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Costs insights.

Costs case law and recovery tactics for claimant solicitor firms — housing disrepair, MoD NIHL, standard-basis costs, Points of Dispute, Precedent S and costs-only proceedings. Every judgment we have written up is listed in the costs case law index. For plain answers by stage, see our costs help page, which also has every free form builder and calculator.

All 67 articles

Legal Costs Updates

Cleveland Potash: When Beating the Money in a Part 36 Offer Is Not Enough

Cleveland Potash achieved a better rent figure than the one in its own Part 36 offer — but still failed to trigger CPR 36.17. The case shows why beating the number is not always the same as beating the offer.

30 October 2026 · 15 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

AI in Court Documents: What the CJC’s Final Report Could Mean for Legal Costs

AI can make legal work faster, but who pays for the human checking? The CJC's final report proposes new rules for AI in court documents. We look at what that could mean for solicitor time, expert fees and detailed assessment.

29 October 2026 · 15 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Points of Dispute and Replies in Detailed Assessment: Timing, Format and What Follows

Points of Dispute are due 21 days after service of the notice of commencement, in Precedent G, with an open offer letter; Replies are optional and due within 21 days after service of the Points of Dispute. The rules for both, late service and default costs certificates, the common challenges, vague points after Ward v Rai, and what happens next.

25 October 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Bill of Costs Explained: Paper Bills, Precedent S and What Goes In

A bill of costs is the receiving party’s itemised claim for detailed assessment. When it must be an electronic bill, what a paper bill contains under PD 47, how routine letters and expenses are charged, how Precedent S and the J-codes fit together, how an electronic bill is served, and the certificates.

25 October 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Detailed Assessment of Costs: The Process Step by Step (CPR Part 47)

How detailed assessment works under CPR Part 47, step by step: the notice of commencement and bill within 3 months, Points of Dispute within 21 days, a default costs certificate if none arrive, Replies, the request for an assessment, provisional assessment for bills of £75,000 or less, the hearing, the final costs certificate and who pays for it all.

25 October 2026 · 12 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

Biggadike v Elneil [2026]: Enforcing a Default Costs Certificate and a Suspended Committal Under CPR 71

A clinical negligence claimant was left largely unpaid on a £200,118.88 judgment and a £434,876.33 default costs certificate against the surgeon who operated on her. The claimant secured both with charging orders, and when the surgeon failed to attend court to be questioned about her means, the High Court granted an application for a suspended committal order under CPR 71.8.

24 October 2026 · 7 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Lintern v Haven Insurance [2026]: Late Part 36 Acceptance and Fixed Recoverable Costs

A claimant accepted a £5,000 Part 36 offer 11 months late, on the first day of a fast track trial, and ended up with no costs order and a bill for the defendant's costs. Lintern explains how CPR 36.23(8) nets off fixed costs after late acceptance.

23 October 2026 · 11 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Small Claims Mediation and the Costs of Refusing ADR

Since 22 May 2024 many small claims go to the free HMCTS mediation service automatically, and since 1 October 2024 the court can order ADR and weigh an unreasonable failure to engage on costs. Which claims are referred, what a missed appointment can mean, how ADR conduct reaches costs on the small claims track, and appeals.

23 October 2026 · 8 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Enforcing a Costs Order or Costs Certificate: Payment, Interest and the Methods

Costs are payable within 14 days of the order or certificate that states the amount, and default, interim and final costs certificates are enforced through the courts that enforce judgments, not the Costs Office. When costs fall due, how interest runs, the methods, and why costs against a government department are paid on a certificate instead.

23 October 2026 · 8 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Setting Aside a Default Judgment (CPR 13): the Test, the Application and the Costs

The court must set aside a default judgment that was wrongly entered, and may set one aside where the defendant has a real prospect of a successful defence or some other good reason, having regard to promptness. The Denton tests apply in full as well. The rules, the cases, the application and the costs.

