For lawyers working on personal injury and clinical negligence claims, property can become an important part of the wider case.
Following serious injury, a client may not be able to return home to a safe environment.
This could lead to an urgent need for suitable rental accommodation, a longer-term purchase or, in some cases, both.
Having a clear understanding of the property options available, and how property finding fits into the wider claim can help the team make informed decisions as the case progresses.
What does property finding involve?
Property finding starts with understanding the requirements identified by the wider team.
Location, accessibility, care arrangements, equipment, family circumstances, budget and potential future needs can all form part of the brief.
The property team then assesses what the market can realistically provide, using property portals, relationships with agents and wider market contacts to identify potential opportunities.
It is not simply about finding a property that ticks every box.
A property that appears unsuitable may have potential for adaptation, while one that looks suitable online may present issues once its layout, access or surroundings are considered in more detail.
How can property information support the wider case?
A Property Market Analysis (PMA) can provide the wider team with a clearer picture of what is realistically available within a particular location.
Rather than simply identifying individual properties, a PMA can help establish:
- What the local market currently has to offer
- How properties could be adapted
- The cost of likely suitable properties
- Potential budgets required for adaptations
This provides the client team with ‘real-time’ evidence to support discussions around location, budget, interim funding or alternative accommodation options.
It can also help establish whether it is appropriate to progress to an individual property search, rather than immediately committing time and resources without understanding what the market can provide.
When should property be considered?
There is no single point in a claim when property finding becomes relevant.
For some clients, the need will arise quickly following an Immediate Needs Assessment. For others, the longer-term property requirement may develop as the claim progresses and funding becomes clearer.
What matters is having the right information at the right stage.
A clear brief can help avoid time being spent considering properties that were never likely to meet the client’s requirements.
Equally, early market information can highlight where expectations may need to be adjusted.
Rental or purchase?
There is no standard property journey.
All client’s circumstances are different, and the accommodation requirement will depend on their individual needs, the wider professional advice and the stage of the claim.
Rental
Where a client cannot return home, rental accommodation may provide an interim solution, particularly following hospitalisation or rehabilitation.
The challenge is finding something that works within the client’s requirements, whilst also being located within the desired search area.
The rental market remains competitive.
In September 2026, Zoopla reported 3% fewer homes available to rent than a year earlier, with an average of 5.3 enquiries per rental property.
Average UK rents were £1,343, being 2.6% higher than a year earlier.
For someone with specific accommodation requirements, the number of suitable properties can therefore be much smaller than the wider market suggests.
As we experience with the majority of rental searches we undertake, accessible properties don’t come ‘ready-made’; as such, many deals rely on agreeing to undertake the necessary adaptations to make it suitable.
Over the years, this is something more landlords have become amenable to, with work including, but not limited to, creating level access, accessible bathing facilities and the installation of through-floor lifts.
Purchase
Where a purchase is being considered, the focus is longer term.
The property needs to work for the person’s current requirements while also considering potential future needs.
Layout, access, space for equipment and care, outdoor space, location and adaptation potential can all be relevant.
Rightmove’s September 2026 House Price Index reports an average UK asking price of £367,440, with available property at a 12-year high for this time of year.
Average asking prices remain 0.8% below a year ago, and buyer demand is 9% lower.
That may suggest greater choice for buyers, but a client is not looking for the average property.
Why isn’t the asking price the whole picture?
For a purchase, the asking price is only one part of the cost.
Adaptations, professional fees, stamp duty, surveys and other works may all need to be considered.
A property that has already been adapted is not automatically the right property.
Adaptations need to be considered around the individual who will live there.
A Suitability Report can help establish what may be achievable within a particular property, including potential adaptations and associated costs, before the wider purchase process progresses.
Property is part of the wider picture
Property finding sits alongside the wider work being carried out by the legal, clinical, care and rehabilitation teams.
The client’s requirements inform the property brief. The market informs what is available. Suitability and adaptation potential help establish what could be achieved.
The role of the property team is to bring those elements together and provide clear information about what the market can realistically offer.
Sometimes that means finding a property that works immediately. Sometimes it means identifying one with potential for adaptation.
And sometimes it means demonstrating that the current brief cannot be met within the available market, without compromise and alternative solutions may be required.
That information can be just as important in helping the wider team decide what happens next.
