Disability Discrimination in Housing

This training event will explore the use of the Equality Act, particularly to help disabled occupiers.

Over the last decade, landlords have come to rely ever more on mandatory grounds for possession. This has had particularly negative consequences for disabled tenants. Landlords are now routinely seeking to evict occupiers with serious mental health conditions, accusing those occupiers of anti-social behaviour. Landlords standing behind laws which in principle make possession mandatory, eg if there has been an injunction order, and the tenant has been found to have breached it.

Similarly, landlords are making greater use of laws such as ground 8 which makes possession mandatory after a fixed amount of arrears. In each case, they are trying to close down any discussion of the tenant's needs, or of the conditions which make it harder for disabled people to control their behaviour or to keep on top of arrears.

This practical session will address the protections given by the law to disabled occupiers, and their most effective use. Those attending will be provided with precedents and guided through the most recent and relevant caselaw.