23 October 2026 · 7 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Tomlin Order or Consent Order? And Where the Costs Clause Goes

A consent order puts the settlement terms in the court’s order; a Tomlin order stays the claim on terms in a schedule or a separate agreement. The difference decides how the terms are enforced, and a direction for the payment and assessment of costs belongs in the body of the order, not the schedule.

23 October 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Interim Payments: What Percentage Will the Court Order?

No rule fixes the percentage of an interim payment. For damages, the court orders no more than a reasonable proportion of a cautious estimate of the final judgment; for costs, a reasonable sum on account. The rules, how the courts reach a figure, and what they have ordered.

23 October 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Legal Costs

The SCCO and Costs in London: Where to File, CE-File and the Four Londons

A contested detailed assessment in one of the London County Court hearing centres goes to the Senior Courts Costs Office, but the default costs certificate stays local. The London split, how the SCCO works, and the London rules on rates, weighting and budgets.

20 October 2026 · 7 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

Ritchie v Royal Wolverhampton [2026]: When an In-Life Settlement Bars the Dependency Claim, and Why QOCS Survived

A widow's Fatal Accidents Act claim against an NHS trust failed because her husband's in-life settlement with the manufacturer of the device said to have infected him gave him full satisfaction for the same harm. The court entered summary judgment rather than striking the claim out, and under QOCS that choice decided whether the trust could enforce its costs in full without permission.

19 October 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Harvey v Heaver [2026]: Fitness for Human Habitation Under Section 9A, and the Costs Order

After an expedited trial, the High Court found a rented family home unfit for human habitation under section 9A, ordered the landlord to do the works, refused a decant and ordered her to pay the tenants’ costs of the trial on the standard basis, with £130,000 plus VAT on account. What it decides, and what it means for the costs.

19 October 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Orton v Barclays [2026]: Discontinuing a Small Claim Is Not in Itself Unreasonable

A claimant who discontinued a small claim 12 days before trial was ordered to pay £2,132.88 of the defendant's costs for unreasonable behaviour. The Court of Appeal set the order aside. This note explains why, and what it means for housing disrepair claims on the Small Claims Track.

18 October 2026 · 8 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Henderson v MoD [2026]: Without Prejudice Costs Breakdowns and Bills of Costs

Without prejudice costs breakdowns were higher than the certified bills, and the MoD alleged overcharging. The court refused to let it rely on them. Henderson explains why a lower bill is not proof of misconduct, and why the breakdowns were still criticised.

16 October 2026 · 12 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

NHS Resolution 2025/26: What the Clinical Negligence Costs Figures Mean for Claimant Firms

NHS Resolution paid £622.2 million in claimant legal costs on clinical negligence claims in 2025/26. Average costs on claims worth up to £25,000 rose 11%, and the fixed costs scheme for those claims is still undecided.

16 October 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

JBX v Frimley: When Losing the Main Issue Does Not Mean Losing Your Costs

A clinical negligence claimant lost the principal issue at an eight-day trial but still recovered 85% of his costs. JBX explains why failed issues, costs causation and Part 36 must be analysed separately.

7 October 2026 · 12 min readRead →
NIHL Costs

NIHL Fixed Costs 2026: CPR 45, Annex E and Table 15 Explained

NIHL fixed costs are governed by a specific regime under CPR Part 45, but Table 15 does not apply to every noise induced hearing loss claim. The current amounts, the Annex E exclusions, multiple defendants, disbursements, military claims and when fixed costs may be exceeded.

4 October 2026 · 14 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Housing Ombudsman Decisions in a Disrepair Claim: Evidence, Credit and Costs

A Housing Ombudsman determination is powerful evidence on notice, disclosure and conduct — but it does not decide a disrepair claim, and it can hand the landlord a credit argument. We examine what it proves, how to read the compensation award, and what it means for costs.

26 September 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

JXX v Archibald [2026] EWHC 2404 (SCCO): Who Pays the Costs of the MRO Dispute?

