News
Welcome to our news page. Here you will find out what we’re up to and what we think about recent events and future possibilities.
Ban on Combustible Materials in External Wall Systems
The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018 – SI 2018/1230 come into force on 21 December 2018. This article considers what this means for current and future projects.
Government Publishes Consultation on New Court Dedicated to Housing
The Government has published a consultation on establishing a new court dedicated to housing.
Fraudsters Purporting to be Bailiffs
We have become aware of a fraud being perpetrated which involves fraudsters, purporting to be bailiffs with a lawful warrant, attending the premises of an organisation and seeking to seize goods to satisfy an unpaid debt.
Time to review your PFI portfolio
Phillip Hammond’s third budget as Chancellor, announced to the House of Commons yesterday, has confirmed that there will be no new PFI projects.
Cryptocurrency Fraud is Rising and so is Litigation
Devonshires has been instructed by a private investor who has been scammed by an FCA regulated FX trader during the sale of £1 million of Bitcoins.
Case Law Round Up – Litigants in Person
In March 2018, Sir Terence Etherton identified that permission to appeal applications made by litigants in person (“LiPs”) in the civil division of the Court of Appeal stood at 42% of all applications for the 12 months ending 31 January 2018.
A Beginner’s Guide to Inquiries and Investigations
In public and commercial situations there is an almost infinite variety of inquiries or investigations that might be carried out when something has, or is perceived to have, gone wrong.
Does Artificial Intelligence Hold the Key to Tackling Fraud?
Rapid changes in technology are creating new vulnerabilities for fraudsters to exploit but it is often the simplest frauds that can cost companies thousands of pounds or more.
Eales v Havering LBC: Dealing with Discrimination Defences in Possession Proceedings
The decision in Eales v Havering London Borough Council reinforces that an Equality Act defence must fail where no causal link between the disability and the behaviour is clearly established.
Incorrect and Unjustifiable Threats of Legal Action Can Amount to Harassment – Metropolitan Housing Trust -v- (1) Worthington (2) Parkin
The recent case of Metropolitan Housing Trust v Worthington Parkin is a reminder to landlords that threats of legal proceedings should not be made against tenants without clear evidence of wrongdoing.
Christopher Robertson v Gordon Webb (2018)
In this case the Upper Tribunal considered the jurisdiction and discretion to extend time for a tenant’s referral of a rent increase notice out of time.
Paragon Asra Housing Limited v. Neville: Does proportionality need to be re-considered when a landlord seeks to enforce a warrant of possession?
The judgment in Paragon Asra Housing Ltd v Neville deals with situations in which a tenant seeks to raise an argument of disability discrimination in a warrant suspension application.