Request for outstanding accommodation fees nearly 4 years on

TBrods2020

Hi all.

I am looking for some advice on a rather specific situation regarding my outstanding university accommodation fees. I have tried to keep this as short as possible but its a complicated situation and I thank you for your help in advance.

I left uni early, after one term, as I was suffering anxiety and not attending lectures. I had to get some help to go through with leaving and I got help from a professor. I relied on his and staff's help for the leaving process. This started in December 2016 and I finally left and collected my things in the new year. I was assured when I left that everything would be sorted.

Fast forward to august 2019 and I get a letter saying they are going to take my outstanding balance to enforcement. At the time I was an apprentice and had recently left the navy with no real savings (as I wasn't brining any much as an apprentice). I contacted the uni and what ensued was a mess. Whilst i have a record of my communication in short: I got through to the wrong people first who after a few days got me the email for the right people. They didn't get back to me for ages and when they did they were insistent I owed them this large some of money. I did what anyone would do and question why i was told this was sorted, why has it taken this long to contact me, what did the uni do to help me when I needed the help. The communication with them got passed from person to person often with large time gaps between calls/emails and having to re-explain myself.

Then after 2 months of no communication I get a call in Jan 2020 from a lady asking for this money. She said she was not aware of my previous communication as no notes had been made on the account. And when I asked her if there was anything on the account about why I left (because of my metal health and I needed help) she said there wasn't. It was left at she would look into it. 

Today I received another letter saying they were going to take it to enforcement; with no communication since I left it with them. Whilst I understand in normal circumstances I probably do owe them this, I feel like this whole situation has been a huge mess. They offer no help and these threatening letters are not good for my wellbeing. Not to mention the huge time gap and my circumstances are no better.

Where do I stand with this? Do I have any rights or do I owe them this full amount of nearly £1,600 straight up? I feel like what they're doing is unjust and is worsening my situation.

silvercar

You need to have an itemised Bill. Is this amount fro the time after you left or for the term you did use the accommodation?
did they make an effort to relet the room. They have a duty to mitigate their losses.

TBrods2020

The bill is for the time after I left, the remainder of that academic year. Whilst I understand they can claim there losses, I don't understand why they told me it would all be sorted and then years later chase me up on it?

I did also ask what they had done in terms of reletting the room but they couldn't provide anything to say that they had.