House of Commons. Coronavirus Bill does not ban evictions Ministers last week promised a “complete ban” on evictions to allay the fears of renters facing a drop on […]

We recently acted for a landlord in relation to a tenants’ application for a rent repayment order and have now received the Tribunals decision. The tenant applied to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for 12 months’ worth of rent to be repaid to them resulting from our client letting an unlicensed house in multiple occupation […]

Can a joint tenant drop out? A common question that arises from landlords and also letting agents is whether or not a joint tenant can surrender their tenancy and what impact this has on the other tenant. Historically, where more than one-person owned land, they owned the land either in common or jointly. Common ownership […]

Unsigned Section 21 Notice, valid or invalid? In the case of Barker v Hands [2007] EWCA Civ 869 a landlord served a notice on the tenant under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. The tenant failed to the leave the property by the end of the notice period and the landlord subsequently issued a […]

A tenancy deposit scheme safeguards tenancy deposits paid in connection with shorthold tenancies. Landlords commonly require tenants to pay a deposit, as security for any damage that the tenant may do to the property. Chapter 4 of the Housing Act 2004 sets out the framework for tenancy deposits. The core purpose of Chapter 4 of […]