"unrivalled expert knowledge"
From Legal 500 [UK 2007]

Birketts’ Social Housing Team is committed to providing practical and clear advice to the Social Housing Sector. The team members have experience of acting for a range of national and regional RSLs, local authorities, private housebuilders and funders on a wide range of issues affecting the sector, including:

• Development
• Stock transfer and rationalisation
• Planning and Section 106 Agreements
• Construction
• Projects (PFI, PPP and Key Worker Schemes)
• Housing management litigation; regulation; homelessness legislation
• Employment
• Plot sales, including right to buy/acquire and shared ownership schemes
• Funding and related drawdown work
• Corporate structures
• Charity law
• Commercial agreements, data protection and freedom of information.

This is a multi-disciplinary team who are used to working together on major projects. They have a true understanding of the challenges facing the social housing sector. Some of the team are or have been RSL Board members whilst others were previously lawyers in public sector organisations.

The breadth of expertise within the team means that we can service all the legal needs of RSLs and other bodies within the affordable housing sector.

There are particular strengths in development (including stock transfer) and related disciplines such as construction, planning and projects. Allied to this, the team has the benefit of a well-established plot sales function to support RSL development teams – we believe this is particularly important as the range of the Housing Corporation’s home ownership products increases and as more RSLs turn to private sale to cross-subsidise schemes. The Team also provides a wealth of experience in housing management issues, particularly in relation to nuisance and anti-social behaviour. In addition, the team advises on those core areas that housing associations like any major businesses require on a regular basis – employment law advice and banking are two examples of this.