In JXX v Archibald [2026] EWHC 2404 (SCCO), Senior Costs Judge Rowley decided the costs consequences of the MRO fees litigation. Despite an approximately 40% reduction to the MRO fees in HLA, the claimants and MROs were treated as the successful parties and awarded the general costs of the MRO issues without a percentage reduction.

18 September 2026 · 14 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Birmingham City Council v Lee [2008] EWCA Civ 891: Pre-Allocation Costs in Housing Disrepair

Birmingham City Council v Lee [2008] EWCA Civ 891 remains one of the most important costs decisions in Housing Disrepair litigation. It addresses what happens where a claim starts with outstanding repairs capable of taking it outside the small claims track, but the landlord completes those repairs before allocation. This guide explains the decision, its limits, and why Court v Beyond Housing Ltd confirmed its continuing relevance in 2026.

2 September 2026 · 16 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Provisional Assessment in Housing Disrepair Costs: Why the Replies Matter

For most Housing Disrepair costs claims, provisional assessment is not an unusual procedural event at the end of a large dispute — it is the route the parties are likely to end up on. It is decided on the papers, so the Bill, the supporting documents and Precedent G have to do the work themselves, and there is usually nobody there to explain a weak item later.

27 August 2026 · 13 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Part 36 in Housing Disrepair Costs: Which Rule Applies, and What Beating Your Own Offer Is Worth

Part 36 is mentioned on every housing disrepair costs file and explained on almost none of them. The first question is not what beating an offer is worth — it is which of the two rules applies, because CPR 36.24 modifies 36.17 rather than sitting beside it, and a fixed costs case does not produce indemnity costs at all.

27 August 2026 · 12 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Pre-Action Costs in Housing Disrepair: Does the Landlord Pay If It Settles Before Issue?

Housing disrepair claims settle before issue constantly, and landlords’ solicitors routinely treat the absence of proceedings as the absence of a costs liability. Paragraph 11 of the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims says otherwise — but it is conditional, and the condition is where the argument actually happens.

27 August 2026 · 11 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

LM1 v Seacroft [2026]: Bill of Costs Struck Out Under the Medway Oil Principle

A £74,075.60 Bill of Costs was struck out after claiming costs beyond the receiving party’s entitlement. In LM1 Limited v Seacroft Film Investments Limited [2026] EWHC 2212 (Ch), the High Court considered the Medway Oil principle, CPR 47.7 and why delay and a lack of transparency can carry consequences even where a party ultimately succeeds.

26 August 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Costs Budgeting

Car-Wizard v Vixen: Can You Vary a Costs Budget During an Adjourned Trial?

A costs budget variation is not necessarily too late because judgment has been handed down. In Car-Wizard v Vixen the trial had not truly ended, the further work came from the court itself and the claimant applied before doing it — so the trial phase went up by £19,710. Read alongside Bassey v Whittaker, decided a week earlier, the boundary is now unusually clear.

24 August 2026 · 11 min readRead →
Costs Budgeting

Bassey v Whittaker: No Costs Budget Variation Without a Significant Development

The High Court has confirmed that there is no general discretion to increase an approved costs budget where the CPR 3.15A significant-development threshold has not been met. A £238,350 variation failed because the developments relied on — further expert reports, rehabilitation, accommodation and the trial window — were within the reasonable contemplation of the parties when the budget was approved.

24 August 2026 · 11 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Vulnerable Claimants and Housing Disrepair Costs: When Is Additional Work Recoverable?

CPR 44.3(5)(f) expressly recognises additional work or expense caused by the vulnerability of a party or witness when assessing proportionality. But vulnerability does not make every additional attendance recoverable — and in XX v Jordan Young the court accepted vulnerability and still cut internal communications from £22,946.15 to £10,000.

24 August 2026 · 13 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Indemnity Costs After a Costs Budget: What Baroness Lawrence v Associated Newspapers Means for Recovery

The High Court has considered what happens when indemnity costs are awarded in a costs-managed case. A £34.48 million costs claim against a £13.31 million approved position, a refused cap and a £9,544,355 payment on account — the approved budget stops being the CPR 3.18 ceiling, but the receiving party still has to show its costs were reasonably incurred and reasonable in amount.

