Housing Condition Conference 2025

Name: Housing Condition Conference 2025
SKU: 139800
Availability: OutOfStock

The Legal Futures Housing Condition Conference returns to Manchester for another day packed with vital updates for both claimant and defendant lawyers.

Out of stock

Event Details

Date: 27th March 2025 ( 09:15 – 17:00 )

Venue: etc Venues, Manchester

Phone: 020 3567 1207

Email: conference@legalfutures.co.uk

Overview

*** SOLD OUT***
Please email conference@legalfutures.co.uk to go on the waiting list

Landlords have shown complacency in how they respond to hazards facing their tenants – from damp and mould to contaminated water supply, risk of falls and unsafe electrics – and problems can go unresolved for months and years, the Housing Ombudsman reported recently.

And this is before the introduction of Awaab’s Law, which will force social landlords to fix damp and mould within strict time limits (and in time be extended to private landlords).

It is no wonder that housing condition litigation is on the up along with efforts to resolve them in other ways – Nottingham City Council said in November that it did not have enough staff in-house to deal with all the legal work claims were generating.

This year’s Housing Condition Conference addresses the key issues facing practitioners on both sides, including efforts to force tenants into internal complaints procedures and the role of compulsory mediation, as well as the challenges of acting for local authority landlords at this difficult time.

We will look too at the pressure from the SRA over how housing condition specialists attract clients, hear from expert surveyors and pest controllers, and discuss how to optimise the teams of paralegals who are crucial to many firms’ work.

Finally, delegates are welcome to stay for a post-conference drinks reception hosted by Headline Sponsor, Ignite Specialty Risk.

Fundraising Raffle for Shelter

We’ll be holding a raffle at the conference to raise funds for Shelter.

Programme

8.45 to 9.15

Registration and refreshments

9.15

Chair’s Opening Remarks

9.30

Opening Pandora’s Box: The role of landlord ICPs after Churchill

Any housing litigator will be familiar with the practice, increasingly common among landlords, of responding to a letter of claim with no more than a brief acknowledgment informing you that the matter will be treated in line with its internal complaints procedure, to be resolved with the tenant directly, without further engagement with the tenant’s solicitors or the pre-action protocol. In this session, a leading barrister will outline the options available to tenants and their representatives when landlords decide to adopt this tactic, and his thoughts on how it may be a decision which landlords come to regret.

Speaker:
George Murray, Barrister, Liverpool Civil Law

10.15

Acting for a local authority landlord in the current climate

As the relentless financial pressures on social landlords persist, housing condition claims continue to soar. In this session a leading defendant firm will outline the challenges acting for social landlords in the current climate and how best to address a backlog in claims from the landlord perspective.

Speaker:
Ellie Staniforth, Senior Associate, Bevan Brittan

10.45

Networking and refreshments break

11.15

Infestations and pests

An infestation is the presence of large numbers of insects or animals that are classed as vermin, which in the UK is most commonly ants, wasps, cockroaches, rats and mice. In this session, a pest control expert will outline how to gather evidence of infestation and establish if the cause is structural problems in the property rather than tenant behaviour. Finally, what should landlords/local authorities be doing to remove pests and prevent them in the first place?

Speaker:
Sean Mooney, Director, Kill Line Pest Control

11.35

What to expect when using surveyors

In this session, an expert surveyor will explain what he is looking for in instructions and how to deal with issues such as triaging of cases and insufficient disclosure – as well as why it is important to pay surveyors in a timely manner to ensure they remain available to progress your cases. He will highlight the issue of landlords who refuse to use chartered surveyors and instead turn to unqualified staff to conduct surveys and go on to outline a day in the life of a surveyor onsite and what the solicitor can expect.

Speaker:
David Deacon, Director, Housing Disrepair Surveys

12.05

Funding the claims

Litigators have seen a significant influx of funding for their cases in recent times, but it has not been a story of unalloyed success, with a range of poor practices and a number of law firm, funder and ATE insurer failures. The collapse of SSB Law in particular has attracted the attention of MPs, regulators and the media, making this a very sensitive time for the market. In this session, a specialist ATE provider will survey the current state of litigation funding, what to look out for, and how to reassure yourself that you are dealing with reputable partners.

Speaker:
Jamie Molloy, Head of ATE, Ignite Specialty Risk

12.30

Networking lunch

13.20

Raffle Draw in support of Shelter

13.30

The SRA is watching: clients and compliance

The SRA announced in December that it is investigating more than 50 firms involved in volume litigation, including those handling housing disrepair claims. The most common issues are clients acquired via cold calling or unsolicited approaches, the marketing of ‘no win, no fee’, and firms taking on claims without merit or not managing claims properly. A senior SRA representative will outline what the regulator is doing to address these and the good practice it has also encountered.

Speaker:
Jennifer Ackers, SRA Deputy Executive Director – Investigations and Enforcement

14.00

Jillians v Redkite and forthcoming legislative changes

The law around housing condition cases continues to change. The editor of the Nearly Legal blog will discuss the outcome of the Jillians case and how it might set the landscape for s9A and s10 claims, as well as the forthcoming impact of Awaab’s Law on social and private sector tenancies and other effects of the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Speaker:
Giles Peaker, Partner, Anthony Gold

14.30

Networking break and refreshments

15.00

Compulsory mediation

In this session, Alex Christian will delve into the Civil Procedure (Amendment No.3) Rules 2024, introduced following the landmark Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council case. These new rules empower courts to order or encourage alternative dispute resolution (ADR), with non-compliance potentially impacting costs decisions—an especially significant development for housing disrepair cases.

