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.
Permission for company directors in a DRO
15 July 2025
This page has been updated to reflect the increase in fees for a debtor applying for permission to act as a company director during a DRO moratorium. The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025 has increased the fee from £308 to £318.
View amended articleChallenging a tenancy guarantee debt
14 July 2025
This updated page explains how a guarantor for a tenancy can challenge the debt or limit their liability under the guarantee.
View amended articlePeople who qualify for local authority housing
10 July 2025
From 10 July 2025, some domestic abuse survivors and care leavers under 25 are exempt from local connection or residence requirements in a local authority's allocation scheme. The Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Victims of Domestic Abuse and Care Leavers) (England) Regulations 2025 amend the rules on qualifying persons in section 160ZA of the Housing Act 1996.
View amended articlePreventing enforcement of a charging order
27 June 2025
This new page explains how a debtor can apply to attach conditions to a charging order at the application stage or by an application to vary an existing charging order to prevent enforcement by sale of the property. This page was produced in partnership with Shelter's Specialist Debt Advice Service.
View amended articleDeductions from universal credit for non-dependants
26 June 2025
Amended to update the rate of housing cost contributions to the current rate for 2025/26 of £93.02.
View amended articleRent repayment orders
26 June 2025
In Pearton v Betterton Duplex Limited [2025] UKUT 175 (LC), the Upper Tribunal held that that a rent repayment order could not include rent paid before the offence was committed. The tenants were unable to reclaim rent as their only payment was six months' rent in advance at the start of the tenancy, before the relevant offence.
View amended articleLocation and suitability of accommodation for homeless applicants
17 June 2025
Between 1 June 2022 and 1 June 2025, a local authority needed to consider different rules for the suitability of accommodation when the applicant made a homelessness application within two years of their arrival to the UK. These rules no longer apply as article 5 of the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (Amendment) (England) Order 2022/521 expired on 1 June 2025.
View amended article