22 August 2026 · 11 min readRead →
Legal Costs

N260 Statement of Costs: 2026 Guide to Summary Assessment, Deadlines and Recoverability

Form N260 is the statement of costs used where the court is asked to assess costs summarily. This 2026 guide covers when an N260 is required, how to complete it section by section, the 24-hour and two-day deadlines, hourly rates and VAT, what happens after late service, where schedules actually get reduced, and the Rolls Building Excel requirement.

20 August 2026 · 15 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Magomedov v Rabinovich [2026]: Can the SCCO Order Security for the Costs of Detailed Assessment?

A decision refusing a receiving party security for the costs of its assessment is also a reminder that it has another route to money before the assessment concludes — and most firms never ask for it.

20 August 2026 · 5 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Defending Grade A Rates in Housing Disrepair Claims: When Are Senior Solicitor Rates Recoverable?

Paying parties routinely argue that housing disrepair claims should have been run at Grade C or D. That is too simplistic — but so is the answer that a Grade A solicitor is entitled to Grade A rates. This guide covers delegation, proportionality beyond damages, above-guideline rates and how to answer a rate challenge in Replies.

20 August 2026 · 12 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

New Lottery Company v Gambling Commission [2026]: Indemnity Costs and Why Proportionality Drops Out

On the standard basis proportionality is the most common line of attack on a bill. On the indemnity basis it is unavailable — which is why, where conduct supports it, the basis of assessment is worth more than any individual argument about an item.

19 August 2026 · 5 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Timokhin v Timokhina [2026] EWHC 1194: Can a 91% Part 36 Offer Still Be a Genuine Attempt to Settle?

There is no minimum discount that makes a Part 36 offer genuine. The question is whether the offer was sober and realistic rather than tokenistic and illusory — and the party resisting faces a formidable obstacle.

19 August 2026 · 5 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Winros v Global Energy [2026]: Can a Solicitor Recover Fees After Accepting a Repudiatory Breach?

Where the very circumstances are addressed in the contract, it is not possible to imply a different basis for the relationship. A solicitor-client case that completes the entitlement picture alongside HD and Kapoor.

19 August 2026 · 5 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

HD v North Devon Healthcare Trust [2026]: When an Unenforceable Retainer Wipes Out Recoverable Costs

The first item on a bill of costs is not an attendance or a letter. It is the receiving party’s liability to pay the costs being claimed — and when that failed here, six assessments were struck out and £92,000 already paid on account had to be repaid.

19 August 2026 · 7 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Cubic v TfL [2026] EWHC 211: How Much Should Be Paid on Account of Costs?

Cubic won the legal proposition — there is no fixed percentage — and lost the application, because on the evidence 60% was comfortably safe. The percentage is an output, not an input.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Attersley v UK Insurance [2026] EWCA Civ 217: Late Part 36 Acceptance Does Not Rewrite the Costs Regime

Six dates decide a Part 36 costs analysis and most files record two. Attersley shows why the expiry of the relevant period matters more than the date of acceptance — and expressly leaves two timing combinations open.

19 August 2026 · 5 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Alphabet v AXA [2026] EWHC 674: Is It an Abuse to Issue Proceedings to Recover Pre-Action Costs?

The claimant won both arguments — no abuse, and reasonableness rather than necessity — and was awarded £599 against a claim of £1,006.80. Entitlement, regime and quantum are three separate questions.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Ward v Rai [2026] EWCA Civ 816: When Can Defective Points of Dispute Survive?

Ward does not weaken the requirement to draft proper Points of Dispute. It confirms that the consequence of getting them wrong is a case-management decision for the Costs Judge, which is a harder result for receiving parties than the headlines suggest.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Costs Case Law: The Decisions That Matter, and What They Actually Decide

Every costs decision covered here, grouped by what it decides rather than by date — including one that reversed completely on appeal, which is why a digest assembled from headnotes is worth less than it looks.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Kapoor v Johal: When a Bill of Costs Is Assessed at Nil

The outcome is rare. The failure that produced it was ordinary: a bill that was never reconciled against what the client had actually been charged.

