Housing Management 

Our housing management team helps registered providers and local authorities deal with the day to day legal and operational issues that shape safe, compliant and well-run homes. Drawing on deep sector knowledge and long-standing relationships across the social housing market, we provide practical advice that supports confident decision making and effective service delivery.

Our housing management team sits within Birketts’ wider social housing sector, one of the largest in the country, bringing together specialist lawyers with sector focused experience across contentious work. We advise national and regional registered providers, local authorities and social landlords on the issues that matter most to housing teams, from anti-social behaviour, disrepair and building safety to tenancy fraud, leasehold and service charge disputes, policy drafting and regulatory compliance.  

Clients turn to us for advice that is technically strong, commercially aware and grounded in the realities of housing operations. We support the full life cycle of housing management matters, including tenancy and licence agreements, possession proceedings, injunctions, access issues, supported housing disputes, complaints, service charge recovery and First Tier Tribunal work. Our lawyers also help clients review and update policies, procedures and front-line processes so that legal requirements are embedded in day-to-day practice.  

Our experience includes high volume social housing instructions focused on processing disrepair claims, handling access injunctions, possession related proceedings and associated advisory work. We also support clients with ongoing policy, procedural and housing advice, helping them respond consistently and efficiently across caseloads while keeping resident impact and operational priorities in view. For access to properties for annual gas safety inspections and servicing, our Letter Before Action process has achieved a success rate of over 90 per cent.  

The team’s strength is reinforced by experienced leaders who combine sector knowledge with perspectives from public service, in house roles, judicial insight and long-standing specialist practice. Jonathan Hulley, Joint Head of Social Housing, is recognised for his expertise in housing management dispute resolution, regulatory compliance and leasehold management, and brings a unique perspective from his time on the Surrey County Council. Thaine Wilson, Joint Head of Social Housing, is described in Chambers materials as highly knowledgeable, pragmatic and approachable, and brings a wealth of management experience from his time as a Managing Partner. Clive Adams, Head of Asset and Leasehold Management, has more than 24 years’ experience in asset and housing management and is particularly known for his expertise relating to service charge issues. Andrew Harmer, Head of Housing Management, has more than 30 years’ experience in social housing and also sits as a Deputy District Judge, bringing valuable judicial insight to complex cases. Katrina Robinson MBE adds significant in house experience with social landlords and is especially known for disrepair, anti social behaviour and tenancy fraud work. Katrina was awarded an MBE for services to social housing in recognition of her significant contribution to the sector. This depth of experience means our clients benefit from advice that goes beyond legal analysis alone, giving them commercially grounded, strategically informed support from people who understand how decisions affect governance, operations, residents and risk in the real world.