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I am a specialist Housing Management solicitor. I have experience with working with organisations of all sizes from smaller mental health charities to large Registered Providers of Social Housing and Local Authorities. I also work with those landlords in the Private Rented Sector including providers of accommodation in the Higher Education Sector.
I have a particular interest in working with Supported Housing Providers often within the context of providing advice involving a tenant or licensee with a complex psychiatric history.
I am instructed to advise on a wide spectrum of Housing Management issues but particularly those cases involving serious anti-social behaviour requiring urgent injunction applications under Part 1 Anti-Social Crime and Policing Act 2014, issues revolving around a complex mental health history, tenancy fraud and hoarding cases.
I frequently appear for clients as an advocate in County Court proceedings and provide in-person and online training.
"I have worked with Matthew for several years and his expertise has been invaluable. He simplifies what can be complicated if you aren't from a legal background allowing us to make responsive and informed decisions in a fast-paced environment. He works incredibly hard and is always available to provide advice and quickly action our cases, all of which have had successful resolutions. I have had experience with other solicitors in this field and must say that Matthew stands out as being both personable and professional."
"Matthew is a much-valued lawyer…He allows open and meaningful discussion, he is empathetic to the frustrations experienced by landlords relating to court directions and timescales, he is a great source of emotional support – we all feel challenged by the legal process at times.
Matthew displays an admirable work ethic – calls and emails are responded to in a timely manner and I am in no doubt some of my cases have been challenging – he has embraced those challenges, and navigated his way through difficult litigation – he possesses the ability to embrace challenges by mental health teams and opposition teams."
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- Represented a large Registered Provider to obtain an urgent without notice injunction against a tenant to obtain an order excluding them from their home following a violent assault on a member of staff in their home and the threatened use of violence against a neighbouring resident who was physically disabled and particularly vulnerable.
- Assisted a Housing Association to obtain an access injunction against a tenant with acute obsessive compulsive disorder which translated into a significant challenge to gain access to carry out the annual gas safety check. This included the negotiation of complex reasonable adjustments to allow access.
- I have acted on multiple injunction applications made as a result of tenants using violence and threatening to use violence against residents, possession applications brought as a result of county line gang activity and access injunctions subject to defences brought under the Equality Act 2010.
- Acted for a Mental Health Charity to obtain an urgent without notice injunction to exclude their tenant, living in supported accommodation after several fatalities linked to the tenant’s distribution of heroin from their supported housing accommodation. I obtained the exclusion order at the first without notice hearing and proceeded to seek an order for possession.
- Acted for a large Registered Provider in joint proceedings in urgent Court of Protection proceedings to transport a very vulnerable elderly tenant, without capacity, from a property in a serious state of disrepair into alternative accommodation.
- I have acted for a large Mental Health Charity firstly in respect of urgent ASB injunction proceedings and thereafter providing detailed advice to assist with the organisation’s overall strategic approach to similar legal proceedings which ultimately resulted in a company restructure.
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"None of this would have been possible without the hard work done behind the scenes by our colleagues at Bevan Brittan, particularly Matthew Watts who has been incredible throughout the litigation; both for our team but also for our customers."