AboutHenning Haarhaus Expertise I am a Certified German Lawyer and a Certfied Tax Expert. I practice in German business, tax & commercial law; e.g. business organisations, contracts; debt collections and international law. I also offer my legal services in the fields of German inheritance and inheritance tax law.
Experience I have been working as a German lawyer since 1999 in the forenamed fields.
Organizations Berlin Bar Association, German Association of Estate Succession and Inheritance Law, German-Korean Lawyers Association - Secretary General
Publications Please find a guide about the basics of German inheritance and real estate law in my online resource:
http://www.kanzlei-haarhaus.de
Education/Credentials - graduated as certified banker in 1989 - passed First State Exam (JD-equivalent) in 1994 - passed exam on expertise in the field of inheritance law in 2005 - Certified Tax Expert since 2007
Question I am an American who attended university in the United Kingdom for one semester on a study-abroad program. This was four years ago, in 2005. More recently, the university has started sending me letters for £1196 that they think I owe them for university housing. I thought I paid all my dues while I was a student there, so I initially dismissed this as a clerical error (especially since they took years to tell me that I owed anything), but looking into my records, I'm now not certain either way.
In the meantime, though, I'm trying to figure out what my options are. I have a couple of specific questions:
1) My supposed "debt" isn't a conventional debt from a credit agreement; it's just some money that the university thinks I should have paid in 2005 but didn't. In addition, the university has so far been unable to produce any agreement that I signed. If the university cannot show that I signed an agreement that would compel me to pay this amount, is it even legally possible for me to owe them anything? Can there be a debt without an agreement?
2) What exactly can the university do to me? Their most recent letter threatens to turn me over to a collections agency (and even vaguely threatens court action, which seems unlikely, right?). If this goes to a collections agency, can it hurt my credit score in the United States?
I would be very grateful for any tips you could give me.
Answer You do not need a written agreement in order to owe something to someone. Oral agreements or maybe even the referral to a specific fee table may be sufficient. However, if I were you I would dispute the claim until they inform you in detail on the circumstances of the liability. Moreover, you could object that the claim has become time barred. If not they shall explain this to you. You are not a specialist in British law. Neither am I.
I do not know if a collection agency would have the means to endanger your credit.
