News story

Ministry of Justice launches legal support pilot for housing disrepair

The online tool will provide individuals with tailored information, guidance and signposting to help them resolve housing disrepair issues before their problems escalate.

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In collaboration with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has launched an online legal support signposting pilot to help individuals resolve housing disrepair issues in private rented accommodation.

The online tool will take individuals through a guided pathway to establish what the issue is and offer them tailored information, guidance and signposting. This aims to help them understand their rights and responsibilities, and identify an appropriate next step when trying to resolve issues before their problems escalate.

This is a key milestone in the MOJ’s Legal Support Action Plan, in which the government committed to exploring a number of changes across the full breadth of legal support, focusing on what legal support works for the people who need it.

Justice Minister, Lord Wolfson said:

We are committed to ensuring that people have access to early legal support as it is vital that problems are resolved before they escalate. This pilot will help us understand the role of early legal support and how this can be designed around what works for people who need it.

I am delighted that we are able to deliver this work with support from MHCLG and advice sector organisations.

Published 24 June 2021