As a solicitor, I spent much of my career working with individuals affected by clinical negligence, as well as their families. With over 30 years’ experience of such cases, I understand what support solicitors need when working on such complex cases.
In this series of blogs, I’ve been exploring the impact of an individual’s accommodation needs, as well as their families, in clinical negligence and serious injury cases. Recently, I’ve covered how needs are addressed at the very outset of a case and then how families transition from a rental property to the purchase of a permanent home.
Now we’re onto the final stage, which is about turning that purchased property into a home that works for the claimant and their family, both now and in the future.
In my experience, this is the stage where expectations are at their highest, with corresponding levels of stress and anxiety. The claimant and their family have waited years to reach this point. The legal team has secured the funding, often after long and complex negotiations as well as Court applications. The Deputy has meticulously planned how to best utilise the settlement funds to meet the all-round needs of the claimant, and the claimant is desperate to ensure that what comes next will finally give them a safe, dignified and functional home.
In short, it’s the stage where the most money is spent, the most disruption occurs and the most is at stake.
More Than Project Management
At this point, the builders and contractors take centre stage. But even the best contractors need clear oversight, and this is where the distinction between project management and contract administration matters.
Project management is about supervising day-to-day activity on site, deciding who turns up when, making sure materials arrive and keeping trades coordinated. It has its place, and it’s what the contractor does to the highest standard.
Contract administration, which PLG’s architects deliver, is something else entirely. It is about holding the contractor to the terms of the building contract, ensuring the work is carried out to the agreed standard, certifying payments only when evidenced and dealing with any variations that arise. It is an independent, professional layer of accountability that protects all parties.
For the legal team, this difference is crucial. Instead of being drawn into disputes over costs or quality, or being asked to interpret technical reports, they receive clear, consolidated updates that show progress, confirm financial oversight and a record of decisions. In short, the legal team has the reassurance that the process is being properly managed without having to manage it themselves.
Protecting Families and Funds
From a family’s perspective, contract administration offers something equally valuable, and that’s confidence. They know that the builder, selected through a thorough and fair tender process, is now being held to account by an experienced architect who understands the claimant’s specific needs and who has been side-by-side with them through the earlier stages of the journey.
For Deputies, there is reassurance that settlement capital is being protected. Every staged payment has been certified, every variation scrutinised and any query dealt with before it becomes an issue. This isn’t just about bricks and mortar; it’s about financial stewardship and trust.
The Importance of Snagging
Even when the works are completed and the family has moved in, the journey doesn’t quite end there. Anyone who has lived through building works knows that issues can and do arise once you start living in the space. A door might not close properly, a piece of equipment might not function as intended, or a finish might deteriorate unexpectedly.
For most building projects, the snagging period in which defects are identified and fixed, is short – often just a few weeks or months. PLG takes a different approach. Their architects remain involved for a full twelve months after completion, ensuring that any issues identified during that first year of living in the home are addressed. Contractors are brought back, problems are fixed and the family can be confident that their home is truly fit for purpose.
In fact, a proportion of the contractor’s project funds are held back and only released upon satisfactory completion of the 12-month snagging process. For families, this provides long-term reassurance. For Deputies, it provides evidence that funds have been used wisely and that quality has been assured well beyond the day the keys are handed over.
The Culmination of the Journey
This final stage is not just about adaptation works. It is about delivering on the promise made at the very start of the case, that the claimant will have a home that enables them to live with dignity, independence and safety.
For the claimant and their family, moving into that home is often the first time since the injury that life starts to feel stable again. For the legal team, it is the successful conclusion of the accommodation head of claim, supported by evidence of a process that has been managed with care and accountability.
What makes this possible is not just the skill of contractors or the design expertise of architects, but the way the whole process is managed, from the very beginning of the property search into the process of design through build, contract administration and safeguarded by extended snagging. That powerful combination ensures quality, protects families and makes life simpler for solicitors and Deputies alike.
And that is the PLG difference.
Written by Ian Cohen 22/10/2025
