In response to a rising number of claims and the increased profile of housing disrepair claims in the social housing sector, Forbes created a specialist Housing Litigation Unit.

We act on behalf of numerous social housing associations and have a proven track record of successfully handling disrepair on behalf of landlords. We use the pre-action protocol to the landlords' advantage where possible. For example, we seek the instruction of a joint surveyor and require a detailed chronology of disrepair reports to the landlord prior to disclosure of documentation. We ensure items in the Scott schedule which do not constitute "structure and exterior" within the definition of Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act are struck out. We believe in prompt information gathering using our team of trained investigators. We use the Civil Procedure rules proactively and where possible, we ensure cases are allocated to the "Small Claims Track" in order to minimise legal costs.

We have a practical approach to litigation, believing that issues can often be resolved by early and frank dialogue with opponents, as opposed to adopting a wholly adversarial approach.

Forbes has a proven track record over a period in excess of 15 years of successfully handling personal injury, disrepair and insurance claims on behalf of Registered Social Landlords. Our philosophy is to work in partnership with our clients providing a problem solving approach and risk based advice. We provide support and training at all levels to improve the handling of personal injury and disrepair claims and to minimise the risk of litigation.

We believe in prompt information gathering using our team of trained investigators and a proactive approach to ensure swift and cost effective outcomes. Our expertise in handling personal injury claims ensures that we can provide a full and seamless service in dealing with all aspects of disrepair and associated claims for our clients. All claims handlers are trained to recognise potentially fraudulent matters. Our anti-fraud unit assists in the defence of cases where causation is an issue and also seeks to identify possible linked claims.

Forbes has an investigation unit, which operates nationally. This team comprises of a number of individuals whose background is either in legal work, ex-insurance professionals or members of law enforcement agencies and have specific experience in investigating housing related claims.

We provide an investigation service nationally for housing providers investigating all their personal injury claims and potential claims pre-litigation providing a comprehensive report, which includes liability and risk management advice as well as evidence gathering, and witness statements.