r/LegalAdviceUK Jun 09 '26

Comments Moderated If you use generative AI to provide advice, you will be banned

1.5k Upvotes
  • If OP wanted advice from AI, they would have asked AI, rather than posted on a forum containing humans.
  • The AI advice that we see here is more often than not one (or more) of the following:
    • completely lacking in nuance,
    • fails to appreciate that there is no such thing as "UK law",
    • doesn't even try to provide an answer in any of the UK's legal systems, or
    • is just general trash.
  • Even the AI that big law firms use is still capable of coming up with very believable sounding garbage. If they don't notice that it's garbage, neither will you.
  • It's really obvious when you use AI - like, really

Don't believe me? Here's what happened when I told AI to "give me ten good reasons why people should not use generative AI to provide legal advice":

Generative AI can confidently give wrong answers. Large language models are designed to produce plausible text, not guaranteed truth. In legal matters, a convincing but incorrect answer can lead to fines, lawsuits, lost rights, or criminal exposure.

Laws change constantly. Statutes, regulations, and case law evolve every month. AI systems may rely on outdated training data and fail to reflect current legal standards, deadlines, or precedents.

Legal advice depends heavily on jurisdiction. The same issue can have completely different outcomes in United Kingdom, United States, or even between cities and states. AI often generalizes across jurisdictions without warning the user.

AI lacks accountability. A licensed lawyer can be sued for malpractice, disciplined by a bar association, or held professionally responsible. AI systems generally cannot be held accountable in the same way.

AI cannot fully understand context. Legal problems often hinge on nuanced facts, credibility, timelines, motives, or undocumented conversations. AI may miss subtle but critical details that a trained attorney would probe.

Confidentiality and privilege may not apply. Communications with a lawyer can be protected by attorney-client privilege. Conversations with AI tools typically are not, which can create privacy and evidentiary risks.

AI may fabricate legal citations or cases. There have been multiple real-world incidents where lawyers submitted AI-generated court filings containing nonexistent cases or fake quotations, leading to sanctions and reputational damage.

Legal strategy involves judgment, not just information retrieval. Good legal counsel includes negotiation tactics, risk assessment, procedural timing, and understanding human behavior in courts, regulators, and opposing parties. AI does not possess professional judgment or lived experience.

People may overtrust authoritative-sounding outputs. AI responses are often fluent and confident, which can create a false sense of reliability. Non-experts may struggle to distinguish accurate guidance from subtle errors.

Unauthorized practice of law concerns. In many jurisdictions, providing individualized legal advice without a license can violate professional regulations. Relying on AI as a substitute for qualified counsel may create ethical and legal problems for both providers and users.

Some of those are good reasons. But some of them are themselves errors that perfectly prove the point: it thinks the UK is one legal system, and worries about the "unauthorized practice of law", when simply providing advice on what the general law is is not a protected activity anywhere in the UK (unless you get into specific regulated sectors, such as immigration advice).

Some day, AI might be good enough that we can all pack up and go home. Until that day, if you use generative AI to provide advice, you will be permanently banned without further warning.


r/LegalAdviceUK Apr 14 '26

Meta Labour’s New Renting Rules Explained - TLDR News

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44 Upvotes

r/LegalAdviceUK 3h ago

Scotland £1,500 private parking fine on this road

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135 Upvotes

Scotland. I have parked on Marchburn Dr, Paisley PA3 2SJ before with no issues for over a week. I parked here for 14 days while away on holiday. There was no signage saying I couldn't park there and there are always lots of cars parked along the road. I've been given separate private parking fines for every day I was there so 14x £100 fines. Previous experience, other people parked there and no warning signs made me think there were no concerns.

The fines from CPM Car Park Management say: Reason: "No parking at any time."

£1,400 of private parking fines is ridiculous for parking on a road without any obvious signage. It was the first family overseas holiday we've been able to afford in 10 years and this is a nightmare.

Edit: I live in England. The letter says "Parking Charge Notice"

Please can anyone help?


r/LegalAdviceUK 4h ago

Comments Moderated Group of men keeps skipping the queue for the bus. It fills up, then people who queued get stranded waiting for the next one.

106 Upvotes

I've complained to the bus company in question. Driver is too scared to confront the men.

What happens is we all queue up waiting to get on. There's a bus out every 30 minutes. However, a bunch of men from a nearby IT company barge out and rush the bus to force their way on completelt skipping the queue.

This happened again today and is the 3rd time that I've not been able to get on the bus because these men have filled it up.

I've complained to the IT company. No resoonse from them.

I've complained to rhe bus company. They said they were looking into it, then came back with some waffle about driver safety. They also put up a notice on the bus stop about queueing ettiquette.

Happened again today. I tried to block them with my arm to secure the queue and they shoved it aside to get on, completely ignoring us.

The only other person who made it on the bus was an elderly woman with a cane whom another gentleman in the queue gave up his opportunity to get on so she could get home.

