Undercharged on invoice now being invoiced for more

Hollybrenan

We're currently buying our first house, and we've already exchanged, due to complete next friday. Everything was going smoothly, until this morning when I received an email from my solicitor telling us they'd messed up their accounting, and we still owe them £999. HE's saying they can't complete until they receive this money. We've already paid their fees, do we have to pay for their mistake?

MrJB

Probably.

Does this relate to a miscalculation or an error in calculating sums due or does this relate to them not quoting for the work correctly? If they've simply made a mistake on the calculation and the sums accord with the amount you thought you had to pay, then you're liable to pay the full amount.

Mallotum_X

Equally why should you benefit from their mistake?

Do the total fees tie up with the quote you had at the start plus anything else they told you about?

Simple admin errors happen all the time, so assuming this is per the quote you should known that this was what you had to pay, in which case pay up.

LEJC

What did they originally quote you?

if they have done work for you then I believe they should be paid....

at what point did you think that you had been undercharged?
I guess you could dispute it but if its going to delay your exchange then do you really want to be going down that route.

marksoton

Hollybrenan wrote: »

We're currently buying our first house, and we've already exchanged, due to complete next friday. Everything was going smoothly, until this morning when I received an email from my solicitor telling us they'd messed up their accounting, and we still owe them £999. HE's saying they can't complete until they receive this money. We've already paid their fees, do we have to pay for their mistake?

They need to specify what this additional cost is for. And then do your own sums!

thesaint

Example: If the fee was 2% of 300k, and instead of charging you £6000, they invoiced you for £5,001, and you paid it, then I would say you owe them the money.

If you paid £6000, and they want an additional £999, then I would say no.

davidmcn

You're not "paying for their mistake", you're paying the sum you were meant to pay.

If they had accidentally overcharged you by £999 would you expect it back?

marksoton

Is it definitely for fees though? 1K on fees missing is a hefty amount.

I'd be asking for a statement of account and then comparing it to their schedule of rates....

If it's for something else they need to identify what exactly..

Guest101

If you were quoted a fixed fee for the service and you have paid that. Then you owe nothing.


If you have an open ended agreement, then you probably owe it.

G_M

If the money is owed, then you need to pay it.
If not, you don't.

Since you have not told us what it is for, or what the miscalculation was, how can we comment?

And if you don't know, then ask!

(your solicitors, not us......)

DRP

This seems to come up a lot.

If I were the cynical type I might think that some conveyancers underquote to get business....