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‘Stepchild’ in local authority discretionary secure tenancy succession: marriage or civil partnership required; Court of Appeal (England and Wales) rejects Article 14 and late new points (Abdelrahman v LB Islington)

Published on: 12 August 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Local Government expert
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Abdelrahman v The Mayor and Burgesses of The London Borough of Islington [2025] EWCA Civ 1038

What are the practical implications of this case? Interpreting policies

The court reiterates to practitioners that deciding what a policy means is equally its function in housing as it is in other spheres, such as planning, where the point arises more often. A local authority may devise policies, including a discretionary succession policy, as part of its allocation scheme. Although applying a policy lies with the authority, construing its meaning is a question for the court. Even so, a policy is not to be read as though it were legislation or a contract (see, for instance, Tesco Stores Ltd v Dundee City Council [2012] UKSC 13 at paras [18]—[19])...

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