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David Cowan

David Cowan

The site provides information, updates and discussion on Welsh housing and homelessness law. It is all free, but it is just our opinions, and NOT legal advice. Please do not ask for advice on individual matters.

Latest posts

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill – Deep Dive 4

Posted on 27 June 2025 by David Cowan

This deep dive into the Bill concerns the provision of temporary accommodation to homeless applicants while their application is being considered.  This is called "interim accommodation".  Such accommodation is required […]

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill – Deep Dive 3

Posted on 20 June 2025 by David Cowan

So far in these posts, I have focused mostly on the homelessness stuff in the Bill.  Today's post straddles both parts and deals with clauses 10 and 36.  Or, more […]

Poverty in Wales 2025

Posted on 20 June 2025 by David Cowan

Last week, I attended an online presentation of a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Bevan Foundation about poverty in Wales.  It was pretty depressing, and the climate […]

Asylum-seekers and housing rights

Posted on 13 June 2025 by David Cowan

In this post, I have decided not to publicise or hyperlink to news or media stories but I have become aware of certain aspirational politicians within certain parties who are […]

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill – Deep Dive 2

Posted on 13 June 2025 by David Cowan

This second deep dive post into the Bill concerns the duty to "ask and act" in clauses 21-2 of the Bill.  These clauses reflect a broader shift in the Bill, […]

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill: Deep Dive 1

Posted on 6 June 2025 by David Cowan

This is the first of probably a few deep dives into the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill's clauses, and it is at the behest of somebody who asked me […]

Shared ownership – new code launched

Posted on 6 June 2025 by David Cowan

I'm afraid that I am, and have been for the last 30 years (since I came across it), a shared ownership sceptic.  With my colleagues, I have written fairly extensively […]

Research into the Implications of the Renting Homes Act 2016 for Refuge Accommodation

Posted on 6 June 2025 by David Cowan

This research report, authored by Helen Carr, Miranda Keast and myself, has now been published.  This blog, in fact, came about in part because a lot of people told us […]

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill – Addendum

Posted on 22 May 2025 by David Cowan

This is a brief addendum to my post on Tuesday about this Bill to draw your attention to two important developments: You may have received an email informing you that […]

Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill

Posted on 20 May 2025 by David Cowan

This Bill was published yesterday (I'm writing this on Tuesday as off to a conference later), and this is a holding note just to explain what looks like the outstanding […]