We're having a chat rught now while we wait for the next bus. Are we legally allowrd to form a human chain to block them getting on until the queue has got on first?

And if they try to force their way through our linked arms, what can we do to resist this? Can we shove back? These men already shove us to get on the bus in the first place.


r/LegalAdviceUK 11h ago

Comments Moderated Family court date soon, but the mother has changed her mind... Not sure what to do. England

254 Upvotes

So I (40m) hadn't seen my 2-year-old son for nearly 17 weeks until just under 2 weeks ago. His mother (37f) had made it very clear I'd need a court order to see him, had refused mediation (she sent me a 'See you in court' message when she received the invite) and was saying some very hurtful things about me via her social media platforms. She'd also taken him out of the country without obtaining my permission and was openly talking about doing so.

I obviously had no choice but to file for a court hearing, which is on the 17th of this month. I'm not able to afford a solicitor, so I've been planning for the daunting task of representing myself, and getting as much advice and information as possible.

The Thursday before last I received a message from her, asking if I'd like to meet them in a park. I was skeptical of why but I wasn't going to miss a chance to see him, and he was beyond delighted to see me. Since then I've seen him a few more times and she's been very friendly towards me mostly, sending photos of him and video calling me to speak to him. She's made it clear that she doesn't want it to go to court and keeps saying it'll 'get nasty' if it does, that her solicitor will ruin me, I won't get what I want and that it's not in our boy's best interest. She keeps saying I need to trust her that she won't stop me seeing him again, but I've told her I can't risk that without something legally binding in place. In total I've not been allowed to see him for 6 months of his life, including his last birthday and Christmas so there is no way I'm allowing that situation to be possible.If I stop proceedings now, she'll have all the power again and could change her mind whenever she chooses to, but I know that if I go ahead with it, it could be a long time before I see him again. Part of me thinks she's bluffing, and is scared about the potential outcome for herself. She keeps questioning what I'm going for in terms of access in court, and then getting very defensive when I don't tell her. Our conversation about it yesterday got quite heated at times and I just feel like I'm being pressured, or blackmailed, into doing what she wants.

I'm guessing this happens quite often, so what would be my best action in these circumstances?


r/LegalAdviceUK 2h ago

Healthcare Can a Care Act assessment say I use a walking frame when I have been unable to walk since I was 14?

41 Upvotes

I’ve just received my Care Act assessment from Adult Social Care and I’m really concerned about the accuracy of it.

I am a wheelchair user and have been unable to walk since I was 14 (i'm 28 now). My wheelchair is my primary mobility aid. I have a Zimmer frame which I have explained is only occasionally used for support during a standing (right leg only) transfer. My left leg does not work/function and does not even go fully straight. I am not able to work not use it to walk, and I often use slide transfers instead, sliding from my wheelchair to my a bed etc. Adult social care are aware of this, and have my medical evidence.

Despite this, the assessment describes me as using a “walking frame”, which gives the impression that I am ambulant. I have never told Adult Social Care that I can walk or that I even own a walking frame/walker for mobility (i don't own a walker). Not sure what to do ? England, UK


r/LegalAdviceUK 6h ago

Comments Moderated Psychiatrist sent my report to a family member without consent

84 Upvotes

Based in England.

In 2024 I was suffering a mental health crisis. At this time a family member helped me find and book a private psychiatry appointment local to her (due to my limited capabilities at the time). She did not pay for this appointment, her only involvement was the initial enquiry, booking and taking me there. She was not involved any further.

I had my consultation / evaluation which included details of abuse I’d suffered within the family and my families behaviours. Also, of course, incredibly personal and private information of mine.

Last month another member of the family informed me that they had all sat, read and discussed my psychiatry report, 2 years ago. I said this could not be possible, as I was the only one in correspondence with the clinic.
I had sent and received emails since my appointment and also requested they forward my report and prescription to my NHS GP. That is the extent of the permissions I gave.

I saw my mother yesterday and she has verified with the family member who took me to the appointment that yes, an email containing my entire file was sent and shared with this family member by the clinic.

This report got in the worst hands possible, now everyone has read it and I am absolutely enraged and mortified.
I would never ever consent to this. Even when not in my healthy mind.

I really have no clue what to do here. I haven’t reached out to the clinic yet and my mother has asked the person to forward me the email which I’m waiting to receive.

Any advice please.


r/LegalAdviceUK 10h ago

Comments Moderated Police searched my house due to a miscommunication. Now are witholding my SAR request as I complained about it.

164 Upvotes

I ordered a keychain from abroad on 2nd july. On 9th of July northumbria police turned up at work questioning me about ordering explosives online and accessing the dark web (I hadn't accessed the dark web). They also asked me about self harm/thoughts of suicide. All of this was done next to the public entrance to my workplace which is in the main atrium. As a member of IT support staff in my local authority I am known throughout the building and was in my uniform. They informed me they'd searched my home and to expect a letter from the home office about the parcel before leaving.

