The Housing group is nationally acclaimed. Individual members enjoy a strong reputation in the field and are dedicated to providing a first-class service. The group benefits from an excellent clerking team who recognise the importance of ensuring high service standards at all times and are committed to working with clients to ensure their requirements are met.

Members have extensive experience dealing with a wide range of issues arising in both a social housing context and a private residential context. Clients are located throughout England and Wales and include local authorities, private registered providers, private landlords and tenants.

Work undertaken includes:

  • Possession Actions
    • Anti-social behaviour
    • Human Rights
    • Public Law Challenges
    • Equality Act 2010
    • Succession
  • Anti-social Behaviour
    • Civil Injunctions
    • Possession Actions
    • Protection from Harassment Act 1997[TH2]
    • Orders under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014
  • Homelessness and Allocations
    • County Court Appeals
    • Judicial Review
  • Disrepair
    • Civil
    • Environmental Protection Act 1990
  • Regulatory and Criminal Work
    • Environmental Protection Act 1990
    • Unlawful Eviction
    • Harassment claims
  • Mobile Homes and Travellers
  • Right to Buy
  • Stock Transfers

Members have appeared in several leading cases that have shaped the field of social housing . They are regularly consulted on, and are instructed to draft, policies and tenancy agreements. Members appear throughout the country in courts and tribunals ranging from the Youth Court to the Supreme Court.

The Group holds a popular annual housing conference which attracts delegates from all over the country. As well as providing training on current topics this provides a welcome networking opportunity. Delegates always provide excellent feedback about the conference and return year after year.

Smaller seminars are held throughout the year and bespoke training is available upon request and can be delivered at clients’ places of business.

Recommendations

Legal 500: “St Ives Chambers is ‘a very good housing set’ with ‘strength and depth’ in its team, which is well known for being instructed by housing associations in cases involving disrepair claims, unlawful eviction, possession claims, commercial leases and landlord and tenant disputes. Local authorities and registered providers are also included in the group’s client base.”

Legal 500:  “St Ives Chambers’ team has a ‘depth of knowledge in social housing management’; counsel receive the majority of their instructions from housing associations, although some also act for registered providers and local authorities. …..”

Legal 500: “Property is one of St Ives Chambers’ strongest suits in the civil arena. It has ‘a number of good and friendly barristers’, and wide-ranging expertise across commercial property, residential property and social housing; members of chambers appear in courts and tribunals throughout England and Wales. Social housing is an area in which the set has a particularly strong track record.”

Legal 500: “St Ives Chambers is an excellent specialist housing set, and led by the very effective and experienced Michael Singleton.”

Legal 500: “Provide an excellent service at competitive prices.”