Abbas v Iqba (2009)

The landlord granted this elderly tenant a weekly tenancy of a single room with shared use of bathroom and kitchen at a rent of £60. In 2007 the landlord informed the tenant that he was going to convert the property into flats. In April 2008 the landlord gave the tenant notice to terminate the tenancy, but this notice did not comply with the requirements of the Housing Act 1988. In May the gas and water supplies were disconnected. In June the tenant obtained an injunction against the landlord, requiring him to reinstate the utility supplies. The landlord ignored this and building work continued. Within a week the property was a shell and unsafe. The tenant was forced from the property and slept at friends’ homes until the local authority rehoused him. The tenant’s possessions, which remained in his room, were removed and disposed of.

The judge found