I rang home as my mother was in, and she told me the police had been round and searched the house. She also told me they'd left no paperwork, had no warrant and she'd told them she'd prefer them to contact me before searching the house and gave the officers my phone number. They'd searched the house anyway telling her that wouldn't be possible. I went to the police station outside my work and asked for the search record. I was told I had to go to a different station to get this. When I walked out the station I received a call from one of the officers who interviewed me and told me I had nothing to worry about. I disputed this stating that they had come into work and questioned me about explosives, searched my house and that they had stated that explosives had been ordered to my house in my name. I went to the station I was advised to go to and it was closed to the public. I managed to catch a pair of officers on their way in and asked about the paperwork. One of them took my phone number and said he'd look into it. He rang later in the day to say he was unable to find the search record, although he did mention they had a new system that he wasn't used to yet and the issue may have been him rather than it not existing.

I went back to the original police station and some officers came down and told me to follow the complaints process. I've done this, as has my mother. I also submitted a SAR to get the information around this and the search record. I also submitted a signed and dated letter requesting the documentation from the search to the station that they assured me would be delivered to the responsible officer. I have the signed/dated receipt from 14/7 to prove this from the front desk officer.

As I'd had to leave during work hours to go the station, I was completely open with my manager about what had happened. I continued to go to the police station to ask what was happening. I had a meeting with my manager and her manager on the 15th July and it was agreed I could take the rest of the week off for stress. They asked if I knew what could have caused the police to question me about this and as the keychain was the only thing I had ordered from abroad I mentioned this and gave them a screenshot of the receipt. The next day I was phoned and asked to attend a meeting on the 17th were I was suspended with pay. HR walked me out of the shared office and building.

The keychain was then delivered on the 2nd august. Within a few hours 2 officers, 1 uniformed and 1 ununiformed knocked at my door. The ununiformed officer introduced himself as CID, and said there had been a miscommunication. Border force had flagged my item as sodium nitrite as either the same seller, someone seller adjacent or in the same warehouse was sending suicide kits to the UK. The police had then misread this as sodium nitrate. He then mentioned they'd been tracking the item and asked to see it. After he'd seen the keyring he gave me his details to pass onto my employer. The next week I was called into another meeting at work and my suspension lifted. My managers manager informed me that the police had made a catalogue of errors. I took a week and a half leave due to stress.

They attempted to deal with my mother's complaint via a local resolution, she was informed that the search had been recorded as a consent search and that the officers BWV was not activated until after the conversation about consent took place. 

I have since received an email stating that my complaint will take upwards of 8 more weeks to assess. I also received an email 1 day before the deadline for the SAR stating they would extend it by 2 months due to difficulties accessing the data. I still have no paperwork from the search and so challenged this as unlawful. I received an email the next day from the information team stating that they are withholding my SAR under S45 (4)(a) of the Data Protection Act 2018 (allows a controller to restrict, wholly or partly, subject 

access rights to avoid obstructing an official or legal inquiry, investigation or procedure) and explicitly referenced the complaint as the reason. I also received an email from the DPO stating that they are witholding all the data I have requested under section 44(4) of the DPA, again explicitly mentioning the complaint. I have complained to the ICO about this.

I've used the online form for Irwin Mitchell but got an email back stating that they can't take my case any further due to a small team dealing with a high volume of complex matters. I'm not sure if I explained the situation well as the information box wasn't very big.

The only solid black and white information I am in possession of is my letters from my employer showing my suspension and it's lifting, and an email from the HR investigator stating that the police have told them the incident number and confirmed I am not part of a criminal investigation.

I have attempted to challenge the SAR being withheld but have had no answer. I've challenged the delay on my complaint but have been told it's due to a high volume of complaints (although they did enquire what I wanted to add, as I'd submitted it before my work suspension).

I have also not been contacted by the home office about my parcel.

What can I do to get my data so that I know exactly what has happened that lead to this situation and can confirm beyond any doubt that I am in the clear and no longer under investigation?

I also want to determine if I can take the police to court for the harm caused to me by this, but feel I can't as I have no evidence due to the withdrawn sar request.

If needed I'm happy to post some images of the emails/docs I have after removing personal information.


r/LegalAdviceUK 3h ago

Employment I had a meeting with my boss today (based in England) and they said the following however from my understanding, PILON means I do not have to come in?

24 Upvotes

This is the email that was sent (see below) & the conversation that was had (it is performance related and them finding out I’m looking for another job but they have put it down as this instead) and I need lots of time to look for another job as the job market is so bad atm 😣

I am writing following our meeting on 01/09/2026 to confirm that the decision has been taken to terminate your employment.

The reason for this is due to a downturn in work for your role the company no longer requires a team manager.

As you have less than 2 year's service, the company is under no legal obligation to follow a full redundancy process and has taken the commercial decision to utilise the PILON clause in your contract.

