We were offered a review copy of this book by the publishers, LAG, so I send it over to my new assistant Mark, to say what he made of it. Here is his review:
The Housing Law Manual was released in December 2020 and aims to be an encyclopaedia of Housing Law. It aims to serve not only Lawyers and law students, who will naturally have more of a grasp of legal knowledge and concepts, but also to landlords and housing authorities who want ready access to the subject.
Firstly, it should be noted that this book is not a step by step guide to court proceedings. Therefore, some landlords and other readers who are looking for information to do with specific court proceedings may find this book less useful.
However, the book does inform the reader about when proceedings may be possible, what proceedings are available for potential problems as well as the different type of remedies. So it is a great place to understand and know your rights if you want to learn about this area of law.
Insofar as landlords are concerned, I would recommend this book for someone who wants a greater depth of knowledge of property law and their own legal rights as a landlord. While the book goes into greater detail than perhaps a landlord will need, the ability of the author to simplify difficult legal concepts makes reading interesting and informative.
In addition, the first chapter which explains the very basics of property law, such as the occupation type, means that a landlord starting off for the first time will find this book just as useful as an experienced landlord. So this book would be a great addition to any landlord’s library.
The book will be equally interesting and useful for many tenants – but most tenants (and indeed many landlords) will baulk at the price of £60 (£57 for the kindle edition). Although this is, if anything, cheap for a legal textbook (and compares well to the cost of one to one legal advice).
Needless to say, the book will be an excellent addition to the bookshelf of any housing legal professionals wanting an up to date resource for housing law.
