Tracey Bloom

Tracey Bloom specialises in all aspects of housing law. She is named as a leading junior in social housing in Chambers & Partners 2010 ("incredibly dedicated and experienced in a wide range of housing work". Interviewees reserved warm praise for her excellent writing and her pragmatism when fighting cases.)

She is experienced in the public and private law field. Her public law practice encompasses judicial review of decisions in regard to homelessness, allocations, Children Act assessments, community care assessments, section 55 asylum claims as well as closure of homes.

In the private law field, she is able to deal with all aspects of housing and any related matters.

She has extensive experience of statutory appeals under the Housing Act 1996 Part 7. She is either drafting or appearing in such cases most weeks. She deals with all aspects of the same including section 204A appeals and any judicial reviews in relation to temporary accommodation.

She has particular experience in dealing with cases that involve nuisance and/or anti social behaviour. She has defended numerous possession actions where the tenant has mental health problems and is fully acquainted with the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act within the housing context. She conducted a half day seminar on this topic for the LSC. She is regularly instructed to act on behalf of the Official Solicitor for clients with mental health problems.

She has acted on appeal in the Crown Court for tenants evicted under closure orders and has represented defendants facing injunctive proceedings excluding them from geographical areas or indeed their home. She has prosecuted cases for statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act in the Magistrates Court and has stated cases in the Divisional Court.

Tracey has been in the vanguard in arguing the ramifications of the Human Rights Act in the housing field (see Pemberton v Southwark LBC [2000] 1 WLR 1672). In 2007 she was successful in preventing immediate possession of a home by relying on a "Winder" defence in the county court (Camden LBC v McCardle & Aston) In the Earlsrping v Hussain in Khan in the Court of Appeal she prevented a landlord from reopening an adverse possession case (decided some two years earlier) where the landlord sought to rely on the cases of Beaulane v Palmer and Pye v UK Application No 44302/02 (later overturned in the Grand Chamber). In 2009 she successfully appealed a possession order for an elderly couple facing eviction after 45 years in the same premises. She persuaded the Court of Appeal that the judge at first instance had misdirected himself and was wrong in his conclusions on reasonableness ( Whitehouse v Lee)

She advises on undue influence cases and mortgage possession actions.
She also advises on professional negligence cases where the issues relate to housing matters.

Reported cases included Pemberton v LB Southwark (tolerated trespassers); Gay v Sheeran (transfer of tenancies under the Family law Act 1996); R v Tower Hamlets LBC ex p Von Goetz (housing renovation grants); McGuigan v Southwark LBC (damages for cockroach infestation); R (Islington LBC) c Inner London Crown Court (level of fines under EPA); R v Barnet LBC ex p B (duty to consult).

Tracey Bloom is Vice Chair of the Housing Law Practitioners Association. She lectures on housing and writes articles on the topic for periodicals.

She has appeared on Money Box Live advising on Renting and Letting.

She is a panel member of the Disciplinary Tribunal of the council of the Inns of Court.

last updated May 2009

Year of Call

1984

Email Address

t.bloom@doughtystreet.co.uk

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Specialist Teams

Member :

• Housing and Social Welfare
• Human Rights
• Public and Administrative Law