You are entitled to 4 weeks' notice, which you will be required to work but given reasonable time off to search for alternate employment.

Your final date of employment is therefore 29/9/26.
You will also be paid for any holiday entitlement that you have accrued but not yet taken.

Your final pay and P45 will be sent to you in due course.


r/LegalAdviceUK 14h ago

Detained in mental health ward England.

173 Upvotes

What are my rights? I am detained in the ward due to suspected Schizophrenia and they've told me if I try to leave I'll be sectioned. I am informal patient, I have no idea why I cannot leave but they think my behaviour in my last psychosis was 'dangerous' how can I get help?


r/LegalAdviceUK 12h ago

Housing Can the power company dig up my front garden?

51 Upvotes

A power line has broken somewhere and my neighbours lost power.

The power company people are going to want to dig up my front garden to repair it. This requires moving/digging up some new/small trees and other plants.

Do I have any legal rights to stop them? Or make them dig in at the pavement to thread new cables through perhaps?

I don't want to just agree to this only to find out I didn't -have- to let the.

Thanks!


r/LegalAdviceUK 1h ago

Civil Litigation England: how to formally complain about a hearing judge - County Court

Upvotes

I attended a hearing last week and I want to make a formal complaint about the judge and his ruling. He was intimidating, rushed the hearing, refused to consider admissible evidence and has refused my right to appeal.

The issue was that my shower was fitted to low for me to use and lower than industry guidelines, plus other shoddy work. The defendant eventually agreed - in writing - to pay me the full amount to fix it as long as I signed a settlement agreement (SA). I wasn't happy with the SA - my gut, the CAB and AI all warned me about it. I drafted a new (very reasonable) version which the defendant refused to sign. Hence going to Court.

In the court:
- I was told the judge had another hearing at 12pm. I was told at 12.20 that he was reading my documents. We went in at 12.35. The judge said things were very tight as it was time to break for lunch soon so we all had to be very concise. I felt really rushed and under a lot of pressure - he wasn't the 'assisting and guiding' presence the court admin team had told me to expect.
- My case was on a lack of 'reasonable care and skill', and though the judge agreed that it was best practise for the defendant to have discussed the height with me in advance, he brushed over the fact that it wasn't discussed. The defendant also ghosted me when I couldn't be fobbed off with his poor 'solutions', but we never even got that far.
- We got halfway through the two-year timeline when he started summing up with no warning. I said there was more to the story, and brought up the SA. The judge said everything from that agreement onwards was inadmissible as it contained the phrase 'without prejudice' - which it didn't. I pointed that out but he refused to listen and told me that it did say that at the bottom. I re-read it fast while he was talking and it didn't. I pointed that out but he made it very clear that he wasn't going to accept what I said, continued summing up and only awarded me money on other shoddy work - less than 40% and none for the shower.
- I stayed behind at the end and said that I had reread the SA and it definitely didn't say without prejudice. He again said that it did and case closed - he was very short with me. I then asked if I could appeal and he reopened the file and said that he was going to make sure that I couldn't. I asked why and he slowly wrote and read out loud 'any appeal is refused as I have reviewed all the evidence'. He was didn't, he was WRONG, and so much of the story (including lies and threats from the defendant) went unheard. I was calm and respectful throughout.

My questions:
- is it usual that the judge only reviews the documents a few minutes before the hearing?
- he was clearly under time pressure - is that fair for my hearing?
- I feel his reasons for dismissing my case are insufficient. For example he said the height of the shower should have been included in the quote for me to have a case. Really? Is that detail ever in a quote?
- His reasons are also very wrong - what can I do about half of my evidence incorrectly being deemed inadmissible, when I now cannot appeal?
- how can I make a formal complaint about this judge, and what are the timescales? Would it actually make any difference to the outcome and how much more work would it take from me? I've already spent two years pursuing this. I understand that I have to wait for the written judgement to arrive to contact the CAB or a solicitor, but then I'm worried I'll have barely any time.

I thought the small claims track was supposed to be accessible to everyday people.


r/LegalAdviceUK 6h ago

Comments Moderated Person posted facebook post with lies now getting death threats

12 Upvotes

My sister and her bf stayed on someones land in exchange for tidying it , maintenance and repairs, the had access to water ( although not really ) as they had to get it from a rented out cottage which they wasn't allowed to do as it was rented out continuously, they removed untold amounts of rubbish from her garden about 7 tips worth, repaired fences, cut grass ect.. they also bought sheds to put on the land to stop tolls ect for the land.

Then she messaged them saying they had to leave because they parked the van next to the rented out cottage ( where she said the could ) because they didn't want to mess the field up with all the rain we have had.

She had some people stay at the cottage that had kids that were using the field and my sisters bf gave them a Frisbee to play with ( this is relevant further down )

She said she wanted everything removed from her land so my sister put up the sheds and some tools she bought on facebook marketplace as she was leaving because she didn't want to leave anything on the land.

when the people turned up for the sheds the woman refused them to collect them saying my sister lied and they wasn't my sisters.

