Housing
Anneli has had the opportunity to gain experience across a broad spectrum of housing law, including possession claims, set-aside applications, warrant suspensions, unlawful evictions, homelessness appeals and judicial reviews, statutory nuisance, the right to buy, disrepair including enforcement under Housing Act 2004, anti-social behaviour injunctions as well as gas and electricity injunctions. She has experience of cases involving Article 8 ECHR, Equality Act 2010 and traditional public law such as substantive legitimate expectation.
She has assisted senior Members with leading cases in this area, including Birmingham City Council v Stephenson [2016] HLR 44, Sims v Dacorum BC [2013] EWCA Civ 12, R (CN) v Lewisham LBC and SSCLG; R (ZH) v Newham LBC [2013] H.L.R. 46 and Secretary of State for Transport v Nicholas[2013] EWHC 2945 (Ch), R (MA and others) v Secretary of State [2014] EWCA Civ 13 as well as Swan Housing Association Ltd v Gill [2014] 1 P. & C.R. DG12 and R (JS) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2014] EWCA Civ 156.
Since April 2014, Anneli has participated in a secondment scheme to a Local Authority in London advising on all aspects of homelessness law.
Anneli gained valuable and detailed knowledge of homelessness law during her pupillage, and assisted with judicial review challenges and appeals under section 204 Housing Act 1996. She now advises on judicial reviews and appeals and uses her breadth of knowledge in housing and public law to act in possession claims involving homeless applicants, those to whom a duty is being decided, those to whom a duty is being discharged, and those to whom a duty has ceased.
Residential and Commercial Landlord & Tenant
Anneli will accept instructions from residential and commercial landlords and tenants on a wide variety of leasehold disputes such as claims for possession, residential and commercial service charges, property management disputes, enfranchisement and all other hearings in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
During pupillage she assisted Justin Bates and James Sandham with a variety of landlord and tenant work in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), and the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) including disputes regarding consultations under section 20 Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Right to Manage provisions under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, the enfranchisement provisions under the Leasehold Reform, Housing, and Urban Development Act 1993, as well as the Housing Act 2004.
Public Law
Public Law, the Equality Act 2010, and the Human Rights Act 1998 pervade most aspects of Anneli’s practice.
Local Government
Anneli is regularly instructed by local authorities as well as their tenants in all manner of actions. She is well positioned to advise on all aspects of local government work in relation to inter alia housing, property, homelessness, anti-social behaviour, data protection, community care and general regulatory work.
Regulatory
Anneli’s practice in this area spans the entirety of Chambers’ work including actions under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, cases in relation to houses in multiple occupation (including selective, additional and mandatory licensing), rent repayment orders, Housing Standards under the Housing Act 2004, tenancy deposit requirements as well as social housing fraud.
Community Care / Court of Protection
Mental health and protection issues regularly play a part in Anneli’s cases. She has experience of matters concerning the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Children Act 1989, the Human Rights Act 1998, the Children Act 2004, the Equality Act 2010, and the Care Act 2014. She is therefore well versed in advising on and representing clients in such cases.
Anti-Social Behaviour
Anneli spent approximately 10 months on secondment running the ‘anti-social behaviour desk’ at a local authority appearing on their behalf in the County Court, Youth Court as well as in the Court of Appeal.
She was instructed to act in the authority’s first applications for injunctions, and closure orders, claims on the absolute ground for possession and advised on public spaces protection orders, and community protection notices pursuant to the then new provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
She regularly advises and represents clients on all aspects of that Act as well as applications for injunctions due to gang-relating violence and/or drug dealing activity under the Crime and Policing Act 2009.
Anneli represents clients in committal proceedings for alleged breaches of injunctions.
She also acts on behalf of clients in all actions for possession based on anti-social behaviour. For example, she recently appeared on behalf of the local authority in Birmingham City Council v Stephenson [2016] HLR 44, and for a tenant in a five day trial concerning 124 allegations of anti-social behaviour, spanning eight years, at three properties.
This work frequently involves advising on mental health and capacity and has a particular emphasis on the Equality Act 2010 and public law.
