Barratt Homes Completion Statement Error

Effusive

Although I probably know the answer to this one - I was just after concrete clarification if possible.

I completed on a Barratt Homes new build February 11 2022, and after numerous number crunching sessions including conveyancing fees and extras etc. I arrived at a ballpark figure of just shy of £30,000.

A couple of days before completion I received an email from my conveyancer confirming just that - that my completion statement was approximately £30,000. I then proceeded to open the PDF, glanced at the statement and then duly waved goodbye to the money.

Fast forward a few days and I have just received a call from the site office a few yards away.

Long story short... the gentleman at Barratt Homes has now just told me that their solicitors, unintentionally, omitted the extras and, to put it bluntly, told me in no uncertain terms there is approximately £2800 outstanding and they simply cannot wait for their money.

I'm under no illusions whatsoever they will waiver the fee, and in part it's probably my own fault for not noticing it myself when I read the statement, however, seeing as it was pretty much spot on with my calculations I paid what I thought I owed.

The predicament now is that I spent what savings I had left on furnishings etc. I no longer have the required funds to pay the outstanding balance outright.  

Has anything similar happened to anyone else, and if so, what was the outcome?

searchlight123

Effusive said:

Although I probably know the answer to this one - I was just after concrete clarification if possible.

I completed on a Barratt Homes new build February 11 2022, and after numerous number crunching sessions including conveyancing fees and extras etc. I arrived at a ballpark figure of just shy of £30,000.

A couple of days before completion I received an email from my conveyancer confirming just that - that my completion statement was approximately £30,000. I then proceeded to open the PDF, glanced at the statement and then duly waved goodbye to the money.

Fast forward a few days and I have just received a call from the site office a few yards away.

Long story short... the gentleman at Barratt Homes has now just told me that their solicitors, unintentionally, omitted the extras and, to put it bluntly, told me in no uncertain terms there is approximately £2800 outstanding and they simply cannot wait for their money.

I'm under no illusions whatsoever they will waiver the fee, and in part it's probably my own fault for not noticing it myself when I read the statement, however, seeing as it was pretty much spot on with my calculations I paid what I thought I owed.

The predicament now is that I spent what savings I had left on furnishings etc. I no longer have the required funds to pay the outstanding balance outright.  

Has anything similar happened to anyone else, and if so, what was the outcome?

Tbf you probably did think the statement seemed a little light so the onus would have been on you to check the figures. I would also be surprised if the invoice / statement did not include the lettes E&OE (errors and omissions excepted) which basically means if a mistake has been made they can still insist on the correct amount being paid. i suppose they may agree to enter into a payment plan with you but they don't have to.

user1977

Didn't your own solicitors check the statement? Are you now satisfied the balance is actually due? If so, then you'll need to work out some way of paying it.

saajan_12

Effusive said:

Although I probably know the answer to this one - I was just after concrete clarification if possible.

I completed on a Barratt Homes new build February 11 2022, and after numerous number crunching sessions including conveyancing fees and extras etc. I arrived at a ballpark figure of just shy of £30,000. - so did you miss something or value things differently? 

A couple of days before completion I received an email from my conveyancer confirming just that - that my completion statement was approximately £30,000. I then proceeded to open the PDF, glanced at the statement and then duly waved goodbye to the money. - how approx is approx? was this more / less than your ballpark? 

Fast forward a few days and I have just received a call from the site office a few yards away.

Long story short... the gentleman at Barratt Homes has now just told me that their solicitors, unintentionally, omitted the extras and, to put it bluntly, told me in no uncertain terms there is approximately £2800 outstanding and they simply cannot wait for their money. - if you agreed to those extras and the amount paid for everything else was correct, then yes you owe the 2.8k

I'm under no illusions whatsoever they will waiver the fee, and in part it's probably my own fault for not noticing it myself when I read the statement, however, seeing as it was pretty much spot on with my calculations I paid what I thought I owed. - well either you thought wrong, or there's something else amiss.. which is it? 

The predicament now is that I spent what savings I had left on furnishings etc. I no longer have the required funds to pay the outstanding balance outright.  - then work out a payment plan with them

Has anything similar happened to anyone else, and if so, what was the outcome?

Re whether you owe it or not:
the completion statement isn't really relevant, what matters is the contract and what you agreed to pay. If your 'ballpark 30k' correctly included these new extras, then something else was amiss then. If everything else was charged correctly and you haven't paid for these extras, then you do owe the money. 

Re when to pay
talk to them, explaining you're willing to pay the money if they can arrange a payment plan. This sounds reasonable as they did make hte mistake in the completion statement (though so did you in checking the completion statement).