19 August 2026 · 5 min readRead →
Legal Costs

The Costs Recovery Checklist for Claimant Firms, Stage by Stage

The spine of a claimant costs recovery, stage by stage, with the detailed checks linked at each point rather than repeated. More recovery is lost to the deadlines than to any argument about an item in the bill.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Mazur and the Conduct of Litigation: Where the Law Stands After the Court of Appeal

For six months the answer depended on where a task fell in a contested analysis. It now depends on something a firm controls directly: whether the authorised individual retained responsibility.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Costs Lawyer or Costs Draftsman: Which Do You Actually Need?

The drafting work is often identical. What differs is regulation, reserved rights and who you complain to. A straight account of the distinction, including which one DMD Costs is.

19 August 2026 · 6 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

Points of Dispute in Clinical Negligence Costs: The Timetable, the Budget and the Usual Challenges

More recovery is lost to the periods in CPR 47 than to any single argument about an item in the bill. What the timetable requires, what the budget already settles, and what paying parties challenge in a clinical negligence bill.

19 August 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Part 36 Late Acceptance: When Does the CPR 36.17 Uplift Actually Apply?

Late acceptance is not the same as beating a Part 36 offer at judgment. We explain CPR 36.13, CPR 36.17, indemnity costs, interest and the additional amount claimant firms should actually claim.

19 August 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

JXX and Santiago: Medical Agency Fees Head to the Court of Appeal in March 2027

JXX v Archibald and MIB v Santiago are listed in the Court of Appeal two days apart in March 2027. Both turn on the same problem: when an agency sits between the solicitor and the person doing the work, how much of its charge is recoverable, and how much must be disclosed to justify it?

19 August 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Costs Budgeting

Fuschillo v Johnson & Johnson (No 2) [2026]: Why the High Court Ordered Costs Budgeting in £10m+ Litigation

Mrs Justice Hill ordered costs budgeting in the Johnson & Johnson talc group litigation, holding that six-monthly costs updates would give the court transparency but not control. A claim worth more than £10 million sits outside the automatic regime — it is not exempt from budgeting.

19 August 2026 · 11 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

£1,000 Housing Disrepair Settlement Does Not Automatically Mean Small Claims Costs: Smith v Wigan Borough Council

Smith v Wigan Borough Council is a useful authority against the familiar paying-party argument that a pre-issue Housing Disrepair settlement at £1,000 must mean Small Claims Track costs only. The settlement figure is one measure of value, not the answer — the court has to ask what track the claim would actually have been allocated to had proceedings been issued.

18 August 2026 · 13 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

Clinical Negligence Costs Budgets: Precedent H, the CCMC and the Rules That Decide Recovery

Costs management does not apply to every clinical negligence claim - most birth injury and paediatric claims sit outside it entirely, and the exception survives the claimant turning 18. This guide sets out the rules that decide recovery, from CPR 3.12 through to CPR 3.18.

18 August 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

Clinical Negligence Bills of Costs: Precedent S, the Electronic Bill and the Transition Date

A claim can sit outside costs budgeting entirely and still require an electronic bill. The exclusions in CPR 3.12 and PD 47 are different lists, and in clinical negligence that difference decides how the bill is drawn.

18 August 2026 · 8 min readRead →
MoD NIHL Costs

Abbott v Ministry of Defence: the Costs Judgment, 60% of Common Costs and a £2.5m Payment on Account

Garnham J ordered the MoD to pay 60% of the claimants’ common costs of the generic issues trial, with an interim payment of £2,515,194.95. The more useful point for costs practitioners is why the payment on account came in at 50% rather than the 65% sought — and that reason is about costs documentation, not the merits.

17 August 2026 · 8 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Awaab’s Law Phase 2, Due 30 November 2026: What Claimant Housing Solicitors Need to Know

Awaab’s Law Phase 2 is due to begin on 30 November 2026, subject to the approved regulations being made, extending the fixed response-time regime to a much wider group of serious hazards. We consider the implications for claimant solicitors, evidence gathering, pleadings and legal costs.

