Long(ish) story so I will try and keep it brief.
I have a rental property that is in a block of managed/serviced flats (I’m a long leaseholder). It’s a first floor flat, and there was a leak from a pipe connecting the washing machine, which went under the bathroom and caused a fair bit of damage to two flats below. Nobody’s fault, except perhaps whoever did the original conversion of the building (Victorian hospital) as apparently it wasn’t connected particularly well.
The property management company contacted the estate agent that manages the property on my behalf (I have zero day to day involvement with the management). Explained situation, that it was covered by the freeholder’s insurance in its entirety bar the small cost of the pipe that the freeholder paid - around £70. Total cost of the job was around £3000 as unfortunately the whole bathroom and the tiles had to be ripped out to get access, but all work was fully approved beforehand by the insurer to be carried out by a plumber on the estate agent’s list of contractors.
Work done. Invoice submitted. Tenant had to move out for three days so I reduced rent accordingly for that month. This was in January.
Fast forward to May - I start receiving angry calls, voicemails and emails from the plumber saying the invoice had not been paid. I was fairly pissed off because he shouldn’t have been given my details at all, I assume it was by the estate agent, but obviously apologetic. Estate agent essentially shrugged their shoulders, said they’d submitted it to the management company. I contacted the management company who fobbed me off to the insurer. So I contacted the insurer directly. After a bit of back and forth, had full confirmation that it was paid, dates, reference numbers, statement from the accounts department etc. I forwarded this on. Still getting angry calls so I blocked the plumber’s number and asked him to contact me via email only.
For various reasons, the postal address the estate agent have for me is actually my mother in law’s house. Early June, I get a distressed phone call from her saying “some big bloke” is on her doorstep ranting and raving about the invoice - it’s the plumber! He leaves and she’s quite shaken (she’s nearly 90), and calls the police, gets a reference etc although no follow up. I send one final email saying it’s been paid and essentially to leave me (and MIL!) alone. I then block his email. However, I do contact the loss adjuster, briefly explain the situation, and ask him to please contact the plumber directly and provide the payment details.
Fast forward to today - no further contact (although as he’s blocked I don’t know if that’s for lack of trying) and today I’ve had a letter via MIL from a debt collection agency, asking for payment and with an additional £600 fee, threatening legal action.
I’m not particularly concerned about this - largely as I have no contract with the plumber and have all the paper trail etc. I have emailed the debt collection agency essentially explaining the above.
So, my AIBU - I don’t really want to engage any further with this. I feel like I’ve done everything I can. All the account details, sort code etc were double checked with the bank, the insurer is adamant the payment was made on time and as agreed. I don’t really understand why it took five months for the plumber to realise he hadn’t been paid. But at the same time, unless he’s completely unhinged, he clearly believes he hasn’t been paid or else why would he do all of this? So AIBU to not do anything else to follow this up?