How long can Student Finance reassess awards after you have left University for?

Lou1821

I left University in May/June 2017. In September/October 2018 I received a letter from SFW saying I owed £4038! I contacted them but no one could give me an answer what this amount was or what it related to. Finally yesterday (2021) three years after asking they finally said it was due to revisiting 16/17 a year after leaving and that they had made a mistake in assessing me on the wrong cohort in relation to grants and the difference was a £4K overpayment which they are now recovering. They say they have every right to claim back as I signed a declaration saying I would pay back overpayments. whilst I agreed to this declaration, I thought it meant during studying & I didn’t agree to it including being tied in years and years after leaving?? Has anyone experienced this? Is there anything I can do as it’s their error, I have not contributed to their error & only rectified over a year after study when I have no funds? They discuss being reasonable to avoid hardship, yet have taken money from me knowing I have a chronic condition and physical disabilities so on limited benefits? When does the line get draw and how can I protect myself from them finding more information or there mistakes in the future? Thanks for any help  

Lomast

Normally 6 years to claim monies owed but as its a student loan that can go on for years then i am not sure if the normal statute of limitations would apply or not.
You should be able to agree a realistic repayment plan for what you owe