Solicitor chasing 'debt'

[Keepyourconversationsboring]

Firs time poster, appreciate any similar experiences 😀
Completed our first house sale in July. All very straightforward, all fees settled upon completion. Today receive a very apologetic letter from the solicitor claiming a recent audit has left us with a £200 outstanding fee to be paid on our file. There were lots of 'our apologies', 'our error, 'our oversight', 'our discrepancies' within said letter. There's no question this is their mistake, it's there in black and white. However, equally not keen to go to war with a law firm over £200. Would I be unreasonable to respond with a 'your mess, you sort it' type response? Or suggest meeting them in the middle? Bear in mind this has been sent 8 months after completion. What would you do?

If I owed it, I would pay.

Do you know exactly what they're claiming it for?

Do you agree you owe it?

The fact that it has taken them 8 months to notice doesn't affect whether or not the debt is owed. If they owed you money, you would claim it.

Put it the other way. If you'd made a silly mistake and someone owed you as a result - say you overpaid by £200 - would you expect them to just say to you 'your mess, you sort it out' and not pay you back?

If you're not disputing you owe it, do the decent thing. It's tawdry to benefit from someone else's genuine mistake.

Yes, £100 is for inaccurate Land Registry fee, the other £100 is for a miscalculation on their own fees

given the price of a house purchase, £200 is a tiny proportion. just pay it. You couldn't have bought the house without their input.

Ask them for a complete breakdown of exactly what was originally agreed, what was originally charged for and billed, what you paid, and why they now believe you owe them some more.

They need to prove that you owe it to them.

Don't fight with a solicitor
If you ring up and nicely offer a comprise.. Say £100 (50%) as it's their error they may just accept it
Good luck

Land Registry they need to pay, if they messed on their own fees I think it is their lookout.

I'd go back and pay £100 for the Registry Office fees but say you paid their bill in good faith.

Land Registry not Registry Office - a bit of a difference!

I’d offer 100 for Land Registry fee in full and final settlement and see what they say.

Ask for a proper breakdown. If it’s money you owe then I would pay it, but ask them to prove that to you first.

There’s no harm in asking to meet in the middle - the worst they can do is say no.

Ask to make a complaint to the practice manager

If you owe it then you should pay it

This is a tricky one. On the one hand you owe it but on the other hand, their screw up regarding undercharging you is all on them. They can't just decide after the bill has been paid that "Oops, we should have charged you more".
They did the job, they billed you, you paid.

I would offer the land registry fee as a compromise. 50% of the bill.

You should only be paying what is stipulated in your client care letter. Did they give you a full figure in the first place or did you agree to pay fees plus time costs at x per hour?

@OchAyeThaNoo so if you go to the super market and a £30 bottle of wine scans through at £3 would you be offering to pay £8.50 if the error later came to light?

I agree with pp, I would offer the Land Registry fee, they can't decide months after you've paid them that their fee should have been higher.

I would offer to pay The Land Registry Fee and negotiate on the balance be aware that you may need the services of a solicitor in the future.

We had a similar experience because the incompetent conveyancer got the Land Registry fee wrong. Apparently, new properties have a different fee to second hand ones. I told them that they had conveyances quantities of properties on the estate, so they should know about the fees. We didn’t pay. I think though, that they knew the person who dealt with our purchase wasn’t competent, because she disappeared overnight just before completion. There was a completion statement that was inaccurate and caused me sleepless nights and some time later they sent us a cheque, saying it looked as though we had overpaid, but they weren’t sure what for.

I had a letter nearly a year after I completed, saying they owed me £168. With a cheque enclosed. If they hadn't told me, I would never have known.

If I owed it, I would pay it.

Did you know you owed it?
I would suggest you meet half way and pay the £100 for the land registry, their fee they can drop as they made the mistake.

I had similar with the solicitor who handled my divorce - I was in a weak frame of mind when I agreed to pay the 'debt' of their making.

If you owe it, pay it.

If they gave you a wrong fee estimate then they’re stuck with that fee estimate. Complain to the practice manager and then to the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority. However you’ll need to check the engagement terms carefully- there may be specific language about liability for disbursements such as land registry fees.