Ripping off the band aid

The right to justice

Cuts to legal aid will have a devastating impact on people with housing problems

The other Bill

MPs warn legal aid cuts will hit vulnerable

Legislation that would slash the number of housing cases eligible for legal aid has received its second reading in the House of Commons, despite widespread opposition.

Living hell

Tackling rogue private landlords should be a priority for the government, after all it’s the lack of affordable homes that leads tenants to their doors, argues Bill Randall

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.

The legal aid lifeline

Cuts to legal aid and new spending restrictions mean tens of thousands of tenants will no longer be eligible for free housing advice. Jess McCabe visits a law centre to investigate the likely impact of the changes

New powers

Squatting in residential properties is now a criminal offence, says Joanne Young

No magic solution

Proposals to make it easier to evict anti-social tenants are unlikely to work, says Angela Jack, barrister at Five Paper

Acting with conviction

Squatting could soon be criminalised but awareness of current laws is crucial, says Sarah Lines, social housing lawyer at Cobbetts

The harassment minefield

Landlords which chase debts reasonably don’t need to fear legal action, says Matthew Lake, solicitor at Weightmans LLP