DEPARTMENT PROFILE

Bevan Brittan LLP

Social Housing

3 ranked lawyersBand 1North East & YorkshireUK 2021 View ranking table

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What the team is known for

Fields a number of experienced practitioners able to advise on property matters. Offers recognised strengths in development work, alongside broader expertise in group structuring, transactional issues and Right to Buy schemes.

Strengths

One client comments: "They have good breadth and depth of knowledge and skills, and good client care."

Work highlights

Acted for Connect Housing Association on the acquisition of Section 106 units on a development site in West Yorkshire.

Notable practitioners

Hugo Stephens is an expert in financial matters in relation to social housing, acting for housing associations and local authorities.
"He is commercial and positive, with a can-do approach."

Julie Cowan-Clark regularly advises housing associations on the purchase of development land and units. She also handles commercial leasing matters.
"Julie Cowan-Clark is very knowledgeable and helpful."

Richard Stirk advises both developers and housing associations on property transactions and housing development projects.
"He is very proactive, experienced and knowledgeable." "He has a practical and hands-on approach."

Department Information

This content is provided by Bevan Brittan LLP.

Overview

Housing sector participants, in particular registered providers and local authorities, are experiencing significant upheaval and disruption. The structural change across the housing sector is resulting in dynamic and innovative responses from registered providers and local authorities who are rising to the challenge of saving costs and generating flows of capital and revenue to deliver the housing the nation needs.

Some of the biggest challenges are:

UK Government's call for registered providers to contribute towards the building of the 200,000+ homes needed to meet demand.
Registered providers and local authorities needing to compete with private sector developers and housebuilders for key development sites.
The impact of new policies, including universal credit, the 1% annual rent reductions until 2019, the capping of Housing Benefit (and its payment direct to tenants), and changes to Right to Buy (RTB), which all impact significantly on funding and delivery strategies in business plans.
The Social Housing Regulator's increasing focus on registered providers delivering tangible value for money in their core activities.