Preface

As always, the real energy and enthusiasm for a book project comes in the opening stages. This book was originally devised as a joint project with my colleague, friend and collaborator, Morag McDermont. When Morag went on to better and higher things, I chose to take on writing this book alone. Morag’s influence, however, appears on almost every page that I and she have read (and re-read), and it is to her, first and foremost, that I owe a debt of gratitude. Had Morag joined me in writing this book, I strongly suspect that it would have taken a different form (especially Chapter 5, which Morag, whose special subject that chapter concerns, felt was too reductionist, but I felt it could not take the sort of lengthy excursus which she encouraged).

As it is, there is only one style of writing that I use and that is, to confound authorial convention, non-neutral. My previous attempt at a text such as this did rather make me blush at its overly heart-on-sleeve attitude, so this text has been toned down considerably. But, I keep hold of the view that housing law is not a neutral subject and to present it as such is a mistake. Housing law is political; I have a view and expect others to have a view. We can (and should) argue and I know that I am not always right (indeed, often wrong); but to present this subject, about which I am passionate, in a neutral way does violence to both of us (the subject and me). The style is also conversational, without, I hope, being too personal. I also hope that, if you engage with the text, you will correspond with me and, if so, I look forward to hearing from you (my email address appears at the end of this preface).