Skip to main content

Housing, Justice and the Law (level 5)

Overview

Module description

In this module we introduce you to housing law and policy in England and Wales, and the ways in which this law and policy operate as a form of social control. We provide an overview of the legal framework for housing law and the theories of property which inform that framework.

You will study topics including the effects of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 on social housing and tenants and migrants, the criminalisation of squatting and the London housing crisis. You will also gain an understanding of how housing law and policy affect different populations and spatial areas, in terms of poverty, security and criminalisation.

Indicative syllabus

  • The changing legal basis of title to land
  • Criminalisation of squatting
  • Self-defence of the home
  • Marketisation of housing
  • Erosion of tenants’ rights
  • ‘Rights of homeowners’ and ideas of autonomy /personhood
  • Belonging and entitlement under the 2016 Housing and Planning Act/Migration act
  • Mortgages
  • Modes of resistance

Learning objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • understand the legal framework for housing law in England and Wales
  • apply critical theories of society and autonomy to evaluate ideas of homeownership and the marketisation of land
  • critically analyse English and Welsh housing law and policy since the Thatcher government
  • critically reflect on the causes of the London housing crisis
  • demonstrate communication and organisational skills and conduct research independently.