Money, fees and interest
I have been charged solicitor or legal fees but no solicitor has written to me
If legal costs are charged to your mortgage account, ask which firm incurred them, what work was done, what evidence supports the amount and which mortgage term allows the cost to be passed on.
What this problem looks like
- A four-figure 'legal costs' entry appears with no correspondence from any law firm.
- You are told costs were incurred 'in dealing with your arrears' with no further detail.
- Interest starts accruing on the legal costs entry.
What you are trying to establish
- Which firm was instructed, and its address and reference.
- When it was instructed, and by whom — the lender, the servicer, or a receiver.
- What work was actually done, and on what dates.
- Whether an invoice or fee note exists, and whether the cost was actually incurred and paid.
- Which contractual clause or tariff provision permits recovery of that cost from you.
- Whether the lender took advice for its own benefit and is now passing the cost to you.
- Whether interest is being charged on the amount, and on what basis.
Evidence to collect
- The statement entry, with its date, description and amount.
- Any letter mentioning legal action, and its date, to test whether the cost preceded or followed it.
- The tariff in force on the date charged.
- Your SAR response, where account notes may record the instruction and its purpose.
What to ask for
- The name of the firm instructed, the date of instruction and the instructing party.
- A description of the work done, with dates.
- A copy of the invoice or fee note, and confirmation that it has been paid.
- The contractual clause or tariff provision relied on to recover the cost.
- Confirmation of whether interest is applied to the amount, at what rate and on what basis.
What a useful answer looks like
- A named firm, a dated instruction, an invoice, and a clause that plainly permits recovery.
- A clear statement of whether the cost was a third-party disbursement or an internal charge.
What an inadequate answer looks like
- 'Legal costs are recoverable under your mortgage conditions' and nothing else.
- An invoice withheld as confidential, with no redacted version offered.
- A cost dated before any step that could have required legal work.
Next escalation
- Complain, attaching the statement entry and the unanswered questions as a numbered list.
- Refer to the Financial Ombudsman, which will normally expect to see the transaction history, the tariff and evidence of the legal fees charged.
Example letters for this stage
- Query about legal costs where no solicitor has corresponded with me — Used where a legal cost appears on the account and no law firm has ever written to you.
- Request for the invoice or fee note behind a charged cost — A short follow-up where the breakdown was given but the underlying invoice was not.
Official sources
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This is information, not legal advice
Nothing here is legal advice and no professional relationship arises from reading it. Time limits apply to complaints and to court steps. Free help is available from Citizens Advice, StepChange and Shelter.