HJ Housing Week 2022

Employment & HR

The first day of our HJ Housing Week 2022 focuses on Employment & HR. We look at the latest case law developments as well as the key legislative changes that lie ahead in the employment space for 2022 and beyond. We recap the 4 day working week pilot project and answer the key questions you have on this pioneering approach to work life balance and staff retention. Our team also offer guidance to organisations on how to make sure any dismissal of an employee is done in a fair way, through their recent video series, how to effect a fair dismissal and the 5 ‘fair reasons’.

Housing management

The second day of our HJ Housing Week 2022 focuses on the upcoming Renting Homes (Wales) Act, coming into force in December 2022. The day concentrates around our all-day in-person Renting Homes conference, with the morning session focusing on renting homes for project leaders and the afternoon providing a legal guide to the new renting homes world for legal teams and those dealing with claims in court. Rebecca Rees also highlights which teams at your organisation need to be involved in your Renting Homes implementation project and the key information they need to know.

Renting Homes – who else needs to know?

Landlords have been anticipating the Renting Homes (Wales) Act since 2016 and housing managers have long since been warned this is the biggest change in housing legislation for decades. Now that the implementation date of 1st December looms ever closer, many teams are starting to realise that the implications of the Act reach wider than their housing management remit and are in fact essential knowledge for in-house professionals specialising in development, human resources, assets and finance.

As part of Hugh James’ Housing Week, Partner Rebecca Rees highlights which teams at your organisation need to be involved in your implementation project and the key information they need to know.

For more information, read our renting homes housing week blog.

Commercial property

The third day of our HJ Housing Week 2022 focuses on commercial property. Elfed Roberts, Head of Sustainability and Innovation at Pobl Group joins Caroline O’Flaherty, Commercial Property Partner for a conversation on low carbon technologies. They bring these technologies to life by exploring two example development sites, Gwynfaen & Parc Eirin. Caroline also considers if Wales is ready for the new Welsh Housing Quality Standard in her blog. Lucy Pedler, Co-director at The Green Register tells us about her work with Pobl and how the sector is implementing low carbon principles in their new developments and how the sector is responding to this approach.

Construction

The fourth day of our HJ Housing Week 2022 looks at construction. Our construction team recently discussed the new Building Safety Act 2022, the cladding crisis and collateral warranties in their recent webinar. Natasha Nicholas, Associate in the team talks through the issues that industry professionals are facing in the construction world, looking at RIBA’s Contracts and Law Report 2022. She has also created a blog considering the most frequently asked questions from clients about how to ensure they are in the best position possible when finding themselves in an insolvency situation with a contractor and what can be done to lessen the impact, including a downloadable checklist for employers.

Regulatory & governance

The fifth and final day of our HJ Housing Week 2022 looks at regulatory and governance within the housing sector. Peter Spencer, Partner and expert in governance helps you understand the options available when talks of merger are gathering speed, to ensure you take the right road for your organisation. Our Information Law team recently ran a webinar to provide you with the key essentials you need to know when it comes to freedom of information and environmental information law.