License to assign payment request over 1 year after sale of property

Daryl1982

Hi all, I need some advice regarding the payment of the license to assign of my previous property.
We completed the sale on the 14th March 2016, all payments were made and the account with the conveyancer was closed after she returned what we were told was undemanded fees on the 14 July 2016. I received a letter from my conveyancer on the 2nd August stating that the Management Company have requested the license to assign be paid and she has sent an invoice for £480.
She has forwarded me correspondence from the Management Company dated February 2016 in which this amount was clearly requested and therefore I want to know what standing I have to refuse to pay this amount now, especially seeing as my understanding of the license to assign is permission to sell to property which is already sold! I also fee this is a total failure on my conveyancer job to ensure all payments are made.

G_M

If this is a valid invoice, then I'm afraid you have to pay it. Granted the solicitor was not 'on the ball' and should have billed you at the time, but that does not invalidate the invoice.

You could make a complaint (via the firm's internal complaints procedure) for incompetence, and you might get a token goodwill payment, but that too dos not invalidate the invoice itself.

Consider - had their actions resulted in an overpayment by you which you noticed 6 months later, I'm sure you'd expect a refund......

Debts can be pursued for up to 7 years.

Daryl1982

Thanks figured we would have to pay up but hoped there was a way out

ThePants999

Hang on, though - the license to assign is paid by the vendor, surely!? You're not looking to assign - not until you come to sell, anyway, at which point they'll be after you for this fee again!

da_rule

ThePants999 wrote: »

Hang on, though - the license to assign is paid by the vendor, surely!? You're not looking to assign - not until you come to sell, anyway, at which point they'll be after you for this fee again!

The way I read the post, the OP sold a property and for what ever reason the solicitor did not complete the licence to assign/pay the fee and the freeholder/management company is now chasing this.

ThePants999

Sigh. You're quite right. Too early in the morning for me :-)

davidmcn

G_M wrote: »

If this is a valid invoice, then I'm afraid you have to pay it. Granted the solicitor was not 'on the ball' and should have billed you at the time, but that does not invalidate the invoice.

You could make a complaint (via the firm's internal complaints procedure) for incompetence, and you might get a token goodwill payment, but that too dos not invalidate the invoice itself.

Eh? The solicitors seems to have been competent - they retained funds for the expected costs, waited dutifully for an invoice to turn up, realised it hadn't, and have refunded the money. The clients wouldn't have thanked them for reminding the management company and therefore incurring a cost which they might otherwise have got away with. Perhaps their only failing is in not explaining in words of one syllable that the management company might eventually realise their mistake.

(the invoice being dated February 2016 is I think a red herring, unless the OP has evidence that the solicitors actually received it at the time?)