Previous owners undeclared invoice

Ulfar

The orignal work was completed in 2006/7 this should have then been charged to the current owner and any failure to pay with a charge against the property.

The fact the water company have then adopted in 2010 and insisted the council pay for remedial work due to the original work being sub standard is a seperate issue. I assume you aren't being charged for the remedial work.

The money they are asking you to pay is for the original work. If they had chased this money at the time for the correct owner and registered a charge there wouldn't be a problem. They didn't and therefore your solicitor had no way of knowing about these charges from the searches, The council stating that your solicitor not finding them out makes it your problem when it is their error for not registering the charges is their problem.

Sorry this bill as I see it is between the previous owner and the council. The charges can't have transferred when you bought as they weren't registered against the property. I don't think your solicitor is in the wrong here but they should be contacted to provide advice. The previous owners would have been asked about any charges due in the contract paperwork, if they advised there weren't and the council can show they were aware this puts it firmly on the previous owner.

mrschaucer

The council don't have a leg to stand on and are just trying to intimidate you into paying a bill which they have messed up on.
1) The works were carried out before your purchase of the property.
2) They turned out to be not good enough so they had to be redone to statisfy the water authority - still not your problem as this was merely rectifying the original job done before your purchase.
3) All the above hangs on the council putting a legal charge or NOT putting a legal charge on the property to allow them to recoup monies from a future purchaser. You have not been able to find a charge. Your solicitor has not been able to find a charge. Perhaps the Council could assist you in finding it if indeed they have done the correct legal work. These things don't just disappear.
I would WRITE them a formal letter explaining that you require them to prove that this is your debt - so far all they have done is tell you that it is. (By the way, you owe me £500, and I want it by tomorrow. I'll send you an invoice.) If they are unable to come up with the legal proof, then they need to track down the former owner. Not your problem.