Christian is a solicitor in our Housing and Public Law and Human Rights teams.
Christian often acts for large residents’ groups in claims against developers, freeholders, and landlords. He has particular expertise in fire safety claims against developers and freeholders requiring the replacement of unsafe cladding, insulation, and cavity barriers, and requiring significant payments of damages.
Christian has a strong public law practice representing individuals, campaign groups, and charities, with particular expertise in homelessness, community care cases for social services users, and welfare benefits. He represented clients in the Supreme Court in both 2017 and 2018.
Christian has over two decades’ experience in acting for clients at all court levels. He often acts for vulnerable clients, including those without capacity to litigate. He is frequently instructed by the Official Solicitor.
He continues to advise and represent clients across all residential landlord and tenant matters, including disrepair, unlawful eviction, possession, harassment, and all tenancy related disputes.
Christian is co-chair of the Law Society Housing Law Committee.
Education and career
- Christian graduated with a degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Manchester in 1997
- He then completed the GDL in 1998, the LPC in 1999, and qualified as a solicitor in 2002
- He has been an LSC/LAA supervisor of housing cases since 2006
- Christian was Head of the Housing team at another London law firm from 2011 – 2018
- He joined Bindmans LLP in September 2018
Experience
Christian’s significant areas of work include:
Landlord and tenant
- Crown Estate Commissioners v (1) Governors of the Peabody Trust (2) Margaret Poplak [2011] EWHC 1467 – Established the status of Rent Act tenants following large scale transfer of their homes
- Advised several ‘short-life’ residents’ associations and successfully defended possessions claims by Lambeth Council
- Successful challenge to lawfulness of housing co-op’s re-possession policy
Public law – homelessness
- Poshteh v Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea [2017] UKSC 36 – Appeal relating to Article 6 ECHR and the extent of local authority duties under Part VII of Housing Act 1996. The court’s decision widened the threshold for intervention in local authority decisions
Public Law – Welfare Benefits
- DA and DS v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2019] UKSC 21 – Acted for the intervenor, Just Fair, regarding the ambit of Art 8 ECHR and the application Art 14 and the ‘best interests of the child’ doctrine
Recognition
Legal Directories
Legal 500 2024
- Christian stands out as an exceptional and highly regarded lawyer in the Housing and Human Rights field.
- Feedback says, ”He is absolutely brilliant and is a very effective litigator for clients who don’t have many options. He is very pragmatic, measured and reasonable – he appeals to common sense, which makes him an effective negotiator.”
Legal 500 2023
- Christian is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in Social Housing: Tenants
- “Christian Hansen – extensive housing experience, bright and committed”
- “Christian Hansen: really efficient in managing huge caseloads and never misses anything. Christian is fearless in fighting for his client and gets great results, adopting a creative approach, blending his public law specialisms effectively. Incredibly user-friendly”
Chambers and Partners 2023
- Christian is ranked as an ‘Associate to Watch’ in Social Housing: Tenants
- He is frequently instructed by the Official Solicitor to represent tenants, including those bringing claims for disrepair and unlawful eviction
- Feedback says “He is very approachable and responds to all questions raised”
