Our Housing Management Series of training sessions returns on 14 September with 8 bitesize sessions taking place on a weekly basis. Aimed at those involved in the frontline delivery of housing management services, the sessions focus on a specific housing management topic.  The sessions will allow practitioners to interact and raise questions, with the opportunity submit questions in advance.

Who Should Attend?

Housing staff who are involved in the frontline of service delivery. This course will give you the tools to support you in your day to day role.

Sessions

Rent Arrears - 14 September 2023

This session will look at the law of eviction in Scotland with particular reference to the relevant court procedures involved in eviction cases for rent arrears. We will cover the necessary pre-court steps including the preparation and service of Notices of Proceedings and Pre-action Requirements (PARs) compliance. Additionally, we will look at recent challenges to PARs compliance raised in court proceedings and how to avoid these.

Abandoned Tenancies & Deceased Tenants - 21 September 2023

Abandonments are straightforward, aren’t they? Not always. The first half of this session will look at repossessing abandoned tenancies: the procedure, what inquiries to make and the challenges you could face.

The second half will focus on succession issues. This will include what to do when a tenant passes away, who to speak to, who to take instruction from, the rules of succession and when you might consider applying “exceptional circumstances” to those rules.

Dealing with Capacity Issues in Tenancies - 28 September

Handling issues with capacity is becoming an increasing challenge for housing staff. With an ageing population and legislation that is unhelpful, we will consider what options are available to you when handling housing management issues where capacity concerns are raised. We will also look at options for repossession when the tenant lacks capacity, and what to look out for when presented with Powers of Attorney and Guardianship Orders.

ASB: Prevention, Intervention & Legal Remedies - 5 October

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) can be difficult for housing staff. This session will focus on how to bring a Scottish Secure Tenancy (SST) to an end by reason of ASB. It will look at the use of Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) as well as discussing how you may convert a SST to a Short Scottish Secure Tenancy (SSST); detailing how you can bring a SSST to an end if ASB continues. We will touch upon the court processes involved along the way, plus look at the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Commencing, Ending and Converting to Short SSTs - 12 October

Working with SSSTs is challenging for a variety of reasons. We will look at how to use SSSTs from start to finish. What are key dates to watch for as the tenancy progresses, what steps are involved in ending these tenancies, and when it is appropriate to take those steps?

We will also look at the steps to convert an existing SST to a Short SST.

Criminal Convictions & Legal Remedies - 24 October

Streamlined Evictions: Is this a misnomer? This session will look at the pre-action steps to consider before embarking on a streamlined eviction following a relevant criminal conviction, and the challenges that may be faced when taking forward these streamlined evictions. This will include a look at human rights and the Scottish Government’s guidance on streamlined evictions.

Repairs - 31 October

No more so than in recent months has there been such a focus on the condition of social rented housing stock. Following the tragedies in England, we will look at the law of repairs and your obligations in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. We will also look in more detail at dampness cases and what steps to take in tackling those cases to ensure that properties are kept in good order and repair.

Court Procedure & Appearing as a Witness - 7 November

Following on from the Sheriffs Principal Guidance Note on the handling of heritable repossession cases for RSL tenancies issued in July 2022, we are seeing an increase in cases being progressed to full evidential (Proof) hearings. Why is this? This session will focus on the court procedure, the steps involved, the powers of the presiding Sheriff, as well as looking at how an evidential hearing is run and steps to take if you are asked to appear as a witness in an evidential hearing.

Location - Zoom

Times - all sessions will take place from 10.00am until 11.30am

Cost - £25 (plus VAT) per session or £175 (plus VAT) if all 8 sessions are booked.

Introducing Our Speaker 

 Alastair McKendrick, Head of our Litigation Team, is an accredited specialist in Housing and Residential Tenancy Law. He has extensive experience in housing matters and manages a wide variety of cases including contentious and non-contentious housing management issues for Registered Social Landlords. 

To book a place please complete the booking form.