Matthew is a Partner is the Housing & Regeneration team.
Having worked in the housing sector for over 16 years, he has extensive experience advising registered providers with up to 100,000 units on a range of contentious and non-contentious matters affecting the management of their estates and housing stock.
He supports clients on a wide array of matters including reviewing policies and agreements, as well aiding strategically in their response to the risks they face, including claims relating to housing condition, as well as general safety of properties.
With strong litigation experience he supports clients in the management of anti-social behaviour, housing disrepair, as well as recovering possession of properties in a wide array of circumstances, including situations where there has been evidence of tenancy fraud.
In addition, Matthew often advises on sensitive issues where a landlord has been accused of treating a tenant unfairly as a consequence of a protected characteristic. He has also dealt with cases involving alleged infringement of human rights within a housing context.
Clients value Matthew's outcome focused approach which tailors all solutions to achievement of the clients objectives.
Recent examples of how Matthew has supported clients include:
- Supporting a local authority landlord in the successful defence of a High Court challenge over the validity of their s.128 Housing Act 1996 notice to terminate introductory tenancies;
- Represented a housing association in the Court of Appeal in a possession case which reviewed and clarified the appropriate test on the issue of the court’s extended discretion in cases involving serious drug offences;
- Advised a local authority on a serious anti-social behaviour injunction and possession case against joint tenants, one of which was a protected party due to a paranoid dissocial personality disorder. The defendants raised Equality Act issues as part of their defence. A possession order was obtained after a 10 day trial and the tenants appeal subsequently dismissed;
- Worked with a housing association in a tenancy fraud case arising from unlawful subletting in which an unlawful profit order for over £50,000 was obtained against the defendant in addition to an order for possession;
- Enabled a housing provider to recover possession of a property against a tenant living in supported housing accommodation who was imprisoned for sexual offences against children, which required sensitive handling and reputation management; and
- Collaborated with a number of registered providers about devising strategies around approach to increased housing condition claims.