MSB’s Social Housing Highlight – October

Bringing you all the latest updates from the world of Social Housing.

The latest at MSB

We’re delighted to have welcomed a brand new Solicitor to our team! Rachael Payne has joined us this month and is already a fantastic addition. 

We have been celebrating again – this time a wedding! Andrew Fairman married his lovely fiancé this month and we wish them all the very best for the future. 

Phillip Coburn delivered some free virtual training on Starter Tenacies and Acclerated Possession Proceedings and it was a great turnout. Thank you to everyone who attended. Amy Tagoe and Andrew Fariman have also been delivering some bespoke training to some of our clients this month.  If you are interested in booking some bespoke training or finding about more about what we can offer, please contact dominiqueowens@msbsolicitors.co.uk. 

During Black History Month we have been raising money as a firm for the Mary Seacole Statue Campaign. Each week we have been getting involved in a different events, including a bake sale and treating each other to home cooked lunches to raise money. Beth McKeown has also made some personalised coasters to sell and we are finishing the month with a big raffle. Fingers crossed the Social Housing Team win some of the fantastic prizes! If you would like to donate to the campaign, visit https://justgiving.com/fundraising/msb-black-history-month.  

In honour of World Mental Health Day, the team have started a running club this month which meets once a week. We are starting with a ‘Couch to 5k’, but no doubt we will be running marathons by next summer! 

As always, we have been keeping up to date with developments in housing law and have written some useful blogs, with Andy Moore updating us on the problems facing tenants this winter and Abs Lalji providing a useful update on enforcing Injunction Orders. Brook Holroyd wrote an article advising of the risks of Unlawful Eviction and Beth McKeown provided an update on what we might expect from the Renters Reform Bill. In addition, Andrew Fairman, our compliance guru, has provided some handy tips on what makes a good compliance procedure. You can also follow our Andrew on Twitter for regular updates @sh_compliance.  

Housing law news

Possession Proceedings Guidance

On 1st October 2021 the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) published guidance for landlords and tenants to explain the possession proceedings process in the county courts. You can find the guidance here.  

Notice periods and Notices

Don’t forget there have been further changes to the Notice periods which will go back to what they were pre-Covid from 1st October 2021. Click here for a helpful guide on the new Notice periods.    

Form 3 (Section 8 Notice) and Form 6(a) (Section 21 Notice) have also been updated from 1st October 2021. It’s always important to check the Government website to ensure you are using the most up to date version of the form. 

Upcoming events

3rd November 2021 

Our next free webinar, ‘Disrepair & The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2020’ is coming up very soon with Louise Murphy and Thomas Stockton! Please email dominiqueowens@msbsolicitors.co.uk to book your place.