Charlotte specialises in a range of housing litigation including disrepair, homelessness, possession, and judicial review.
She has recently obtained a settlement of £15,000 on behalf of a family. £10,000 of the settlement was for the tenant and £2,500 for her two children who had suffered from carbon monoxide exposure due to a defectively installed boiler. At the hearing the Judge requested that the local authority write to him personally with information as to what happened to the individual contractor who installed the boiler and, in the absence of a satisfactory response, he personally would pursue a complaint to the Health and Safety Executive. Works were not carried out in accordance with the settlement and a further settlement of £2,500 was achieved.
Charlotte obtained a settlement of £14,000 for a Southwark tenant in respect of serious dampness and tree root subsidence.
Charlotte has also settled a number of leasehold claims against Lambeth Council. One was settled on the basis of £10,000 in compensation and an agreement to waive a service charge demand of £10,000 in full. In a separate leasehold case compensation of £26,000 was awarded.
Charlotte won a landmark victory in the Supreme Court in 2010 in the case of Austin v London Borough of Southwark ensuring greater rights for successor tenancies.
She was the solicitor in the case of London Borough of Lewisham v Litchmore where the court made an order that the client's replacement tenancy be deemed continuous for the purpose of assessing damages in a disrepair claim.
Charlotte also has experience in personal injury work and undertakes housing related personal injury work where housing conditions have had an adverse affect on health, for example exacerbation of asthma in children caused by damp conditions.
Charlotte is recommended in The Legal 500 2011, where she is noted for her win in the landmark Austin v London Borough of Southwark case. She was a finalist in the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2011in the social welfare category. She has featured in the Law Society Gazette as "Lawyer in the News". She has written articles for Solicitors Journal and the Property Law Journal and she writes regular blog posts.
Charlotte joined Anthony Gold in 2005. She is a member of the Housing Law Practitioner’s Association.
What her clients say...
"Charlotte has been a great help... I feel that she is the only person who has really listened to me and is on my side".
"Charlotte made me feel that, regardless of my financial situation, justice belongs to everyone and she is a great role model".
"My solicitor, Charlotte Collins, is very professional in person and over the phone".