Speaker:
Alex Christian, Managing Director, Mediate Property

15.30

Training and mentoring staff

Paralegals and other unqualified case workers are at the heart of housing conditions claims. These cases can be legally complex and often involve aggressive opponents. In this session, we will explore how to train and develop a strong and confident team. We will look at understanding housing, case management systems – teaching the dog to wag the tail – costs management and supervision among other treasures.

Speaker:
Steve Cornforth, Owner, Steve Cornforth Consultancy

16.00

Conference closes

16.00- 17.00

Drinks Reception hosted by Ignite Specialty Risk

Speakers

Ellie Staniforth, Senior Associate, Bevan Brittan

Ellie has been a housing solicitor for 17 years. Working in the Housing Management department, she manages a large team and acts on behalf of local authorities and other social landlords defending housing condition claims. She has an excellent understanding of the relevant legislation, case-law and pre-action protocols relating to disrepair claims. She is experienced in the court process including drafting court documentation and attending court.

Giles Peaker, Partner, Anthony Gold

Giles Peaker is a solicitor and partner in the housing team at Anthony Gold Solicitors. He has practiced in housing law since 2006 and was housing lawyer of 2018 in the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards. Giles has acted in cases at all levels of the English Courts, up to the Supreme Court and is co-author of ‘Housing Conditions: Tenants Rights’ (LAG 2019). Giles was part of the team for Karen Buck MP’s private member’s bill that became the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

Steve Cornforth, Owner, Steve Cornforth Consultancy

Steve was in private practice until 2017 and is a former president of Liverpool Law Society. He now provides training and support to law firms in relation to housing conditions, personal injury and costs, as well as a monthly webinar. He first ran a housing disrepair case as long ago as 1980. He has a particular interest in fitness for human habitation, especially condensation and mould. Steve also campaigns for access to justice and has for many years organised the Liverpool Legal Walk, which raises funds to support agencies providing pro bono legal help.

Sean Mooney, Director, Kill Line Pest Control

Sean is the owner of Kill Line, which deals with all areas of pest control with two areas of specialism. In winter, the company deals with historic, persistent, and long-term rat infestations. As a registered drainage company with the NADC, they can bridge the gap between the two industries, solving problems that may have been ongoing for many years. In summer, Kill Line remove, rehome and rehabilitate honeybee colonies that have taken up residence within buildings.

George Murray, Barrister, Liverpool Civil Law

Housing conditions claims are one of George’s primary areas of practice and he acts almost exclusively for tenants. He has a particular interest in claims brought primarily or solely under the fitness for human habitation covenant, such as those in which the tenant is seeking works of improvement, rather than merely repair, or the underlying issue is not within the structure, exterior or installations covered by the repairing covenant. George acted for the successful tenant in the recent case of Jillians v Red Kite Community Housing.

Jamie Molloy, Head of ATE, Ignite Specialty Risk

Jamie has worked in the ATE market for the past 18 years and is a Chambers and Partners ranked individual. His experience includes underwriting and managing a significant volume of High Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) disputes, as well as supporting a number of successful appeals to both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Most recently, Jamie supported the leading authority on the use of single claim forms for group actions (Morris & Ors v. Williams & Co Solicitors [2024] EWCA Civ 376) and also one of the claimants in the leading Bll Test Litigation (Why Not Bar and Lounge Limited v West Bay Insurance pic & QIC Europe Limited [2024] EWCA Civ 1026).

Alex Christian, Director, Mediate Property

Alex’s career in the legal market spans over 25 years. He has significant experience in both the private and public housing legal sectors, as well as organisations such as Citizens Advice and Shelter. Alex currently splits his time between practicing mediation with Wensum Mediation and Mediate Property, which specialises in housing disrepair, and working as a legal housing consultant. He is an accredited mediator and a member of the Society of Mediators.

Jennifer Ackers, SRA Deputy Executive Director – Investigations and Enforcement

Jennifer Ackers is a solicitor, who started her career in a high street firm, specialising in criminal defence work. With two decades of experience in legal regulation, she oversees the Solicitor Regulation Authority’s investigation and enforcement work. The SRA deals with around 11,000 reports of misconduct every year.

David Deacon MRICS, Director, Housing Disrepair Surveys Ltd

David is a highly experienced chartered surveyor and member of the Expert Witness Institute. With 25 years of experience in residential property development and management, he has overseen the delivery of a £600 million scheme, providing 1,100 new homes for an East London local authority. He has an expert understanding of housing issues, from initiating land deals to addressing damp and mould.

David is the principal surveyor and co-owner of Housing Disrepair Surveys Ltd/HDsurvey Expert Ltd which provide impartial expert witness reports, homebuyer reports, stock condition surveys, commercial property surveys, and schedules of condition. They also conduct Environmental Health Assessments for Statutory Nuisance/EPA claims and FfHH assessments.

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Housing Condition Conference 2025

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