Sols overpaid inheritance, want money back!

TuckertheCat

My partner has recently received inheritance from her Fathers estate, the proceeds of the estate were shared out equally between her and her three sisters. The payment was in the form of a (large) cheque and at the time she though it was a large amount but she trusted the solicitors dealing with the estate to carry out their job correctly.

This morning she has received a letter from the solicitors claiming that she has been overpaid to the tune of > 13K and can they please have the money back!

Can they just demand this sort of money back? They clearly, and to their own admittance made the mistake of the over-payment.

Luckily the bulk of the money is intact however how can she trust the solicitors in this matter and just pay the money back without question......

whitewing

Yes they are allowed the money back, as humans are allowed to make mistakes occasionally, thankfully.

I think it would be worth getting them to explain exactly how it happened so you can assure yourself that they are not compounding the issue. (I was underpaid once at work, and they rectified it but got that wrong!)

beanielou

I would ask them for a complete breakdown of how the estate has been handled & check that figures seem ok.

sp1987

In a word, yes they can. They have notified you that this portion is not your money to keep. I know it is not very good but as it is her dads money I'm sure she would want it to go to those that he arranged and expressly provided for.

But, before you pay anything back you will want to ensure exactly how it has been calculated wrongly to ensure you do not get them sending you another cheque later as they have underpaid you or a further letter saying they have overpaid you. Also ensure you keep a clear record that the money is paid back when it is, to avoid any problems in future.

theoretica

It might also be a good idea to confirm that the solicitors are not charging the estate for the time spent sorting out the mix up.