5 August 2026 · 12 min readRead →
Legal Costs Updates

Court Fee Increases From 13 July 2026: Updated Costs and Detailed Assessment Fees

Updated civil court fees took effect on 13 July 2026 under a revised HMCTS EX50 schedule. We set out the current fees for Part 8 costs-only claims, applications, Default Costs Certificates, detailed assessment and Fixed Costs Determinations.

14 July 2026 · 8 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Housing Disrepair Claims With Rent Arrears: Can a Tenant Still Claim?

A tenant’s rent arrears do not automatically prevent a Housing Disrepair claim. We examine counterclaims, set-off, possession proceedings, the treatment of damages and the costs position for claimant firms.

14 July 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Duffy v Birmingham City Council: Can a Defective Housing Disrepair Bill Still Commence Detailed Assessment?

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that an omitted certification box does not automatically invalidate a signed bill of costs. We examine what Duffy v Birmingham City Council means for Housing Disrepair costs, Points of Dispute and Default Costs Certificates.

19 June 2026 · 8 min readRead →
MoD NIHL Costs

Abbott v Ministry of Defence: The Costs Consequences for Military NIHL Claims

Abbott v Ministry of Defence provides major new guidance on the diagnosis and valuation of military hearing loss claims. We examine what the judgment means for expert evidence, audiology work, hearing aids and the preparation of MoD NIHL bills.

19 June 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Clinical Negligence Costs

JXX v Archibald: Is the Recoverable MRO Mark-Up Now Capped at 25%?

JXX v Archibald has changed the approach to Medical Reporting Organisation fees. The Senior Costs Judge treated MRO charges as disbursements and adopted a maximum recoverable mark-up of 25% of the expert invoice. We examine what that means for claimant firms.

19 June 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Costs-Only Proceedings

CPR 46.14 Costs-Only Proceedings: When Should Claimant Solicitors Issue Part 8?

Costs agreed in principle but not paid? This guide explains when claimant solicitors should consider CPR 46.14 costs-only proceedings and Part 8 after settlement.

11 June 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Points of Dispute in Housing Disrepair Costs: The 12 Most Common Reductions

Received Points of Dispute on a housing disrepair bill? This guide explains the 12 most common reductions raised by paying parties and how claimant firms should approach Replies and negotiation.

11 June 2026 · 10 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Breach of Settlement in Housing Disrepair Claims: Can Claimant Firms Recover Further Costs?

Has a landlord breached a housing disrepair settlement or failed to complete agreed works? This guide explains when claimant firms may be able to recover further costs, why Tomlin Order wording matters and how to protect the HDR costs position.

11 June 2026 · 9 min readRead →
Legal Costs

Guideline Hourly Rates 2026: Rates Table, Bands by Town and Fee Earner Grades

The solicitors’ guideline hourly rates in effect from 1 January 2026, in full: every band and grade, the towns and counties in each band, the Grade A to D definitions, the earlier rates, and how claimant firms should use them.

10 June 2026 · 12 min readRead →
MoD NIHL Costs

MoD NIHL Matrix Settlements and Costs: Why the Damages Matrix Does Not Cap Recoverable Costs

A damages reduction under the MoD NIHL Matrix does not automatically become a cap on recoverable legal costs. The correct position depends on the settlement wording, the applicable CPR regime and the work reasonably required. We examine Abbott, proportionality, fixed recoverable costs and what claimant firms should check before settling the costs claim.

10 June 2026 · 13 min readRead →
Housing Disrepair Costs

Housing Disrepair Costs in 2026: Are HDR Claims Still Standard Basis?

Are housing disrepair costs still recoverable on the standard basis in 2026? This guide explains the current HDR costs position for claimant solicitors, including fixed recoverable costs, N252, Precedent S and CPR 46.14 costs-only proceedings.

10 June 2026 · 8 min readRead →