Mum sick with worry - please help.

gratefulforhelp_2

It's probably wise for your Mum not to acknowledge any debt until all the facts are clear, or to pay anything until it is clear it is her debt.

fifa123

dirtysexymonkey wrote: »

its not. lets be clear. shes known for a long time so she may have forgotten but she will have been made aware. its in all the legal aid pamphlets and paperwork etc.

Well yeah, true, but after 22 years, it still came as a bit of a shock.

neverdespairgirl

McKneff wrote: »

Sorry I didnt want to read and run.
I presume its the legal aid people *I dont know what LSC is short for)

Legal Services Commission - the latest name for Legal Aid.

DUTR

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Legal Services Commission - the latest name for Legal Aid.

Well if it is them that want the monies, then it seems that it may have been mentioned at the time and not realised
So it may have to be found somehow, was a charge order on the house?

dirtysexymonkey

fifa123 wrote: »

Well yeah, true, but after 22 years, it still came as a bit of a shock.

for you maybe. your angry at the wrong people. your mother is to 'blame' for this situation not the legal aid people. they helped her and she has to pay for it just like everyone else. shes not going to lose her home. so unless your worried about your inheritance you shouldnt be angry at all.

fifa123

dirtysexymonkey wrote: »

for you maybe. your angry at the wrong people. your mother is to 'blame' for this situation not the legal aid people. they helped her and she has to pay for it just like everyone else. shes not going to lose her home. so unless your worried about your inheritance you shouldnt be angry at all.

Fair enough, but for a letter to come through saying £13k is owed with no real payment option and a really basic form asking to know your incomings/outgoings is a bit shocking and she was a bit shaken by it. She's never had any correspondence until now, 22 years later, if it had been a little sooner, she probably would have started to pay a little bit off at a time.
Mum has been looking through her old paperwork from that time trying to see if she signed any agreement forms to repayment. She's adamant that no one told her about any future consequences at that time, but she does admit that it was a very trying and stressful time (which from us kids pov it was). She says if that it has to be repaid, that's fair enough. She just was a bit puzzled as to where she stood.
And no, I'm not bothered about any inheritance, I was annoyed to see her upset, I'd rather everything be sorted out. why do people assume that some children panic over how much money they are going to be left? I'm sure there's others like me who would prefer for their folks to live for the now if they have a few quid, have a good time on it.

DUTR

fifa123 wrote: »

Fair enough, but for a letter to come through saying £13k is owed with no real payment option and a really basic form asking to know your incomings/outgoings is a bit shocking and she was a bit shaken by it. She's never had any correspondence until now, 22 years later, if it had been a little sooner, she probably would have started to pay a little bit off at a time.
Mum has been looking through her old paperwork from that time trying to see if she signed any agreement forms to repayment. She's adamant that no one told her about any future consequences at that time, but she does admit that it was a very trying and stressful time (which from us kids pov it was). She says if that it has to be repaid, that's fair enough. She just was a bit puzzled as to where she stood.
And no, I'm not bothered about any inheritance, I was annoyed to see her upset, I'd rather everything be sorted out. why do people assume that some children panic over how much money they are going to be left? I'm sure there's others like me who would prefer for their folks to live for the now if they have a few quid, have a good time on it.

They do, but it would be foolish to think there are not people that think that way, no one is accusing you of worrying about your Mum being a Spinky, but yes somewhere along the line legal aid is means tested and may have to be paid back

Mrs_P_Pincher

This sounds like the standard Legal Aid Statutory Charge. Quickest way to check whether it is secured on the house is to pop onto H M Land Registry's site and get a copy of the deeds.

The way it worked when your Mum got divorced was that if you got the house, that was regarded as recovering money, and if you couldn't pay your legal costs back there and then, you could pay it when the house is sold. My guess is that your Mum was told about all this at the time, because solicitors were obliged to tell their clients and give them written information about it. However, I also guess that with children to think of and in the middle of a messy divorce, she didn't take it all in.

I think the form is just an attempt to see what the current situation is and of course to remind her of the debt.

Mrs P P

carolan78

If they have sent no correspondence for 22 years though surely this is wrong. I would have expected a yearly statement at the very least. If the debt is now 13k with 8% interest for 22 years it will have only been a few k at the most when she got the divorce.

I know after the first years statement I would have been at least trying to pay some of it off to avoid a huge bill years down the line.

noodles86

This very same thing happened to my nan. She got divorced in 1982 with 3 children and she won the house (didnt have to move) she received a letter in 2009 in regards to the debt and interest accrued. As you say, it was a bit of a shock for her too and my uncle who still lives at home tried to fight it tooth and nail but was told that the only way they could stop the interest rising would be to sell the house. So that's what they did. My uncle bought the house last june and he and my nan still live there. Hope this helps a little x