Mentor Nika is Head of Housing Disrepair Costs at DMD Costs and has more than six years' experience in claimant legal costs.
His work is concentrated on the recovery of legal costs for claimant solicitor firms, with particular experience in Housing Disrepair and Ministry of Defence noise-induced hearing loss claims.
Mentor's day-to-day work includes preparing and reviewing Bills of Costs and costs schedules, analysing recoverability and proportionality issues, dealing with Points of Dispute and Replies, negotiating costs through to settlement and handling the costs issues arising from pre-issue settlements and Part 8 costs-only proceedings.
He has particular experience in Housing Disrepair costs, including standard-basis claims, surveyor and expert fees, low-damages track arguments, settlement wording, Housing Repair Breach Claims and the costs consequences that arise after substantive Housing Disrepair claims conclude.
As Head of Housing Disrepair Costs, Mentor is involved in both the technical handling of individual matters and the development of DMD Costs' wider Housing Disrepair costs practice.
He works closely with Diellza on technical quality, recovery strategy and the presentation of claimant costs claims.
Experience
- Experience: 6+ years in claimant legal costs
- Role: Head of Housing Disrepair Costs at DMD Costs
- Focus: Particular experience in Housing Disrepair and MoD NIHL costs
- Work: Bills of Costs, schedules, N260s, Replies and Part 8 costs documentation
- Approach: Hands-on involvement in negotiation and costs recovery
Areas of costs expertise
- Housing disrepair costs
- Housing Repair Breach Claims
- Housing disrepair bills of costs
- Track allocation
- Standard-basis costs
- Proportionality
- Part 36 issues
- Part 8 costs-only proceedings
- Awaab's Law costs implications
- MoD NIHL costs
Selected technical content
Articles Mentor authors or reviews for DMD Costs:
- £1,000 Housing Disrepair Settlement Does Not Automatically Mean Small Claims Costs: Smith v Wigan Borough Council
- Abbott v Ministry of Defence: the Costs Judgment, 60% of Common Costs and a £2.5m Payment on Account
- Awaab’s Law Phase 2 Begins on 30 November 2026: What Claimant Housing Solicitors Need to Know
- Housing Disrepair Claims With Rent Arrears: Can a Tenant Still Claim?
- Duffy v Birmingham City Council: Can a Defective Housing Disrepair Bill Still Commence Detailed Assessment?
- Abbott v Ministry of Defence: The Costs Consequences for Military NIHL Claims
Working with DMD Costs
DMD Costs prepares and negotiates standard-basis costs for claimant solicitor firms. See the full range of costs services, or get in touch about a live file.