How the Housing Legal Aid Crisis Is Impacting Tenants and Landlords

I just had a tough call with a lady facing homelessness. She's in a wheelchair, but the council doesn't see her as a 'priority need.' My legal aid firm can't take her case; we're swamped.

We get around 100 requests a week, but we can only handle about five.

Trainee solicitors and our receptionist sift through pleas, and partners like me make the tough call on who we can help.

Today, I spent 10 minutes advising the woman on a review, hoping it keeps her off the streets until we can take her on.

Legal aid for housing has taken a hit over the past 30 years.

The government's payouts for help haven't increased in almost three decades. Spending on housing legal aid in England and Wales dropped from £44m in 2012-13 to £20.3m in 2021-22.

It's like trying to fight a wildfire with a water gun.

Numbers tell the story - more than 100 firms delivering housing legal aid in the UK vanished between 2019 and 2023.

The Law Society says 42% of folks in England and Wales can't find a local legal aid provider for housing advice.

Even if you find one, good luck! Many barely do any actual legal aid work.

In 2023, almost 30% of these providers didn't handle any cases, and almost 45% did less than 50.

The Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) in 2013 made things worse.

It kicked out large chunks of legal aid work.

The number of cases granted legal aid dropped by 46%. Imagine losing your benefits' advice just when you need it most. 

And housing disrepair cases, crucial for supporting the sector, are mostly out of scope now. It's a mess.

Legal aid lawyers are hanging by a thread, getting £50 an hour, which covers wages, business costs, and every ticking minute. Corporate law firms would scoff at this – they charge six times more.

Rates haven't gone up since the '90s. It's a shrinking business.

Even if you get legal aid, it's a headache.

The Legal Aid Agency breathes down your neck. They're quick to refuse, and solicitors spend hours appealing decisions. The workload is nuts, and the pay?

Well, it drives away talented folks. CLP lost three newly trained solicitors last year because better-paying jobs called.

Rita Rasheed at Southwark Law Centre feels it.

Housing legal aid salaries won't cut it if you want a house or kids.

Many law students steer clear of legal aid, and universities hardly teach about it any more.

Last year, the Legal Aid Agency tried a non-means-tested housing advice service.

Sounds good, right? Except, Liverpool, Teesside, and Wigan got zilch. There's a shortage of lawyers, even if money rains down.

And if you think this only hurts lawyers, think again. It's the community that pays the price.

In areas without lawyers, slum landlords thrive, and homelessness decisions go unchallenged. When folks finally seek help, it's often too late.

We need cash, but we also need people.

Legal aid rates should rise with inflation, and firms should spend less time jumping through hoops for access.

It's a start, but we may need a whole new approach – regionalize services and let law centres handle it all.

Housing associations could back this, making sure legal aid is part of the social housing deal. It's time for a change.