We are a Manchester based law firm, which as well as acting for businesses and individuals also acts for many leading Housing Associations across the North West.
Law in connection with Housing Associations needs a depth of specialist legal knowledge as well as an understanding of the practicalities of the situation.
We advise leading Housing Associations in connection with:
- Sales and acquisitions
- Stock transfers
- Home-swaps
- Stock management
- Advice in relation to ground rents
- Freehold sales
- Right to buys
- Housing disrepair
- Investigations of alleged personal injury accidents
- Litigation and dispute resolution
Housing Regeneration Schemes and Stock Transfers
Sedgwick Legal has your specialist legal needs at its core. We have almost fifty years experience in dealing with social housing issues.
We have been involved in Registered Social Landlord (RSL) stock transfer work and have substantial experience in the particular problems of housing estate renewal and regeneration work following local authority stock transfer and council estate acquisition.
As your legal advisers our intention is to provide you with quality legal advise that is both cost effective and comprehensive as well as in plain English; we aim to deliver "on time" and "within budget".
Our RSL team is able to bring competitive cost advantages to the problems of your estate renewal schemes dealing with all legal issues ranging from the problems of telephone masts to surplus ground rent disposal to home-swaps and compulsory purchase.
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
We have acted for Housing Associations for a number of years. As far as contentious work is concerned, that is resolution of disputes, we have acted for leading North West associations in building disputes, professional negligence cases, repossessions and resolution of tenant disputes. Our years of experience in acting for Housing Associations means we have an intimate knowledge of their internal procedures which govern the way they can act and which is essential in providing effective resolution to disputes.
Housing Disrepair Claims
Our law firm realised, during regular discussions with our Association clients that they required advice and assistance in respect of a rapidly growing housing disrepair problem. Our clients found more and more of their tenants were being contacted by "door-knockers" who were canvassing for housing disrepair work. The Associations were being targeted for housing disrepair claims that involved allegations that there had been an exacerbation of bronchial and asthmatic conditions as a result of living in a property allegedly in disrepair. In addition the allegations were having significant effects upon the Association´s annual budgets, as well as causing them major administration problems.
As a result, and in an attempt to at least resolve the administration problems suffered, we developed a dedicated team dealing with housing disrepair. This team evolved more than 5 years ago, stemming from the existing work for already undertaken for housing associations.
We soon became aware that not all the claims had sufficient, or in some instances any, merits. Our team of lawyers dealt with simple allegations of disrepair right through to claims brought by families of 5 or 6, all allegedly suffering from personal injury as a result of their property being in disrepair.
In addition the team were able to begin providing training for the associations employees, making them aware of exactly what a housing disrepair claim was, its importance in monetary and administration terms, the ways in which to deal with matters and generally keeping them updated with changes to the law. As a result we have found, as we are sure our clients will confirm, that most of the associations are now able to deal with most straightforward claims more effectively, within a reasonable period of time and if at any stage the claim becomes complex then they can either refer the case to our solicitors to act on the associations behalf or even seek guidance on how to progress a claim being dealt with in-house.