The woman has made a facebook post with 1000s of views saying my sister and her bf are nonces following kids around the field, vandalising the field and fences among other horrid remarks all of which are complete lies. The post included my sisters name ,fackbook, Instagram, and photos of my sister and bf and her reg number of her van!

Now my sister is getting 100s of death threats through various social media, she has phoned the police but they have said they cant do anything,

My sister has screenshots of all messages between her and the land owner and photos of how the land was left which shows she is lying.

what are her options?

Edit: in England


r/LegalAdviceUK 3h ago

Civil Litigation Private car seller small claims court

9 Upvotes

Private car sale – now taken to Small Claims Court. Do I actually have a case to answer?
I’m looking for some advice/opinions from anyone familiar with private car sales, misrepresentation and the Small Claims Court. I’m genuinely trying to understand the buyer’s legal argument because I’m struggling to see what makes them believe they have a strong case.
I bought a car in February 2026 and sold it privately in April 2026 for £1,400.
During the time I owned the car, I had no problems whatsoever. There was no excessive oil consumption, smoke, warning lights, knocking/banging or running issues. I also did not knowingly misrepresent the car in the Facebook Marketplace advert.
The car had an MOT in February 2026. The only advisory was that the offside front tyre was worn close to the legal limit, and I replaced that tyre before selling the car. There were no engine-related advisories.
The buyer came to view the car, inspected it and test drove it themselves before purchasing. They also negotiated approximately £150 off the asking price. It was a completely private sale.
There had also been an issue with outstanding finance when I originally purchased the car. This was subsequently resolved by the finance company, and I fully disclosed this to the buyer before the sale. I didn't hide the issue from them and they still chose to proceed with the purchase.
After the sale, I heard nothing from the buyer regarding any problem with the car. The first contact I received was a Letter Before Action in June 2026, claiming approximately £1,700, including the purchase price and around £300 for diagnostic/related costs.
The buyer had apparently obtained a garage report stating that the engine had low compression, oil consumption/oil-fouled spark plugs and suspected worn piston rings. The garage's opinion was that the fault was "most likely" pre-existing.
They also relied on the Consumer Rights Act 2015, despite this being a private sale.
I denied liability, explaining that:
it was a private sale;

the buyer inspected and test drove the vehicle;

I experienced none of the symptoms they later reported;

I had no knowledge of any engine defect;

the recent MOT had no engine-related advisories;

the tyre advisory had been dealt with before the sale; and

I had been completely open with the buyer about the previous finance issue.

I have now been taken to the Small Claims Court.
What I am struggling to understand is what exactly the buyer believes establishes liability on my part?
I understand that a mechanical fault can potentially have existed before the sale, and I understand that the fact the car developed a serious fault relatively soon afterwards may understandably make the buyer suspicious. However, I genuinely had no knowledge of any engine problem, the car drove normally while I owned it, and the buyer inspected and test drove it before deciding to purchase it.
Am I missing something legally?
Does a garage stating that a fault was "most likely" pre-existing provide enough evidence for the buyer to establish that I misrepresented the vehicle, particularly when there is no evidence that I knew about the fault?
I would really appreciate honest and objective opinions, particularly from anyone with experience of private vehicle sales, misrepresentation or Small Claims Court proceedings.
I'm not looking for people to simply agree with me. If the buyer does have a viable legal argument, I'd genuinely like to understand what it is and what I should be concerned about.


r/LegalAdviceUK 1h ago

Traffic & Parking AA 'premium' car insurance leaves disabled wife, MIL with dementia & me without car - hire car cancelled as I'm going on holiday. I can have it back afterwards

Upvotes

In England. Apologies if this is the wrong subreddit. So from the top...

Three months ago, my neighbour reversed into the back side of my car - they instantly claimed responsibility and we arranged that it would be claimed on their insurance. My car was drivable, but had a big dent in the rear offside. It took a few weeks for my AA car insurance to arrange for the car to be taken in for repair at a local garage, but when it was taken, I received a courtesy car the same day. All good so far.

I've been waiting six weeks for repairs to happen - the garage have admitted they don't have enough staff to deal with it and have sent it to another of their garages to be assessed and repaired.

I heard from the garage this morning that the car was likely to be fixed by early next week. However, I'm going on holiday via Manchester airport early on Friday morning and won't be back until the week after. I need a car to get my disabled wife (and her wheelchair), along with her mother (who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer's), to and from the airport.

I contacted AA car insurance via WhatsApp to say that I wouldn't be in the country next week and instead would it be possible to swap the hire car to my fixed car when I returned. They didn't like this, and said that the hire car needed to be collected before I went away. The reason for this - from their 'Financial Recoveries' team - is that "I cannot have a hire car while I am away". That’s because it adds to the cost they will claim from the other party’s car insurance company.

