It looks as if Labour (if they win the election on Thursday, 4 July) will be looking to update the school curriculum. One thing I would like them to consider is basic legal education in schools.
Why some basic law should be taught in schools
Everyone is deemed to know the law, and in most cases ignorance of the law is not allowable as a defence. However, in point of fact many people have only the vaguest idea about our legal system and how it works.
So, surely, our education system should help people understand the legal system and equip them for life.
For example:
- The difference between civil law and criminal law
- The difference between common law/case law and statute law
- The different courts and tribunals and the work that they do
- The different kinds of jobs in the law (solicitors, barristers, court clerks, etc)
Why housing law is important for young people
In particular I would ask for there to be at least some training in housing law and tenants rights.
Most children, when they grow up, will be unable to afford to buy their own home, and so will either stay at home with their parents or rent. Students studying at Uni away from home will also mostly live in rented accommodation.
But renting comes with a whole slew of rights and obligations which many tenants are unaware of.
As a minimum, tenants should have at least a vague awareness of:
- The different types of tenancy
- Landlords’ obligations regarding tenants deposits
- Restrictions on landlord’s rights to increase rent
- Landlord’s obligations on keeping property in repair and
- The various certificates that need to be obtained and served on tenants (eg gas safety, EPCs and electricity)
- A bit of guidance on tenancy agreements and the sort of clauses you will find there, and
- The rules about eviction and recovery of possession
It would also be helpful to have some understanding of
- The data protection rules
- Rules about keeping pets in rented properties
- Landlords obligations towards disabled tenants
- The role of letting agents and what they do, and
- How letting agents are regulated
- The duties of Local Authorities towards landlords and their tenants
No doubt there are other issues which I have missed.
And finally
When my son was at school, I remember that as part of his history course, he had to study the history of surgery – which we both thought was a bit bizarre and put him off history for quite some time.
Learning about housing law – which will directly affect many young people when they leave school, would be far more useful.
If any schools or teachers reading this would like a bit of support in developing a teaching course along the lines above, I would be happy to help.