Housing: Proportionate Dispute Resolution

This report, unlike most other Law Commission reports, does not focus on reform of substantive law but rather deals with the broader social issues of how housing problems arise and how they might be dealt with better. At the heart of the recommendations is the suggestion that all those providing housing advice and assistance should develop services based on a ‘triage plus’ system.This has three elements: Signposting - providing initial diagnosis of the problem and referral to the best route for resolution; Intelligence gathering and oversight - increasing understanding of how problems arise; and, feedback - to improve decision-taking and prevent disputes arising.Another key proposal is that other means of resolving disputes, outside of formal adjudication, should be used wherever possible. An earlier report, Renting Homes: The Final Report (Cm. 6781) (ISBN 9780101678124, available below), made recommendations for the simplification of current housing law and practice, and implementation of those proposals would improve the position in relation to disputes.