I highlighted this was unacceptable (especially given I've got AA 'premium' car insurance as I thought it would help when there were issues that meant my wife could be helped). Additionally, I’ve been available to take my car back at any point but the garage hasn’t had enough staff. But AA car insurance has contacted the hire car company to come out on Thursday to collect.

I then contacted the garage to see if the repair could be brought forward a few days, to potentially get it back on Thursday and save the day. They can't do this, but more than that, they've found extra damage to the suspension, so my car's return is now likely to be weeks away.

I reflected this back to AA car insurance but they remain adamant that as I'm going on holiday I can't have the hire car. I can have it back when I return from holiday.

So I'm going to have the farcical situation of my hire car going away on Thursday, just a few hours before I need to take my disabled wife + wheelchair, and her mother (again, with dementia and Alzheimer's) to the airport. And then once I've got them back home in a couple of weeks, I'll get the hire car back again.

This seems ludicrous and AA car insurance is lacking common sense. I’ve asked to speak with a manager but the best I can get is a team leader by email.

Is there anything I can do to make them see sense?


r/LegalAdviceUK 1d ago

Debt & Money My house sold, lender didn't send money in time for our house purchase!

273 Upvotes

Hi,

I'll keep this brief. We were involved in a property chain of four houses in England. We were scheduled to complete the sale last Friday, August 28th, having exchanged contracts one week earlier.

Our house was sold in the morning, and we were waiting for an update from the solicitor about purchasing our new house. The solicitors received an email on Friday from the lender indicating that the funds would be sent shortly. At 3.30pm the solicitor explained that it was getting late and to make provisions for accommodation as he was still waiting for the money from lender.

The lender was given 7 working days notice and they usually require 5 days notice.

During this delay, my wife and two children remained in our cars with two removal vans packed with all of our belongings. We had to quickly arrange storage for our possessions and also find accommodation for three to four days over the bank holiday weekend through Airbnb.

Meanwhile the solicitor said that the sellers would be putting in a claim against us, they had to remove all items from the property as they were moving into a fully furnished property and they have a disabled son therefore the property was inhabitable and had to organise accommodation.

We spoke to the lenders management team and they advised it was a technical glitch and would reimburse us for any costs. We also have an email from them to support this.

My main concerns are the potential claims against us by the people further up the chain. Would we be liable for this even though it was the lenders errors? To what extent can they claim against us? Can we pass the costs onto the lender?

We technically don't own a house and the wife has been emotionally distraught during the whole process.

Advice would be appreciated as it's been a tough bank holiday weekend.


r/LegalAdviceUK 9h ago

Debt & Money Being told I will have to wait to be paid until February for phone I sent in at beginning of August.

16 Upvotes

So, I sent in an iPhone 13 to this phone company that trade it in for money. I was offered £85 and took it. I then annoyingly got sent an email saying it would take 14-30 working days. I requested that they could somewhat fast track it because it would mean I could potentially wait for 5 weeks just to be paid.

They have now sent me an email saying there is a backlog and I won’t get paid until the 3rd of February 2027… Surely this isn’t okay?

Would anyone be able to recommend steps I should take in order to get the money any time soon?


r/LegalAdviceUK 8h ago

Traffic & Parking Car got damaged by a "For sale" sign. Owner of company verbally said he would pay for the repairs but has since ghosted me. Do I have any recourse? England.

11 Upvotes

So we got new next door neighbours and the for sale sign had been laid on the ground waiting for the estate agent to pick it up. They'd left it for at least 2 weeks by this point and during a storm one night it got picked up by the wind and thrown into my car, scratching the paintwork and cracking a rear light.

I got in contact with the estate agents who put me through to the people who make the signs. The owner of that company came out to my house to inspect the damage and confirmed that he would pay for the repairs. This took a couple of months due to the bodyshop being booked up. Since it's been repaired I've emailed him twice and he hasn't replied.

How should I move forward?


r/LegalAdviceUK 58m ago

Housing Cowboy Kitchen Fitting England

Upvotes

Hi,

I'm seeking advice as I'm at my wits end we purchased a kitchen from B&Q in April.

The designer at B&Q advised to hire somebody to do the fitting (who is a B&Q fitter) he went as far as to contact the fitter while we were in store to check availability, if he could provide all of the work sent a copy of a draft plan to the fitter and gave him our details.

The B&Q kitchen designer put our kitchen on the fitters trade account portraying it as a 10% discount. He didn't tell us this would essentially mean we were buying the kitchen in the fitters name.

When we paid B&Q for the kitchen the designer promised me that he would sort everything and would send the finalised plan to the fitter. I contacted the fitter who assured me he had received the plan.

The fitter was using the copy of the draft plan which has guessed measurements, incorrect unit sizes, wrong colour scheme, wrong flooring etc.

