Barrister Profile  

Sarah read for a BA in Jurisprudence at Oxford University before joining the Bar.  She joined Arden Chambers in 2001 and she specialises in housing and public law in both England and Wales.  Her practice incorporates homelessness, anti-social behaviour, landlord and tenant, human rights and Equality Act 2010 issues.

Sarah regularly appears for individual applicants (including tenants and homeless people) as well as for local authorities and other public authorities, such as private registered providers of social housing (in England) and registered social landlords (in Wales).  She appears in the County Court throughout England and Wales, in the High Court and has also both appeared in, and been led in, the Court of Appeal.

Sarah has also provided training in all aspects of housing law including:-

• Homelessness;
• Disrepair;
• Anti-social behaviour;
• Social housing fraud;
• Possession;
• S.8 and s.21 notices.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Sarah has appeared for both landlords and tenants in a range of anti-social matters, including claims for possession, injunctions and committal proceedings (in the County Court, the Magistrates’ Court and the Youth Court), and closure orders.

Community Care / Court of Protection

Sarah has provided representation in the Court of Protection in respect of declarations, as to capacity and as to bests interest in respect of accommodation, as well as deprivation of liberty.

Homelessness

Sarah appears regularly for, and advises, homeless applicants and public authorities in homelessness appeals, including second appeal and judicial review claims.  Her homeless work covers those who are homeless, eligibility, intentionality, priority need, local connection, out of area placements, suitability of accommodation (including suitability of temporary accommodation) and whether a fresh application must be accepted by the local housing authority.

Housing

Sarah’s housing practice includes the following: tenancy deposits, security of tenure and possession proceedings, introductory and demoted tenancies, right-to-buy, sub-letting, succession, housing conditions and disrepair, unlawful eviction and harassment, injunction and committal proceedings, leases and tenancy agreements, rents and arrears, defences under EA 2010 and the PSED, public law and Art. 8 ECHR defences.

Local Government

Sarah appears regularly for, and advises, homeless applicants and public authorities in homelessness appeals, including second appeal and judicial review claims.

Public Law

Sarah’s practice includes the operation of public law principles and the Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998 within her core areas of practice.  She also appears regularly for, and advises, homeless applicants and public authorities in homelessness appeals, including second appeal and judicial review claims.

Wandsworth LBC v Tompkins [2015] EWCA Civ 846; [2016] PTSR 102; [2015] HLR 44 (whether the use of the wrong form of tenancy agreement affected the statutory function being exercised by the local authority, and whether the tenancy granted was a secure tenancy, led by Jonathan Manning)

Doey v Islington LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 1825; [2013] HLR 13 (drunkenness was normally an aggravating factor when considering sentence on a committal for breach of an injunction and confirmation of the applicability of the guidelines in Breach of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (December 2008)

Banks v Kingston-upon-Thames RLBC [2008] EWCA Civ 1443 (Sarah was the Junior in this case, which concerned the interpretation of Reg. 8(2) Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Review Procedures) Regulations 1999)