Housing

Penningtons Manches Cooper is recognised as a top-class provider of legal advice to the housing sector. We establish dedicated, long-term relationships with our clients which result in an innovative and commercially aware service. Our housing solicitors are valued for their experience and expertise across the whole spectrum of issues faced in this evolving landscape and their commitment to the highest standards of customer care.

Expert solutions for housing sector clients

We provide legal support to a diverse client base, encompassing housing associations with less than 1,000 homes, right up to some of the largest housing providers in the country, alongside local authorities, developers, housebuilders, building contractors, consultants and investors into the sector. This broad ambit enables us to provide detailed market insight to each of our clients and to deliver proactive solutions to the problems they encounter. Many of our lawyers are members of leading professional organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Social Housing Law Association, and Women in Social Housing.

Our comprehensive service offering is combined with a holistic approach. The team’s housing development solicitors work hand in hand with construction, planning, plot sales and securitisation specialists. Their understanding of the housing sector and extensive track record in social housing frequently benefit investor clients transacting in that arena. Our portfolio and asset management teams work seamlessly with our corporate and finance experts on funding, stock rationalisation and mergers, providing guidance for the long-term investment and management of funds and resources.

One of our greatest assets is to be able to seamlessly call on specialists throughout Penningtons Manches Cooper to contribute their expertise in more complex transactions, or to deal with esoteric issues. By way of example, our tax lawyers will ensure the most efficient tax treatment and use of reliefs, our commercial lawyers provide input across all aspects of intellectual property and data protection, and specialist procurement expertise is on hand to avoid potential challenges and disputes.

They are an absolute pleasure to work with… The collective team are trusted advisors who are proactive and take the time to understand our client needs and goals.

Consistently recognised by the main legal directories, our team is praised for the importance it places on best-quality advice for every client. Senior supervision is always provided, notably on high volume transactions, reducing sales delays and voids, and minimising funding and administrative costs. Lead partners will provide a single point of contact, project managing larger transactions to co-ordinate the variety of legal advice required from our housing lawyers and contributing their own insight and know-how. Clients appreciate the fresh thinking we provide, always presenting market-specific recommendations alongside the technical legal options.

We have also invested heavily in enhancing our housing lawyers’ capability through the intelligent use of IT and AI. Our extranet service is capable of being tailored to individual client needs, whether by automating many aspects of the property sales process, simplifying the enquiries procedure for due diligence exercises, or providing transparency on transaction progress and fees. This is another important and flexible tool in maintaining a premium service.

How we help our clients

Acquisition, planning, development and regeneration

Asset management and commercial property

Building and fire safety

Commercial agreements, compliance, data protection and Freedom of Information Act issues

Construction and procurement

Dispute resolution – property, construction and commercial

Employment and pensions

Funding and security charging

Housing management – tenancy arrears, repossession and anti-social behaviour

Home ownership, including all residential sales and after sales

Housing corporate services, including mergers, re-structures and joint ventures

Housing governance and charity law support

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Useful resources

Housing governance and regulatory products

We’re very happy working with the Penningtons team. They are great at understanding what we want, identifying any issues and, importantly, providing solutions. They are commercially minded but never miss a detail.

They are extremely knowledgeable, with a specialist legal team who have been in this industry for many years.

They are experts in their field and have developed efficient ways of working to support us to ensure that transactions are progressed smoothly and in a timely manner.

Penningtons Manches Cooper are professional, offer excellent communication and are very reliable.

The team have a great attitude and explain legal matters in plain language. They are very accessible and knowledgeable about their areas of expertise due to their active involvement in the housing sector.

Recent work highlights

‘Golden brick’ acquisition of 162 units

Assisting SNG on its acquisition of 162 affordable units at ‘golden brick’ stage. The units comprised a mixture of freehold blocks, leasehold blocks, and leasehold plots, across a large multi-phased site.

Housing association sales programme

Supporting Peabody with comprehensive legal advice on all aspects of the rollout of its New Build Sales programme of outright (in both the UK and internationally) and shared ownership sales.

Loan facility for housing association

Advising a housing association on the establishment of a new loan facility, including the negotiation of specific corporate covenants, and the charging of 12 housing schemes as security.

Aftersales transactions assistance

Assisting L&Q, a leading developer and housing association, with hundreds of aftersales transactions, including back-to-back staircasings, onward sales, final and interim staircasings and lease extensions.

Strategic recalibration of HR processes

Providing advice to a housing association on improving HR processes and frameworks, including performance management processes, and responding to claims.

Regeneration project grant advice

Reviewing historic grant agreements and assessing a recycling grant as part of a regeneration project, with further support on funding considerations and compliance with the relevant grant conditions.

Merger for formation of home association

Advising on the legal aspects of the merger of two housing associations via the transfer of engagements process to form a home association responsible for over 40,000 homes in total.

Local authority management agreements

Acting for a housing association on its management agreements with a local authority to manage its private residential portfolio, providing strategic advice on scope, structure and implementation.

Registered provider housing acquisitions

Working with a recently formed for-profit registered provider on the acquisition of 174 newly constructed affordable housing dwellings, which were located in four separate housing developments.

Delivery of water neutrality credits

Acting for Saxon Weald, a Sussex and Hampshire based housing association, in relation to the delivery of water neutrality credits required as a condition of planning for the development of 73 new dwellings.

Guidance on fire safety compliance

Advising a G15 association member on the full range of fire safety issues, registration / application for the non-ACM Building Safety Fund (and Waking Watch Relief Fund) for qualifying buildings, and specialist guidance on remediation measures, regulation and fire safety law compliance.

Major investment and housing programme

Supporting Cornall Council in the development of various vehicles in order to deliver its £600 million+ investment and housing development programme, providing ongoing advice and support.