The threat of losing a home can have profound consequences for personal health and wellbeing, yet little is known about how occupiers experience the repossession process. Many of those affected are not able to engage effectively with this process, which raises serious concerns about access to justice in housing cases. Addressing an under-researched area, this book explores access to justice in housing possession cases by combining the perspectives of occupiers whose homes are at risk with a detailed analysis of the law, policy and practice of housing possession. It puts the voices of occupiers at the centre of its exploration, drawing on first-hand accounts to identify barriers to advice and representation, their impact on possession outcomes and the measures needed to strengthen access to justice for households at risk of eviction.
Lisa Whitehouse is Professor of Property Law, Policy & Practice, The Law School, University of Southampton
1. Introduction2. Public Policy and the ‘Property Owing Democracy’ 1979 – 973. Public Policy Post-1997: A Thematic Account4. The Housing Possession Process5. The Lived Experience of Housing Debt and Home Loss6. Access to Justice in Housing Possession Cases7. Answers and Conclusions