Do you accept fixed-fee Legal Aid instructions for s.204 appeals?

Yes. Reports for homelessness review and s.204 appeal work are routinely covered by Legal Aid prior authority and we agree fixed fees within the LAA codified rates wherever possible.

How quickly can a report be delivered?

Standard turnaround is 1–2 weeks from receipt of the bundle and access to the assessee. Urgent reports can be delivered in 2–5 working days where a Crown Court trial date, tribunal listing or interim hearing requires it. We will tell you on day one whether the deadline is realistic.

How are fees calculated?

We agree a fixed fee for the report and any addendum, joint statement work and CMC/court attendance up front. Fees reflect the complexity, the volume of records and the urgency. We will provide a written quote that supports a Legal Aid prior authority application where required.

Can the expert be instructed as a Single Joint Expert?

Yes. The majority of our consultants accept SJE instructions and are experienced in dealing with joint letters of instruction, Part 35 questions from both sides, and joint reports with experts of like discipline.

Is in-person assessment essential?

Most assessments can be conducted by secure video, which keeps costs and timescales down and avoids travel. In-person assessment is arranged where the case calls for it, for example where capacity, malingering, or a child or learning-disabled assessee is involved, and across all the UK regions we cover.

What happens if the report is challenged at court?

The instructed expert remains responsible for the case end-to-end, including responding to Part 35 questions, attending the joint experts' discussion, signing the joint statement, and giving live evidence. There is no handover to a different expert at trial.

Case type

Housing

Housing cases regularly engage psychiatric evidence, disrepair claims with psychiatric injury, possession defences raising mental disorder and the public sector equality duty, and homelessness reviews requiring assessment of vulnerability under the Housing Act 1996.

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Use this category when…

You need to map a court order or letter from counsel to the right report
You're confirming whether a psychiatric expert (rather than a psychologist) is the right discipline
You want a fixed quote and a realistic deadline before instructing

What to send with your enquiry

A short summary plus the items below is enough for us to match an expert and confirm the deadline — you don't need the full bundle to get a quote.

Short case summary and the questions you want answered
Hearing or listing date and jurisdiction
GP and psychiatric records (full set where available)
Witness statements, schedules of loss or threshold documents
Any prior expert reports
Court order granting permission to instruct (family / Court of Protection)

Overview

Housing psychiatric instructions cluster around three areas: disrepair claims with psychiatric injury, possession defences raising mental disorder, and homelessness reviews requiring an assessment of vulnerability under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.

Reports must be tied tightly to the relevant statutory and case-law tests, Hotak vulnerability, the public sector equality duty, the Equality Act disability definition, rather than written as generic psychiatric opinions.

Legal framework

Reports may be prepared under CPR Part 35 and frequently engage the Housing Act 1996 Part VII, the Equality Act 2010 and Hotak v Southwark.

Psychiatric issues addressed

Psychiatric injury caused by housing disrepair
Mental disorder relevant to possession proceedings
Vulnerability under Hotak v Southwark for homelessness reviews
Risk of significant harm if accommodation is lost

Questions you can put to the expert

Drop any of these straight into your letter of instruction.

Has the disrepair caused or materially contributed to a psychiatric disorder?
Is the applicant significantly more vulnerable than an ordinary person made homeless?

Housing: areas we cover

Asylum and migrant homelessness

Reports for s.95 and s.4 support claims, and for claims by NRPF claimants under the Children Act 1989 s.17, address vulnerability and the psychiatric risk of street homelessness or unsuitable accommodation.

Disrepair and psychiatric injury

Reports address whether documented disrepair caused or materially contributed to a recognised psychiatric disorder, applying the same Part 35 framework as a personal injury report and addressing apportionment between the disrepair, pre-existing factors and any other concurrent stressors.

Hotak vulnerability

Reports for s.184 reviews and s.204 appeals address whether the applicant is significantly more vulnerable than an ordinary person made homeless, by reference to the specific psychiatric disorder and its functional impact.

Mental disorder in possession proceedings

Reports address the relevance of mental disorder to the proportionality of a possession order, the public sector equality duty, and the Equality Act disability definition where reasonable adjustments are in issue.

What's in the report

Part 35 / FPR Part 25 / CrimPR statement of compliance, as applicable
Expert's CV and statement of independence
Detailed list of materials considered (records, statements, scans, prior reports)
Full history, mental state examination and collateral information
Diagnostic formulation referenced to ICD-11 / DSM-5-TR
Reasoned opinion on causation, apportionment, prognosis and treatment
Indicative treatment costings where requested
Statement of truth signed in the prescribed form

How we help

Same-day shortlist of suitable consultants once we receive a brief instruction
Choice of male or female assessor, and of sub-specialty, on every instruction
Fixed fees agreed up front; Legal Aid prior authority figures supported
Standard turnaround 1–2 weeks; urgent reports inside 5 working days where the diary allows
Joint reports, addendum reports, Part 35 questions and CMC attendance handled by the same expert
Remote (secure video) or in-person assessment across the UK

Frequently asked questions

Recommended services

Adult psychiatry Learning disabilities

Need a psychiatric expert witness?

Tell us about your case and we'll match you to the right consultant, usually within 24 hours.

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