In my last article, I looked at the initial stages of a serious injury or clinical negligence case and how early planning around accommodation supports both the client’s rehabilitation and the litigation process. For many families, the first move is into a rental. It is rarely ideal, but it offers a crucial bridge between hospital or rehab and the longer journey towards a permanent home.
Rental provides stability, safety and the opportunity to begin adapting to life after injury. It also provides critical time for solicitors, Deputies and Case Managers to assess the full extent of needs while the litigation process unfolds. Yet rental is never the final answer. At some point, the focus must shift towards finding and adapting a permanent home that can support the claimant’s life, not just today but for potentially decades to come.
From temporary to permanent
By the time a case reaches this stage, families will have lived through the realities of rental accommodation. They know which adaptations have made the biggest difference and where compromises have created difficulties. That lived experience provides valuable insight for the next step. The legal team and the case manager will also have a clearer understanding of the claimant’s long-term care and rehabilitation needs.
When the litigation reaches a certain stage, usually once liability is resolved or settlement is approaching, PLG’s Property Finding team steps in. Their role is not simply to find a house of the right size in the right area, it is to identify properties that can be transformed into safe, accessible and dignified homes that reflect both immediate and future requirements. This stage also builds naturally on the relationship formed during the rental search. By drawing on the knowledge gained from that earlier process, the team can carry forward an understanding of the claimant’s day-to-day realities and aspirations, ensuring the search for a permanent home is informed, personal and truly responsive to long-term needs.
Suitability Reports
Once the Property Finding team have worked their magic and found a house that looks right (and the claimant and their family love), the Suitability Report becomes central. This is a bespoke architectural assessment of a potential property, carried out with the claimant’s expert reports firmly in mind. It looks at the layout, the surrounding environment and the feasibility of adaptations that might be needed, from through-floor lifts and ceiling hoists to accessible bathrooms and reconfigured living spaces.
Families are presented with floorplan schemes that help them visualise what life in the property could look like. Indicative budgets provide a realistic view of the cost of adaptations. This is more than a technical document, it gives families reassurance that the property under consideration can truly work for them, and it helps legal teams weigh up purchase costs against the capital needed for adaptations. Suitability Reports also carry weight in the litigation. They offer persuasive evidence and can underpin applications for interim payments. They provide a clear “go” or “no-go” decision, reducing the risk of unsuitable purchases and helping the litigation process run more smoothly and avoid delay.
Pre-Purchase Reports
Even when a property seems perfect, unseen issues can create major problems later. This is why PLG recommends a Pre-Purchase Report (PPR) before contracts are exchanged. The PPR draws together multiple surveys into a single comprehensive review. It includes a Level 3 Building Survey and valuation by a RICS Registered Valuer, as well as electrical, plumbing and heating condition reports, CCTV drain surveys, timber and damp checks and asbestos surveys. Where relevant, it also covers bat surveys, private water systems, septic tank compliance and even swimming pool safety.
By consolidating all these technical reports, the PPR provides a clear picture of the property’s condition and highlights any costly surprises that might otherwise surface after purchase. Families and their legal teams are then able to negotiate with vendors from a position of strength or adjust budgets before design and tender stages. For Deputies it offers confidence that financial planning is realistic and based on hard data. For architects, it ensures designs are grounded in accurate technical detail from the outset.
The result is fewer delays, fewer disputes and much less risk of projects being derailed by hidden problems, all combining to take a significant amount of stress out of the process
Continuity through architecture
One of PLG’s key strengths is the continuity provided by its RIBA Chartered Architects. In many cases, the same architect who oversaw adaptations to the rental property will now be working on the permanent home. That continuity is invaluable. It means the architect already has a detailed understanding of the claimant’s needs, their family’s routines and the ways in which the previous accommodation supported or limited independence.
Armed with this insight, the architect can plan for the future, building in flexibility for changing mobility or evolving care requirements. The focus is not only on safety but also on dignity and quality of life. Design is sensitive to the emotional impact of creating a home that is functional without feeling clinical. This balance, achieved through close collaboration with families and clinical teams, is what ensures homes are not just adapted but truly liveable.
It is crucial to PLG’s process that their architects are involved at this stage. Their early input prevents problems arising later, helps manage expectations about time frames and ensures everyone, from solicitors to case managers, can plan effectively around the claimant’s care. More importantly, it reflects PLG’s commitment to understanding each claimant and their family as early as possible, so that every decision is shaped by their needs and aspirations.
A carefully managed transition
For families, moving from a rental to a permanent property can feel daunting. The decisions are bigger, the risks higher and the stakes enormous. Yet with the right framework in place, the process does not need to be overwhelming. Suitability Reports provide clarity on whether a property can meet long-term needs. Pre-Purchase Reports flag risks before they become obstacles. Architects ensure continuity, trust and a deep understanding of the claimant’s daily life.
For solicitors, this structured approach reduces the risk of conflict and delay within the litigation. For Deputies, it provides confidence that settlement funds are being protected. For case managers and OTs, it ensures the home environment will support the required care and rehabilitation for the long term. And for families, it offers stability and the chance to look forward with greater certainty.
Accommodation will always be one of the most complex and sensitive elements of a claim. But, when managed proactively and with empathy, it becomes a foundation for recovery rather than a source of stress. And that is the PLG difference.
