The Repairing Standard in Mixed Tenure Blocks
The repairing standard which covers the legal and contractual obligations of private landlords to ensure their properties meet the minimum standard of repair was updated on 1st March 2024. The new provisions extended the obligations to include the common parts of multi-occupancy buildings. The duties on private landlords increased, meaning that a tenant of a private […]
Scope of Damages for Inadvertent Email Address Breaches
A recent case in the English High Court of Justice – Rolfe v Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP – considered when a data controller may be liable for a superficial data breach, such as where non-sensitive correspondence is sent to the wrong person. In this case, the Defendant acted for a school. An employee of the Defendant had […]
New Data Protection Bill Published
The UK General Election in summer 2024 saw the end of the previous Government’s proposed changes to data protection law. With few (if any) parties including data protection reform on their election manifestos it wasn’t clear if changes to UK data protection law would be pursued. This all changed on 17 July 2024 where the […]
Procurement Act 2023 – what RSLs need to know
The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) brings significant changes to the UK procurement regime and was originally intended to come into force in October 2024. However, in a statement made on 12 September, the UK Government confirmed a delay until February 2025. The Act is intended to simplify the procurement regime and increase transparency in the award of public […]
RAAC Update
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight material that was used between the 1950s and 1990s, predominantly in the construction of flat roof sections but also in floors and walls. This material has a limited lifespan of around 30 years and has been found to be susceptible to structural failure particularly when exposed to […]
Clarification on the Scope of ‘Reasonable Endeavours’ in Force Majeure Clauses
Force majeure clauses which relieve a party from performing its obligations under a contract during the occurrence of an extraordinary event beyond the control of the parties such as war, riot or sudden legal change (Force Majeure Event) have for many years been a perennial feature of construction, and often other services, contracts. Whilst […]
Public Procurement Thresholds 2024/2025
Warden’s Accommodation and Deeds of Condition
Intro Heading We are experiencing an increase in enquiries relating to resident Warden’s Accommodation within sheltered housing developments owned by RSLs. With advances in technology in remote alarm systems and older persons generally becoming more independent, there is a trend of proprietors in sheltered housing developments opting to replace their live-in resident warden with a […]
Shared Equity and Rural Housing Burdens
With shared equity schemes, including Homestake and LiFT, now becoming increasingly popular some Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and their subsidiaries who are Rural Housing Bodies, have applied a Rural Housing Burden (RHB) on their shared equity developments. How does shared equity and rural housing burdens work? What is a Rural Housing Burden? The official definition […]
The Housing (Scotland) Bill: An Initial Overview
The Housing (Scotland) Bill: An Initial OverviewAfter much anticipation, the new Housing (Scotland) Bill was published in March. The Bill is set out in 7 parts, and we will be issuing further updates on each of those parts in due course – the devil is certainly in the detail (or potentially lack of detail) in this Bill. The […]
