Housing Law

Lia Dover (pictured right) is the housing solicitor (part-time) at BLS, who advises, undertakes casework and provides county court representation in the following areas of housing law:

• Homelessness – which does not have to mean sleeping rough, but may mean a lack of suitable accommodation, such as sleeping at a friend’s home.
• Disrepair (for council and well as private tenants) – homes which are particularly damp or in a bad state of repair and with landlords unwilling to rectify the problem.
• Allocations for council housing
• Possession proceedings for private or council tenants
• Harassment or unlawful eviction by your landlord

BLS does not undertake work for landlords.

BLS particularly take cases described above where a mental health problem has caused the tenant difficulties, especially those which lead to homelessness or risk of homelessness.

Lia Dover is an expert and experienced housing solicitor who shares this expertise with other organisations in the borough by delivering training sessions for their volunteers and staff.

This specialist training in the particular area of clients with mental health issues and housing/tenancy or homelessness problems enables the staff and volunteers to advise their clients better and to make more effective referrals elsewhere (including to BLS) when relevant.