MariaB v Abbey (in progress)

[wlshwsl1]

Hi I would just like to say that reading all of your successes on here is helping me to keep going. My court date is on 20th of July and things are quiet. I'm currently stressing about whether I've supplied the correct bloody paperwork and generally panicking!

Court bundle (basic) Witness statement both done..not sure about a statement of evidence? and not got terms and conditions yet. Do i need to work out the time it took to put all this together? and how?


Any advice very gratefully recieved

Maria x

[Mad Nick]

Do i need to work out the time it took to put all this together? and how?

There are quite a few "Wasted Costs" threads around, but in summary :

Costs are not normally awarded in Small Claims. But if the other party behaved unreasonably you can claim £9.25 per hour for your time preparing your Court bundle. Two ways of doing that -

• include it in the last minute pre-Court haggle with Abbey; or
• write to the Judge after Abbey pays up the charges but before you formally withdraw the Court claim.

Either way, you are using PART 27 - THE SMALL CLAIMS TRACK
(para 27.14(2)g). With their brush off letters, bare denial defences and mountain of claims settled just prior to Court, it isn't difficult to construct the argument that Abbey behaved unreasonably.

Always try the first option because Abbey will pay up precisely because they know that you'll write to the Judge if they don't. I may be out of date, but up to April Abbey were not baulking at 30-50hrs. Have to keep the hrs reasonable because if Abbey said no for any reason you'd have to justify it to a Judge.
Regards, Mad Nick