17 October 2025
In this week's issue, Stephen Gold, NLJ columnist and former district judge, surveys another eclectic fortnight in procedure. With humour and humanity, he reminds readers that beneath the procedural dust, the law still changes lives
Family lawyers gain new online powers as FPR PD 41G now allows digital applications for service orders, while legal advisers can authorise bailiff service—a cheap but uncertain option, he quips. In pensions, a tribunal judge’s six-year wait for correction earned him £3,000 from the Ministry of Justice, but no sympathy.
The headline act, however, is ‘Awaab’s Law’: from 27 October 2025, social landlords must fix serious hazards like damp and mould within strict timeframes or face breach actions under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. Gold hails the regulations as a milestone for tenants’ rights—though a compliance nightmare for landlords.
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