The High Court has agreed to hear a judicial review claim challenging guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that puts limitations on how councils should set local energy efficiency standards for housing that go beyond national regulations.

Law firm Devonshires has strengthened its Real Estate and Projects team with two new partner hires.

Islington Council has been ordered to pay costs after the dismissal of possession proceedings it brought against a tenant that the council did not consider was in a homosexual relationship with the former tenant, who had passed away.

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the Local Government Association (LGA) have welcomed the Government’s proposed standard for the competence and conduct of social housing staff, but called for changes to the timetable for its implementation.

A woman with a heightened sensitivity or hypersensitivity to noise and to smell has lost a judicial review in the High Court after Mr Justice Murray decided there was nothing more the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) could reasonably have done to relieve the situation.

Law firm Sharratts has bolstered its Development Team with the hire of Kevin Edwards as a partner.

Homes England should have "even stronger relationships" with local government in order to boost housing delivery, a Government review of the non-departmental body has found.

The Housing Ombudsman has published its first ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report, featuring cases on discrimination, staff conduct and a lack of adjustments due to vulnerabilities.

A claimant has won a judicial review challenge in the High Court over Westminster City Council’s decision to refuse to agree to her request for a "reciprocal transfer" into accommodation in its area.

The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by Cambridge City Council over whether it was justified in offering the claimant/respondent accommodation with one bedroom despite him wanting a home large enough for his children to stay overnight when visiting.

Housing association Midland Heart, which has 34,000 homes across the UK, serving 55 local authorities, has called for expressions of interest in the supply of legal services.

The chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee, Clive Betts MP, has written to the Social Housing Minister, Baroness Scott, calling for answers to a series of questions on the Government’s proposed reforms to how social housing is allocated in England.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has written to the chief executives of all social housing landlords reminding them of changes to its regulatory powers and the new standards that they must now meet, following commencement of the four new consumer standards on 1 April.

The Government has published new guidance setting out how councils can seek to disapply the Government-set rent controls on their social housing in situations where it would cause financial difficulty.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has voiced concern that proposed amendments to the Renters Reform Bill tabled by the Government could weaken key measures, including the ban on Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, the redress scheme and essential enforcement measures.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has hailed next week’s (1 April) launch by the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) of the new consumer regulation regime as a “significant milestone” in its programme to improve the quality of social housing.

Shared ownership schemes are “drastically failing to deliver an affordable route to homeownership for too many people” and subject buyers to rising rents, uncapped service charges, and a disproportionate exposure to repair and maintenance costs, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee has said.

The London Borough of Waltham Forest cannot have ended its duty to accommodate a resident because it never took a valid decision to do so, the High Court has found in a judicial review.

The London Borough of Lewisham is not meeting the required outcomes of the consumer standards, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has found.

The Housing Ombudsman has launched a consultation for social housing landlords after the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 provided it with the power to issue guidance to scheme members on good practice in the carrying on of housing activities covered by the Housing Ombudsman Scheme.

Rural housing association Broadacres has appointed five law firms to a four-year panel supplementing its in-house legal service.

Law firm Ward Hadaway has strengthened its social housing and procurement teams in Newcastle with the hire of two partners.

Law firm Anthony Collins has said ‘Awaab’s Law’ should not be extended to cover 28 hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) from its original focus on damp, mould and condensation (DMC).

Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has advised Capital Letters, a not-for-profit organisation owned by ten local authorities, on a £750m deal with housing charity Home Safe Housing.

Two landlords have been hit with a £350,000 fine and an order to cover Camden Council’s costs totalling £247,000 after failing to comply with an enforcement notice that was served more than a decade ago.

The National Housing Federation (NHF) has called for further measures to ensure the Building Safety Levy does not adversely impact the supply of new affordable homes.

Legislation on anti-social behaviour does not distinguish between aggressive and passive begging in determining whether an offence has been committed, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has called on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to apologise to a homeless man after it failed to recognise the abuse he suffered because it did not consider the alleged perpetrator a ‘relative’.

The Housing Ombudsman has awarded £40,000 to residents after they were left in “dire” damp and mould conditions by Lewisham Council.

The Housing Ombudsman has said it expects to double the number of investigations completed in 2023-24 compared to the previous year.