Free Webinar – (Un)suitable Accommodation under Part 7 Housing Act 1996

This webinar provided essential updates for legal aid practitioners and support workers advising homeless applicants. It provided a comprehensive overview of the duty to secure suitable accommodation under Part 7 Housing Act 1996, and how it applies to various duties and offers.

Speakers
Tim Jones, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Tim specialises in all aspects of housing law. Tim is regularly instructed on behalf of tenants and homelessness applicants in relation to the following matters: possession for rent arrears and anti-social behaviour; injunction and committal applications under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014; disrepair and fitness for human habitation; harassment and unlawful eviction, homelessness and homelessness-related judicial review. Tim’s practice includes advisory work as well as written and oral advocacy.

Tim Baldwin, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Tim Baldwin is ranked in Chambers UK for Social Housing, Community Care, and Civil Liberties and Human Rights and is also identified as a leading junior in the Legal 500 for Social Housing, Court of Protection and Community Care, and Administrative Law and Human Rights. Tim’s practice concerns all aspects social housing working including possession, disrepair and housing standards work, homelessness, allocation of social housing, community care including migrant support. Tim’s practice in housing and homelessness is largely in the High Court or Appellate courts or in complex specialist proceedings in the County Court. He is also Co-Chair of the Housing Law Practitioners’ Association (HLPA), and aa member of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) advisory panel.

Georgie Rea, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Georgie specialises in public law, focusing on immigration, asylum, housing, education, and community care. Georgie has a detailed knowledge of possession proceedings, having previously worked as a self-employed County Court Advocate prior to taking Tenancy. She regularly conducts work across all areas of housing law, including succession, homelessness, possession, and disrepair, in addition to accommodation-related aspects of community care law. She provides practical advice relating to directions, evidence, and creative settlement solutions in complex cases. Georgie has successfully defended possession claims brought by both private and public landlords, on statutory and public law grounds. In 2025, Georgie was recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in The Legal 500 for her work in Social Housing.