Social Housing
Introduction
Ashfords' Social Housing Team is recognised as a key player nationally in the housing market. It offers a wide range of legal services to an ever-growing client base, including local authorities, housing associations and other social landlords. The team is able to provide sound practical advice to meet all the clients' needs in social housing.
Work handled includes:
Tenant Management
- Injunctions, including anti-social behaviour injunctions and gas safety injunctions
- Possession proceedings
- Homeless reviews
- Anti Social Behaviour Orders
- Debt recovery
- Disrepair claims
- Trespass claims
- Advice on tenancy agreements
- Abandoned goods
- Rent Review Notices and Procedures
Property Work
- Site acquisitions and sales
- Right to Buy
- Lease renewals
- Planning and Development issues including Section 106 agreements
- Construction contracts/warranties/bonds/partnering structures
- Leasehold enfranchisement
- Land Tribunal Applications
- Service Charge Disputes
- Leasehold Valuation Tribunal issues/applications
- Mediation
- Occupiers Liability issues
- Advice on asbestos
- Disability Discrimination Act advice
- Adjudication
- Advice on Beacon Status/achieving the Decent Homes standard
- Easements and restrictive covenants
Banking, Finance and Corporate
- Funding
- Secured loans
- Structured and leveraged property and construction financings
- Restructuring arrangements
Employment
- Outsourcing and TUPE related matters
- Negotiations with Trade Unions
- Sex, race and disability discrimination
- Unfair dismissal and breach of contract claims
- Working time regulations
- Collective consultation obligations
- Policy drafting and implementation
- Reorganisations and redundancies
In addition, the Team frequently provides training to Clients on developing legal issues and matters which are of importance to Clients.
Our experience in the housing sector is extensive. Our Housing clients range from small social housing clients to large local authorities and ALMOs including the London Borough of Wandsworth, the London Borough of Southwark and Hounslow Homes Ltd. We are also one of four panel solicitors appointed by the East Midlands Consortium which comprises a group of 32 local authorities/police authorities.
Examples of recent work undertaken includes:
- Handling all of the non routine litigation work for the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Conducting significant volumes of disrepair litigation for the London Borough of Southwark
- Reported Court of Appeal cases Adel William v LB Wandsworth [2006]EWCA Civ 535; LB Wandsworth v GE Randall [2007]EWCA Civ 1126
- Substantial numbers of ASB cases for Sanctuary Housing
- Property and development work for Sovereign Housing Association and Drum Housing Association
What others say about the team
Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession
