Housing Help Funding Your Housing Case
There are many funding options open to you depending on the type of case and your financial circumstances.
We understand that you don’t want to add funding worries to the problems you already have and. So, we’ll always clearly set out the options available to you as soon as we know the details of your case. We want to give you every assurance that we would never incur costs on your behalf without your full agreement and knowledge.
The various funding options are as set out below. Not all options will be open to everyone, but your dedicated Solicitor will discuss these with you in more detail once they’ve made their initial assessment.
Our Housing team has been ranked in Band 1 in the Chambers & Partners 2024 legal directory. In the 2023 directory the team was described as “progressive and robust in defending the rights of vulnerable tenants and homeless applicants.”
“Hodge Jones & Allen is an industry leader in social housing law. The firm provides an exceptional service for all of its clients in disrepair, possession and homelessness. The firm has a reputation for providing an exceptional level of service and advancement of the law in very high profile cases in the Court of Appeal and Supreme court.” Legal 500, 2023
No Win No Fee (conditional fee agreement)
This is an arrangement where we agree to take your case and won’t recover costs from you if the case isn’t successful. These arrangements may be appropriate where, if you win the case, costs would be payable by your opponent.
This means that even if you win, you wouldn’t have to pay the costs as these could be recovered from the other side. Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs) are most used for disrepair cases but may be available for other matters too. Various terms and conditions apply to CFAs, but these can be discussed in further detail with your Solicitor.
Public funding (legal aid)
Legal aid is still available for many areas of Housing Law including possession claims, evictions, homelessness matters and some disrepair. Whether you’re eligible for legal aid would depend on:
- Your financial circumstances (known as the “means test”)
- The type of case
- The strength of your case you have
We can assist you in assessing whether you are eligible for legal aid and if you are, we can make the application and manage all matters related to funding on your behalf.
"Invaluable help. Oliver Edwards helped me with a very long drawn out issue with my local council which I don’t think would have been resolved without him."
Privately Paying
If you’re not entitled to legal aid and a CFA isn’t available to you, we can act for you on a privately paying basis. The fee earners in the housing team are all experienced at dealing with privately paying clients and can offer to work at a wide range of hourly rates depending on seniority. We ensure that we always keep our clients properly informed of the costs that have been and are likely to be incurred.
We’ll work with you to ensure you aren’t charged for unnecessary work. If you’re ultimately successful in your case, these costs may be recoverable from the other side, depending on the type of case.
Fixed Fee
We understand that you may be unable to obtain legal aid or a CFA but that you may also be unable to commit to paying for our services at an hourly rate. To try and assist people in this situation we offer a bespoke fixed-fee scheme where we’ll agree a specified price for specific work, prior to any steps being undertaken.
This can often assist our clients in getting the necessary advice to manage their cases themselves or may lead to further work being carried out on an alternative funding basis. How much the fixed fee would be will be decided on a case by case basis and can be discussed with your Solicitor.
"A large team handling a lot of work with some very good individuals who stand out." Legal 500, 2021
Why Choose Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors?
We understand how stressful and upsetting a social housing case can be. Feeling at risk of losing your home is an unsettling experience, that’s why our expert team is on hand to guide you every step of the way.
We know the last thing you need is added stress of working out how you’ll pay for your legal support, so we provide clear information about costs and funding right from the very start. It’s just one of the ways we help keep things as calm and stress-free as we possibly can.
Our experienced Housing Lawyers can help protect you from unlawful eviction and a range of other housing issues that threaten the roof over your head. If possible, we can assist you with a claim for compensation.
We’re recognised as one of the highest ranking law firms for social housing and tenant law in the UK. In fact, we’re one of only four firms in the UK to be listed as a Tier 1 firm for this area of law in the Legal 500 guide. We’re also recommended as a leading team in housing law by Chambers UK.
Our expert Solicitors are passionately committed to defending the rights of those in need of housing. We’ll fight rigorously to get the best possible result we can achieve.
"Sophie was dedicated, supportive and determined. She always went the extra mile. Her level of expertise in housing law is to a standard of excellence. Thank you Sophie."
