New fitness for human habitation legislation – what it means for RPs
New legislation is being introduced that will put further…
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Kirsty Varley | Senior Associate
Contact Details:
The Lexicon,Mount Street
Manchester
M2 5FA
DDI: 0161 827 7179
Email: kirsty.varley@croftons.co.uk
Kirsty is a Higher Rights-qualified lawyer specialising in tenancy enforcement.
Profile
@KVarleylegal
DDI 0161 827 7179
kirsty.varley@croftons.co.uk
Profile
Kirsty specialises in housing management and tenancy enforcement and has been involved in many high profile matters using groundbreaking litigation, She is a leading lawyer in her field, particularly in relation to anti-social behaviour solutions and gang activity, and complex matters involving human rights and mental health issues.
Kirsty is experienced in all aspects of housing management law, with a particular interest in ASB, dealing on a daily basis with injunctions, possession claims, and committal proceedings. Being Higher Rights qualified Kirsty regularly (and successfully) represents clients in court, undertaking her own advocacy and providing clients with a seamless service from instruction to trial, and saving them thousands in counsel fees. Kirsty is a regular and familiar face in courts across the region.
Kirsty has developed a national reputation as an expert on using legal tools to tackle gang activity and was responsible for obtaining gang injunctions in Salford in recent years. The widely publicised action resulted in a Divisional Commander’s Award from GMP. Due to her expertise Kirsty is recognised nationally as a ‘go to’ expert regarding policy aimed at tackling gang activity. She is also appraoched regularly by the national media to comment on the issue.
Kirsty has been the convener of the local government North West Practitioners’ Anti-Social Behaviour Special Interest Group for a number of years and is a member of Manchester County Court User Group and a member of Social Landlords Nuisance Group.
Kirsty demonstrates ‘thought leadership’ outside the firm, speaking regularly at high-profile conferences and seminars, and contributing to articles in the housing and legal press. Kirsty is also a 'go to' lawyer for the national media on stories relating to anti-social behaviour and has regularly contributed to BBC Radio. Kirsty has spoken at the Resolve Anti-social Behaviour National Conference, sharing best practice and assessing the effectiveness of a new civil injunction that came into force in 2015, and has also recently delivered legal seminars for CIHNW on tackling vexatious complainants.
Kirsty qualified in 2008 and joined Croftons from Salford City Council's legal team.
- Acting for a housing group to successfully secure an injunction with a ‘positive requirement’ against a perpetrator of ASB; the first application of its kind made by an RP in the UK.
- Acting for an RP in tackling a vexatious complainant using the new ‘nuisance to landlord’ grounds, the UK’s first use of this new legislation. The case had further complexity due to Equality Act considerations.
- Acting for an RP on a complex ASB case that required advice on a range of issues including decant license, rent arrears, Equality Act, liaison with Social Services, capacity issues and involvement of the official solicitor.
- Acting for an RP in relation to serious failures by the client’s gas servicing provider. Advising the clients as to their rights and the contractor’s obligations has resulted in no damages/litigation despite unfounded threats by the contractor.
- Acting for an RP on a complex ASB case involving two defendants and multiple injunction breaches, supporting the client to make a successful application to court to issue an arrest warrant even though no power of arrest had been attached to the injunction.
