Isleworth Ait is a teardrop shaped island opposite the offices of Garner & Hancock . It is on the Tideway between Richmond and Kew, and is one of the longest aits. It lies offshore from Heron’s Place, and is opposite the “London Apprentice” public house. Isleworth Ait is covered by densely-packed trees, and provides a sanctuary for a variety of wildlife. It floods regularly, but is home to more than 57 species of bird life The Metropolitan Water Board bought the island from the Duke of Northumberland in the 1930s. The Ait is looked after by a team of volunteers who are part of the Hounslow branch of the London Wildlife Trust.
![Isleworth Ait, (opposite the offices of Garner & Hancock LLP) is a teardrop shaped island in the River Thames. It is on the Tideway between Richmond and Chiswick, and is one of the longest aits. It lies offshore from Heron's Place, and is opposite the "London Apprentice" public house. Isleworth Ait is covered by densely-packed trees, and provides a sanctuary for a variety of wildlife. It floods regularly, but is home to more than 57 species of bird life, including the tree-creeper, kingfisher and heron. Two rare species of air-breathing land gastropods also live on the island, the two-lipped door snail Balea biplicata and the German hairy snail Pseudotrichia rubiginosa, as well as several rare species of beetles. This variety of unusual wildlife makes the island one of the London Wildlife Trust's most remarkable reserves. It is a Local Nature Reserve.[2] Isleworth Ait was once a centre for the production of osier - a willow which used to be harvested on the island to weave baskets to carry fruit and vegetables grown in Middlesex to the markets in London. There used to be five neighbouring islands, but these have all disappeared over the centuries, some being destroyed by passing boat traffic. The River Crane flows into the Thames to the south of Isleworth Ait. Thames Water owns the island, which houses the outfall from the nearby Mogden sewage treatment works, returning treated water to the river Thames. The Metropolitan Water Board bought the island from the Duke of Northumberland in the 1930s.](http://www.garner-hancock.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/PICT18152.jpg "isleworth Ait Island (opposite the offices of Garner & Hancock LLP")
TENANCY DEPOSITS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Who are we?
I am a litigation paralegal at Garner and Hancock LLP and specialise in residential possession cases. This article briefly summarises and considers the protection of tenants’ deposits, highlighting the dangers for Landlords or their agents who fail to follow the new guidelines being brought into force under the Localism Act 2011 s.184.
Why do I need to comply with tenancy deposit rules?
Under the Housing Act 2004 s.212-215 landlords are penalised for not properly securing deposits. Pertinently, under those provisions the landlord or his agents are required to:
- comply with the ‘initial requirements’ of a tenancy deposit scheme within 14 days of receiving a deposit and give the tenant any ‘prescribed information’ required by the scheme (please see: http://www.rla.org.uk/docs/RLA_My_Deposits_Prescribed_Information.pdf).
What happens if you do not comply?
- Failure to do so would require a landlord to pay up to three times the deposit monies back to the tenant.*
- Further, under s.215 a valid s.21 notice cannot be served on a tenant and this may prejudice other applications for possession (e.g section 8 possession proceedings based on rent arrears).
*However, the courts were acutely aware of the potential harshness of this rule for ‘innocent’ landlords who would be harshly punished for not complying with the rules. Therefore decisions such as Tiensia v Vision Enterprises Ltd [2011] 1 All ER 1059 and Gladehurst Properties Ltd –v- Farid Hashemi [2011] 4 All ER 556 sought to soften the impact of the penal element of the legislation, requiring a Landlord to protect the deposit before a hearing date in order to avoid punishment. As discussed below new legislation attempts to redress this issue and clarify the provisions, addressing the concerns raised in the above cases.
What is the current position?
The Localism Act 2011 s.184 amends some provisions of the Housing Act 2004 and reinforces the strict approach taken for any failure to comply with the initial requirements of a scheme, effectively reversing the decisions in Tiensia and Gladehurst Properties Ltd above. The new legislation should mean fairer and more proportionate action is taken against landlords who fail to comply with the new provisions.
In summary the new provisions require all landlords and agents to:
- Protect the deposit and provide information to the tenant in the prescribed form within 30 days (previously 14 days) of receiving the deposit monies.
- The court has a discretion on setting the financial penalty for non-compliance between one and three times the deposit. Although we are not told on what basis they will exercise this discretion.
However, at the time of writing the above provisions are yet to come into force and will only come into force ‘on a date to be appointed’. Nevertheless the intention of Parliament is clear and agents and/or their landlords should ensure they take heed of the new rules and do not accidentally fall foul of the provisions.
Amandeep Gill LLB, LLM
© GARNER & HANCOCK, January 2012
