Evicted tenant leaves behind 20 tarantulas

ALMO kicks out tenant for keeping pig

An arm’s-length management organisation has kicked out one of its tenants after he was found to have kept a pig in his home.

Fashion victims

On the front line

When riots ripped through England last week, most people watched the unfolding horror on their television screens. But for many housing professionals the sight of burning buildings, looted shops and mobs running amok was a shocking reality. Here, Alex Wellman relays their stories

Landlord offers tenants cash incentive to downsize

Tenants living in under-occupied homes are being offered cash incentives to downsize by a housing association.

Appeal court backs landlord over family eviction

A landlord which won the backing of the Court of Appeal to evict a mother of seven following her husband’s conviction for hard drugs, has taken back control of the family home.

What’s in the post?

Landlords’ administrative errors can lead to time-consuming court cases, says Jane Plant, associate at Weightmans

Catch the pigeon

Landlords face tough penalties if they fail to deal thoroughly with infestations by insects or animals, says Giles Peaker

New criteria

A Court of Appeal ruling has defined what constitutes sheltered accommodation, says Robert Wassall

Along for the ride

Contractor Kier offers customers the chance to shadow a maintenance worker for a day. Here, Sheffield Homes tenant Yvonne Collins, 71, explains how the scheme is improving tenants’ understanding of repairs and their satisfaction with the service

Going spare

The government’s contentious ‘bedroom tax’ on under-occupying tenants is set to become law this month. Alex Turner looks at the disproportionate effect it’s likely to have in the north