What's new on Shelter Legal
The pages on Shelter Legal are updated regularly to reflect changes in the law.
This page lists the most recent updates to Shelter Legal.
How universal credit is calculated
25 January 2022
This page has been updated to include details of the new universal credit taper rate.
View amended articleHousing rights of domestic abuse survivors
21 January 2022
Survivors of domestic abuse may be able to receive legal aid if they have evidence of the abuse and they cannot afford to pay legal costs. Applicants do not need to have the evidence before contacting a legal aid adviser or the Civil Legal Advice (CLA) helpline. However, they will need to provide some evidence of the abuse before an adviser can decide if they qualify for legal aid. This and other relevant pages on Shelter Legal have been amended to include information about what counts as evidence of domestic abuse for the Legal Advice Agency (LAA).
View amended articleSupport for mortgage interest
20 January 2022
This page has been updated to include the increased rate of interest charged on loans for mortgage interest. From 1 January 2022 the rate has increased from 0.6 percent to 0.8 percent.
View amended articleRents and rent increases for assured and assured shorthold tenancies
18 January 2022
This page has been amended following feedback. For a contractual periodic tenancy without a rent increase clause, a section 13 notice cannot be used during the first 52 weeks of the tenancy. The 52 weeks run from the start of the tenancy, including any fixed term.
View amended articleMinimum energy performance standards for rented homes
14 January 2022
This page has been updated following feedback, specifying that the local authority cannot serve a landlord with a penalty notice more than 18 months after the date of a breach of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 SI 2015/962.
View amended articleOccupiers with basic protection
12 January 2022
This page has been amended following feedback to clarify the two scenarios where the tenant of a government department or the Crown may have an assured tenancy.
View amended articleEligibility of family members of EEA nationals before January 2021
11 January 2022
Before January 2021, extended family members of EEA nationals could qualify for homelessness assistance if, before joining the EEA national in the UK, they were dependent on the EEA national and continued to be dependent on the EEA national while residing in the UK. In Begum v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWCA Civ 1878, the Court of Appeal found that the EEA national sponsor of an extended family member must have acquired citizenship before the extended family member entered the UK.
View amended articleApplications to suspend a warrant of possession
11 January 2022
This new page sets out how a tenant can apply to suspend a warrant of possession. It includes information on the court's powers to suspend or stay enforcement, how a tenant can apply using form N244, and what the court considers when hearing an application. The page includes a downloadable example of a completed N244 to suspend a warrant.
View amended articleWitness statements
11 January 2022
This new page explains when a witness statement is needed in court proceedings, what it should contain, and how it must be formatted. The page includes an example witness statement.
View amended articlePossession proceedings process
11 January 2022
This new page provides an overview of the possession court process for rented property including the landlord's notice, claim form, the court hearing, court orders and warrants of possession.
View amended article