The fitter didn't tell us he'd be sending one of his contractors who was a nice lad but inexperienced and has completely messed up the job to the point we had to stop work back in June. The initially responded by email apologising for the quality of the work we had received. But when he came to my property changed his story and refused to acknowledge anything was wrong.

I've subsequently had another kitchen fitter around who has gone through everything and written a report and in his opinion the level of work is so bad the entire kitchen needs to be ripped out and replaced.

I got in contact with the fitter and with B&Q over this. B&Q escalated this as a complaint. On August 12th they acknowledged that I was due compensation, and requested I send all of reports and refit work and they would be in contact to discuss the compensation offer.

I sent everything off as requested and waited for response and today I received a response saying that in their opinion now I'm due nothing from them as it was ordered on the fitters trade account and the contract to supply the kitchen was with the fitters business and they have met their obligations.

I know I've been naive but I feel I was misled into agreeing to use the trade account and now B&Q are trying to use it as a loophole to wash their hands of everything.

This is really distressing as we've had the outlay for the kitchen and we've paid a deposit to the fitter.

I've contacted citizens advice who had advised me that B&Q have most likely breached the consumer rights act with regard to reasonable care (with providing the outdated plan) and even though B&Q arguing the contract for supply isn't with me they're still in breach as their negligence has caused me losses.

Can anyone give me any advice on what I may be entitled to?

I'm happy to provide more info.

Any help would be massively appreciated we currently have half a kitchen and I don't see a way forward at the moment ☹️


r/LegalAdviceUK 2h ago

Criminal Bypassed for an alternative role whilst in redundancy consultation period.

5 Upvotes

Posting on behalf of a friend who works for a large company in England.

He’s worked for the company for a year but in the role for 13 years (tupeed over through 5 companies previously)

Disciplinary process raised against him earlier this year, which though it was minor he fought as it was fabricated and the disciplinary was unfounded.

Now in the process of being made redundant alongside one other employee, in 30 day consultation period at the moment.

Had just had his second of 3 consultation meetings following a weeks annual leave to discover whilst he was off a position was advertised, closed and interviewed for by the other person at risk of redundancy.

When he raised this as a concern during his consultation meeting they said they thought his mates would have told him… they also went on to say they didn’t think he would be able to due to childcare as the job role is days and he currently works nights.

Am I right in thinking they should still have actively offered him at least the opportunity to apply for the role? Seems very backhanded and tbh he doesn’t want to work for a company like that but feels like what they have done is both illegal and borderline discriminatory.

Any advice on what he should do next is welcome

🙏


r/LegalAdviceUK 1h ago

Comments Moderated England: debt collection company contacted for import duty already paid - can I dispute?

Upvotes

Hoping for some advice on how to dispute or if it’s possible to, after being contacted by Control Account on behalf of DHL. This has taken place over the last 8 weeks.

I ordered some clothing from Australia, which attracted import duty which I was notified of via DHL who were delivering the parcel.

I received an email requesting payment, with a link in there. I paid this the same day and have the email receipt from this transaction, along with proof of the money leaving my bank account.

This all took place 2 days before I had a baby. On the day I was in hospital in labour, the parcel was due to be delivered and I requested delivery to a safe space. I received a notification that it had been delivered, and then 2 hours later (in between contractions!) I received a phone call from an unknown number, from an individual with a very strong accent asking me to pay the duty. I informed her I had already paid, but she did not seem to understand this and kept stating the package had outstanding duty. I asked for a text/email to be sent to me with contact details so I could send a copy of my receipt into the relevant person - I never received this.

On returning home, 2 identical packages had been delivered. I had only ordered and paid for one, and have proof of this also via email receipts and bank records.

Here is where I have messed up - DHL sent me a letter with a request for outstanding duty to be paid. Due to be freshly postpartum I did not respond immediately. It had been on my list to do when my oldest returns to school tomorrow. Today I received a text message requesting I contact the debt collection agency.

DHL are stating that I owe them around £65 for import duty, even though I have paid for the package I ordered and paid for. I did not sign for the packages and was not aware at all that 2 had been delivered until I returned home from hospital.

What are my next steps? Do I stand any chance of disputing this and having it removed from my credit file (if it would show on there)? If so, how do I go about that?


r/LegalAdviceUK 1h ago

Housing Landlord supplied an EICR recording an inspection that did not happen. Could it be fabricated, and what happens now? (England)

Upvotes

I’m a private tenant in London, zone 1. After months of chasing my landlord for statutory safety documents, he eventually emailed us an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) marked “satisfactory”.

The central problem is that the inspection recorded in it did not happen in our home.

Different pages give two dates in the same week earlier this summer. Neither occupier received an appointment or access request, admitted an electrician, saw anyone attend, or witnessed any electrical inspection or testing on either date.

Despite that, the report records specific internal work, including:

* the location of the consumer unit;
* sampled lighting;
* bathroom electrical checks;
* circuit point counts;
* polarity, RCD and circuit measurements; and
* observations about internal electrical equipment.

