Car Lease Charge

Ruggers13

Hi 

I gave back my Ford Leased car In December 2020. I had some extra charges for damages, one which I paid and the other I disputed. I heard nothing back after I disputed. Then all of a sudden I got a letter in March 22. 15 months after the car was given back, demanding £350. This was the first letter and they put the delay down to covid. 

Does anyone know my rights when it comes to something like this. 15 months after they have had the car returned seems like a massive amount of time and my circumstances have considerably changed in that time so I cannot afford to pay that £350. Is there anything I can do?

thanks

SiliconChip

They have 6 years to claim payment, so they are well within that time. Do you now agree that you owe the £350, or are you intending to still dispute it? If you do owe it you could ask to pay in instalments, but if they take it to court they may well win (although the court could order payment over time too).

Jenni_D

But any payment plan following a court judgment would still result in a CCJ being registered, merely marked as Satisfied once the plan was complete. The only way to avoid a registered CCJ (following a lost court claim) is to pay in full within (usually) 30 days. If the OP has a good credit history then this may be an issue - if their credit file is already wrecked then they may not care.

@Ruggers13 what you can't do is put your head in the sand and ignore it hoping it all goes away. You must engage with them.