england-and-wales civil-law tenant civil-procedure small-claims-court
Why can’t claims under s214 Housing Act 2004 be issued in the small claims track?
<p>Accordingly myriad materials online including as authoritative as Shelter, <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/214?timeline=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">section 214</a> claims must be brought under the Part 8 procedure, even where the maximum possible award would fall well within the threshold for the small claims track. What is the purpose of the Part 8 claim procedure, and why must s214 claims use it?</p>

<ul>
<li>Why use Part 8?</li>
</ul>
<p>Because the Civil Procedure Rules say so.</p>
<p>See <a href="https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules/part56/pd_part56#IDANMC2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Practice Direction 56.2(2.1)</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>...the claimant in a <strong>landlord and tenant claim must use the Part 8</strong> procedure as modified by Part 56 and this practice direction.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And <a href="https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules/part56#56.1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Rule 56.1(1)(f)</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(1) In this Section of this Part ‘<strong>landlord and tenant claim</strong> means a claim under –</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>(f) section 214 of the Housing Act 2004.</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>What is its purpose?</li>
</ul>
<p>Shelter's <a href="https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/court_action_and_complaints/court_process_and_hearings/process_and_rules_for_taking_a_case_to_court#title-6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">handy guide</a> offers this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Part 8 procedure is used where a rule or practice direction requires or permits it [<em>see above</em>], or where the claimant seeks the court's decision on a question that is unlikely to involve a substantial dispute of fact.</p>
</blockquote>