The document also contains several inconsistencies:

* different inspection/testing dates;
* declaration and authorisation dates nearly two months later;
* a next-inspection date calculated from the later authorisation date rather than the stated inspection;
* conflicting estimates of the installation’s age;
* a blank authorisation-signature field; and
* an image-only PDF whose visible signatures cannot be independently authenticated from the file itself.

I understand that none of those document issues proves fraud by itself. The central issue is that a statutory safety report records detailed inspection and testing inside our home when neither tenant granted access or observed that inspection taking place.

We have preserved the original email and attachment. We have now reported it to our council’s private-sector housing/electrical-safety team and submitted a signed joint statement disputing the attendance.

I am not claiming that forgery has already been proved, and I do not yet know whether this resulted from incorrect dates, information carried over from another job, the wrong property, a contractor or administrative problem, alteration of an existing document, or outright fabrication. The electrical business named on it may be entirely innocent. But something has clearly gone very seriously wrong in the creation or use of this report.

This is not a cosmetic typo. An EICR is supposed to evidence an actual inspection and testing of the fixed electrical installation. Receiving one for an attendance we know did not occur is genuinely alarming.

This follows months of delayed repairs and missing safety paperwork. In my opinion, my landlord’s handling of our statutory safety records has been appalling, and our trust in him has completely collapsed.

Has anyone experienced anything similar?

* What will the council normally do to verify the inspection and original report?
* What records should a genuine inspection leave behind?
* Should I contact the electrical business or its registration scheme myself, or allow the council to investigate first?
* What happens if the landlord and contractor cannot produce appointment, access, job-sheet or underlying test records?
* Could there be an innocent technical explanation that I am overlooking?

I’m furious, but I want to remain factual while the council establishes what actually happened.


r/LegalAdviceUK 11h ago

Debt & Money I was told my job was guaranteed 4 days a week when I started now I’ve been made to sign a zero hour contact.

13 Upvotes

(England)
I started this job back in December, the job was advertised as guaranteed 4 days a week or more. I didn’t have to sign a contract as I was told they don’t do that. For the first 6-7 months it was great, I usually did 4- 5 days a week and it was perfect.

Our manager got into an accident and had to leave with immediate effect in July. So the manager role got passed down to an existing employee. Me and this employee didn’t really get on too well, but we were civil and did the job. Since she’s manager she’s now in-charge of people’s days, she has dropped my days significantly.

She started giving me 2 days a week, and on occasions I was only getting 6 days work A MONTH. When I asked her about this, she said it’s because she wants to train new staff (I later found out the “new staff” she’d employed were her friends.) she assured me my days would go back to normal soon.

Then out of no where, one day at work she gives me a zero hour contact to sign. The contract said something on the lines of “we aren’t obligated to give u work, u could go weeks without work. You aren’t paid for your holidays”. I said I didn’t feel comfortable signing it as it’s not the terms I agreed to when I started. She said “then this job isn’t for you” so I had no choice but to sign it under pressure. I’m 27 and Even with my partners income I can’t make ends meet doing 1 or 2 days a week and I explained this.

I’ve noticed that she barely gives me days in the week, then she’ll give me Sunday and bank holiday. So it’s like she never gives me any work but then she’ll give me the days that no one else wants to do. I feel like she’s only doing this because of us not getting along previously.

Since I didn’t sign a contract when I started, is there anything I can do or should I just start looking for another job?


r/LegalAdviceUK 1d ago

Debt & Money PIP: Organ failure but not disabled?

166 Upvotes

Hi all! I'm based in England and looking for some advice on PIP. Quick back story, in October I suffered a catastrophic blood clot that cost me my spleen and small intestine, and has left me in organ failure and completely nil by mouth. I was in ITU oct-Feb, hospital in mid may and been out since (with 3 short hospitalizations in between).

I initially applied for PIP in April after UC advised me to. At the time of application I was still in hospital, in a wheelchair, entirely unable to care for myself. Since discharge, I can now walk 30 minutes, I am only able to shower once a week max, change clothes 3-4 days of the week, and I manage my own TPN. TPN means I'm required to be connected to an IV drip for 12 hours of the day as well. I have 5 surgical drains hanging from my abdomen, these leaks constantly causing me to carry spare clothes every where. None of my jobs will have me back yet as I'm too much of a liability and don't have the mobility needed.

Now: I've been completely rejected by PIP, they said I only scored 2 on the disability impact scale. This is because I do my own TPN, and being unable to eat or drink means I don't need to prep my own food so I can score a 0 in that category. They've said that because the pain clinic is no longer managing me that my pain is under control. This is despite me literally spending a week in hospital last week for severe pain. This is also despite the fact the pain team has quit my case because they said there was nothing else they could do.

I'm only eligible for £400 under UC, they won't out anything towards living expenses. So im unsure how im supposed to survive in organ failure off of £400!! Please help!