Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BOOK REVIEW
HOUSING POSSESSION DUTY DESK
A Practical Guide
By Simon Mullings and Sue James
ISBN 978 1 91364 816 9
LEGAL ACTION GROUP
The access to justice charity
lag.org.uk
‘THE PRACTICAL GUIDE THAT IS SO MUCH MORE’: AN ESSENTIAL PURCHASE FOR POST PANDEMIC BRITAIN
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister” and Mediator
Housing repossession is quite obviously one of the prime causes of homelessness, the human consequences of which are not only horrific, but also -- ironically enough -- very expensive, particularly for local authorities in ways that are too numerous and complex to be listed here.
Housing law, predictably, is a continually evolving discipline which, for advisers in this area, has become increasingly complex. Fortunately, the Legal Action Group (LAG), the access to justice charity, has come to the rescue -- particularly of those threatened with repossession -- with clear and authoritative texts on the subject, the best known of which is ‘Defending Possession Proceedings’, which has become the definitive guide to this area of law.
But for those who provide beleaguered tenants or mortgagees with timely and pertinent advice -- under strained circumstances and in a large hurry (like 20 minutes before a hearing) -- LAG has produced a new title: ‘Housing Possession Duty Desk’, supported by Therium Access.
This new and certainly indispensable guide is aimed at ‘those on the frontline of defending possession proceedings’, namely duty advisers, whether new or experienced, who are ‘faced with the challenge of keeping a roof over peoples’ heads,’ usually at the very door of the court.
The publication of this book is undeniably timely in the time of pandemic and its aftermath, when threats of repossession are reaching record levels. Writing in the foreword, Knowles J points out that ‘there are many, many thousands of possession cases,’ adding that ‘It is too easy to create a conveyor belt, to base assumptions on inferences.’
‘In a fairer system’, write authors Sue James and Simon Mullings, ‘this book might not need to exist.’ In the meantime, tenants and borrowers need help, which is amply provided with erudition. and precision in this book, which -- in the words of Knowles J --- is so much more than a practical guide.
Rather, it is an essential reference, not only for duty advisers, but barristers, solicitors, legal professionals and indeed anyone representing a tenant or mortgagee facing repossession in these difficult times.
Publication of this new paperback guide was 5th March 2021.
Do visit the LAG website for their latest titles and editions.
BOOK REVIEW
HOUSING POSSESSION DUTY DESK
A Practical Guide
By Simon Mullings and Sue James
ISBN 978 1 91364 816 9
LEGAL ACTION GROUP
The access to justice charity
lag.org.uk
‘THE PRACTICAL GUIDE THAT IS SO MUCH MORE’: AN ESSENTIAL PURCHASE FOR POST PANDEMIC BRITAIN
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister” and Mediator
Housing repossession is quite obviously one of the prime causes of homelessness, the human consequences of which are not only horrific, but also -- ironically enough -- very expensive, particularly for local authorities in ways that are too numerous and complex to be listed here.
Housing law, predictably, is a continually evolving discipline which, for advisers in this area, has become increasingly complex. Fortunately, the Legal Action Group (LAG), the access to justice charity, has come to the rescue -- particularly of those threatened with repossession -- with clear and authoritative texts on the subject, the best known of which is ‘Defending Possession Proceedings’, which has become the definitive guide to this area of law.
But for those who provide beleaguered tenants or mortgagees with timely and pertinent advice -- under strained circumstances and in a large hurry (like 20 minutes before a hearing) -- LAG has produced a new title: ‘Housing Possession Duty Desk’, supported by Therium Access.
This new and certainly indispensable guide is aimed at ‘those on the frontline of defending possession proceedings’, namely duty advisers, whether new or experienced, who are ‘faced with the challenge of keeping a roof over peoples’ heads,’ usually at the very door of the court.
The publication of this book is undeniably timely in the time of pandemic and its aftermath, when threats of repossession are reaching record levels. Writing in the foreword, Knowles J points out that ‘there are many, many thousands of possession cases,’ adding that ‘It is too easy to create a conveyor belt, to base assumptions on inferences.’
‘In a fairer system’, write authors Sue James and Simon Mullings, ‘this book might not need to exist.’ In the meantime, tenants and borrowers need help, which is amply provided with erudition. and precision in this book, which -- in the words of Knowles J --- is so much more than a practical guide.
Rather, it is an essential reference, not only for duty advisers, but barristers, solicitors, legal professionals and indeed anyone representing a tenant or mortgagee facing repossession in these difficult times.
Publication of this new paperback guide was 5th March 2021.
Do visit the LAG website for their latest titles and editions.
