Can they charge me for a CRB?

[florencearbuthnot]

Bit of a strange situation,hope someone can help.Was offered a job recently,my gut instincts were to not accept as i had reservations about it.I am due to start in a month but due to problems with my dc and other family stuff I want to turn this job down.Problem is they said at interview that if I left the job before 6 months I would have to pay £70 for the CRB theyre getting done.As Ive not even started work for them or signed a contract,Ive a feeling they will bill me anyway.What do I do

Get a free initial interview with a solicitor, this should be time enough to get your query sorted. Personally, I doubt they have a leg to stand on.

They can't bil lyou anyway. You have no contract. Once you have a contract and have signed the consent form they can go and get a CRB done.

The condition of paying £70 if you leave early can be put in a side letter - they can't just impose a £70 charge abribtrarily before you even start work.

Did you verbally accept the job and give them the go ahead to start the checking process? That might be a bit of a grey area if they've made it clear that you will be liable for the CRB cost should you leave the job in the probationary period. How long ago did you accept? Lots of CRB type jobs are in sectors which (IME) can be very slow to get going on the checks so I would inform them that you are not taking the job asap in case they haven't requested the CRB yet. But even if they are more efficient and have already started checking you out, I'd be surprised if they can charge you if you haven't signed any contract or started the job. Thesilverpusstcat's idea of seeking some legal advice seems like a good one to me, though I'd be inclined to wait until you know for sure that they are intending to charge you.

£70 for a CRB check?????????
That's a lot isn't it?
I've paid for 3 CRB checks and have not paid more than £45.
Not sure if they can charge you. If you have verbally accepted the job and you agreed that they could begin the checking process and were made aware of the policy, I really don't know. Might be worth a trip to your local CAB

Thanks for your help everyone,i rang Cab and they told me that technically they could charge me cos i verbally accepted job offer,but was unlikley they would get vety far with recovering the cash.So will have to see what happens.ta again