I am looking to chat to someone weighing up whether to buy a flat as their first home or hold out for a house. Are you worried about flats holding value? 5 minute recorded chat. Please email felicity.hannah@bbc.co.uk if you can help - and please share if you can. Thanks Team Bluesky!

There is an easy way for lawyers to avoid problems like this. Do. Your. Own. Work. www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...

Estate agents offering private landlords 'guaranteed rent' deals rake in millions every month from London boroughs to house homeless families. A mini-investigation by me for the @bigissue.com looks to a put a name to some of the biggest recipients: www.bigissue.com/news/housing...

How estate agents are earning millions housing homeless families

‘Guaranteed rents’ sees middle-man firms paid millions to help London local authorities find temporary homes for homeless families.

bigissue.com

This Labour government is tackling the housing crisis. Our Social Housing Bill will protect precious social housing stock and incentivise the building of new social homes. Our Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill marks the beginning of the end for the feudal leasehold system.

It's taken ten years (and counting) but the King's Speech includes a Bill that will finally kill off zombie Conservative social housing policies from 2016 that were never implemented but remained on the statute books

I’m deeply saddened at the tragic loss of Giles Peaker. Giles was not only an exceptionally talented housing lawyer but a real force for good in the world who played an integral role in the development of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act. My heartfelt condolences to all who loved him.

I am very much saddened to report that my friend, @nearlylegal.co.uk passed away this weekend. nearlylegal.co.uk/2026/04/gile...

Ooh we've had some excellent District Judge appointments announced. District Judges Angela Hall, Sarah McKeown, Adrian Davis and Emma Godfrey all in the last few weeks. Just in time for the Renters' Rights Act to kick off! www.judiciary.uk/appointments...

Presumably not just about the money ('tho TA rents are high). I suspect it's also because new Ground 5G (see Sch.1, para.18, Renters' Rights Act 2025) creates a new mandatory ground for possession in some circumstances where a private landlord houses a homeless person at the request of the council.

Jim Waterson@jim.londoncentric.media · 5mo ago

London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” is underway; hundreds of households across London told to get out of their homes this week by the same landlord, ahead of the renters rights act. The landlord? Billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

"Rent" in the Housing Act 1988 means the same as "Rent" under the Rent Act 1977: caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/202...

Our @sophieearnshaw.bsky.social has been granted permission to intervene in a case that will be heard at the Supreme Court. This case concerns homeless applicants and the circumstances in which a local authority's duty to accommodate ends #housinglaw @landmarkch.bsky.social shltr.org.uk/JfQ6y

The Supreme Court grants Shelter permission to… - Landmark Chambers

Explore 'The Supreme Court grants Shelter permission to intervene in case concerning the end of the main housing duty' at Landmark Chambers for in-depth…

shltr.org.uk

In the wake of the publication of our draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill on Tuesday, lots of existing leaseholders have been in touch seeking clarity as to when the government plans to make it cheaper and easier to extend a lease or buy a freehold 🧵

Renters’ Rights Act anti-discrimination (children and benefits) powers devolved to Wales on 1 June www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2026/6/c...

An early Christmas gift for homelessness lawyers and public lawyers more generally. R (UYR) v Derby CC [2025] EWCA Civ 1648 Is De Falco and the "strong prima facie case" test (to secure mandatory orders for housing as part of interim relief) wrong? I think the CA is hinting it is wrong...

Oh my goodness

rightsnet@rightsnet.org.uk · 8mo ago

More than half of teachers in England work with children who are homeless @sheltercharity.bsky.social www.rightsnet.org.uk/now/post/69319

Homelessness strategy now out - calling it A National Plan to End Homelessness certainly shows the right level of ambition www.gov.uk/government/p...

​​A National Plan to End Homelessness​

​​This strategy sets out our long-term vision to end homelessness and rough sleeping, making sure everyone has access to a safe and secure home.

gov.uk

Memorandum of understanding between the Regulator of Social Housing and the Charity Commission. Important for charitable social landlords in England: www.gov.uk/government/p...

Memorandum of Understanding between the Regulator of Social Housing and The Charity Commission for England and Wales

gov.uk

This is a remarkable case which will see the Chief Constable punished for contempt! Much to unpack but huge praise due to junior counsel for the appellant and, for very different reasons, to counsel for the Chief Constable caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/202...

Permission to appeal to the Supreme Court has been refused in the case of Beach v South Hams DC. The case concerned accom offered to a man where the LA had accepted the full housing duty; he was in priority need as he had children, but he presented without the children, in need of emergency accom

This isn't an exclusive. These LA-owned/controlled housing companies have existed for decades. And have many legitimate purposes (e.g. to allow social housing to be built without attracting the RTB). www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Revealed: Labour-run council using legal loophole to serve families with no-fault evictions

Exclusive: London council created an arm’s-length body to manage some of its housing stock

theguardian.com

Can't think of many better illustrations of how badly we have botched housing policy than the fact that our bill for housing homeless families (£2.8bn pa) is now higher than the money we spend each year on new affordable housing (£2.3bn) www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/english...

English councils’ temporary accommodation bill rises to £2.8bn

Councils in England spent a record £2.8bn on temporary accommodation last year, with the annual bill rising by 25% as the homelessness crisis deepens.

insidehousing.co.uk

Ye gods. Westminster accept a breach of s.193(2) HA 1996 and accept they have been in breach for months. They want 12 weeks to comply. The court gave them 4. They went down for a proportion of C's costs plus their own. caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/admin/2...

Rayner says in her resignation letter: "The challenges of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table and getting a roof over our head when I brought up kids working as a home help." Absolutely. A shame to lose that perspective from the cabinet table.

The long tradition of the position of Sec of State for housing being a cursed one continues.

Ooh - that's a very important discovery.

Jennifer Williams@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Final add: govt has promised to exit hotels by the end of the parliament. But interestingly Mears (asylum contractor in the north east) stated in their half year results that govt’s intention is to get out in 2026. In the meantime, Mears expect to have bought ~£50m in housing by year end.

This isn’t a hard one. Right to Buy massively benefited one generation of tenants (and good luck to them) but at the expense of subsequent generations of people in housing need. And the consequential homelessness costs are destroying the finances of local councils to this day.

The Times and Sunday Times@thetimes.com · 12mo ago

Forty-five years since council tenants were encouraged to join the ‘property-owning democracy’, has Margaret Thatcher’s flagship scheme backfired? Melissa York meets right-to-buy’s winners and losers

Now there is a vacancy... time for the Karen Buck bat signal?

Nearly Legal@nearlylegal.co.uk · 12mo ago

Well... Probably the right thing to do given the difficulties in working with the homelessness sector after the rental story. Refreshingly prompt resignation. But the brief really needs a longish term minister. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Made it into the new Private Eye @privateeyenews.bsky.social Now I can retire.