Have I screwed up my defense?

[OhNo]

Hello All

I am (clearly) a new member but I do wonder if someone might be able to set my mind at rest one way or the other?

I received a claim via MCOL from a company that claims I breached the terms of a contract. In a one sentence summary they paid a deposit to purchase my house but then pulled out and are now claiming it was me that pulled out. I'm happy to go into more details if anyone is interested but I suspect at this point I should keep my story short!

Anyway, I filed my "defence" but I'm now terrified I screwed up because I didn't use the word "deny" anywhere. My defense was no longer than the form N9B allows without needing an "additional sheet" so it wasn't overly verbose but in seven short paragraphs the closest I came to explicitly denying the allegations was by saying "....<the only/key allegation made by the claimant> is therefore false....".

I've since read a few example especially parking tickets etc where it is very clear the allegation(s) are denied and I'm now really worried that the judge might have a quick scan through, see I haven't "denied" anything by using the word "deny" and strike out my defense ?

Any thoughts most gratefully received !

[charitynjw]

Hi & welcome

How long ago did you file it?

(3) A defendant who –

(a) fails to deal with an allegation; but

(b) has set out in his defence the nature of his case in relation to the issue to which that allegation is relevant,

shall be taken to require that allegation to be proved.

https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/pr...es/part16#16.5

[Amethyst]

Saying the allegation is false is the same as saying it's denied so don't worry but if you want you can pm or post the particulars and your defence ( remove personal details)

Normally the court wouldn't strike a defence off their own bat, it would be an application from the claimant. The court doesn't actually look at the claim until it's been allocated to a local court so if you do need to remedy things you will have time to apply to amend.

So, this house sale, were you selling the house yourself privately or through an estate agent ? How much was the deposit, on what basis was it paid ( a booking deposit ? Pre-contract deposit ?) and what are the time scales ? Was it one of these quick buy companies or a sale/rent back type scheme, or a normal purchase ?

The property ombudsman does mention pre-contract deposits in their code of practice for estate agents https://www.tpos.co.uk/images/docume...tober-2016.pdf
Article here https://www.tpos.co.uk/news-media-an...lding-deposits

[OhNo]

Phew! And thanks so much for both of your replies which answered by (first!) question. Even if I get no more help, the replies were so helpful that I shall certainly be adding a TP review for this site asap if not later today.

If its ok, I would plan to pm the redacted particulars and my defence to Amethyst after writing this but once the case is behind me (at long last I hope!) I would be ok with them being published here in case it helps future legal beagles.

Edit: Hmm could it be I am too new to PM?

[charitynjw]

Phew! And thanks so much for both of your replies which answered by (first!) question. Even if I get no more help, the replies were so helpful that I shall certainly be adding a TP review for this site asap if not later today.

If its ok, I would plan to pm the redacted particulars and my defence to Amethyst after writing this but once the case is behind me (at long last I hope!) I would be ok with them being published here in case it helps future legal beagles.

Edit: Hmm could it be I am too new to PM?

Amethyst

(nudge nudge )

[des8]

need 5 (?) posts prior to PMing

[charitynjw]

need 5 (?) posts prior to PMing

Who or what is P Ming?

(Only joking, des8 )

[OhNo]

I think I managed it ! I PMed the particulars and my "defense" such as it is.

[charitynjw]

I think I managed it ! I PMed the particulars and my "defense" such as it is.

Amethyst

[Amethyst]

Got it xxx

[OhNo]

<redacted due to amethyst helpfully posting it as an image>

[Amethyst]

Ok that's helpful.

On the day contracts were were due to be exchanged (25th) the buyer reneged on their offer to purchase the property for the agreed price reducing their offer by £25k.

You turned this offer down on the 29th ? or immediately ?
The letter offering the holding deposit does say 'subject to conveyance' - had they raised any queries / issues related to the conveyance before suddenly reneging in their offer on the expected exchange date ? What happened on the 29th that they are relying on to show it was you that broke the chain ?

They came back on the 30th though with the original offer - which does show they were simply trying it on with the reduction. It is likely to be that and your reaction to that that the case hinges on as to whether the deposit is refundable.

What had happened to the chain in those 5 days ? ( other than stress and phone calls- did anyone else pull out?) ie. had their action caused the chain to break ? As, if not, it may well be seen that it was your action in not accepting the originally agreed offer that actually broke the chain.

@R0b

[OhNo]

Ok that's helpful.

On the day contracts were were due to be exchanged (25th) the buyer reneged on their offer to purchase the property for the agreed price reducing their offer by £25k.

You turned this offer down on the 29th ? or immediately ?
The letter offering the holding deposit does say 'subject to conveyance' - had they raised any queries / issues related to the conveyance before suddenly reneging in their offer on the expected exchange date ? What happened on the 29th that they are relying on to show it was you that broke the chain ?

They came back on the 30th though with the original offer - which does show they were simply trying it on with the reduction. It is likely to be that and your reaction to that that the case hinges on as to whether the deposit is refundable.

What had happened to the chain in those 5 days ? ( other than stress and phone calls- did anyone else pull out?) ie. had their action caused the chain to break ? As, if not, it may well be seen that it was your action in not accepting the originally agreed offer that actually broke the chain.

@R0b

Thanks so much for your time.

I tried to keep the sale going by offering a smaller reduction but when the buyer on the 25th made it very clear that the amount I had offered to discount by was "not nearly enough" I'd then decided enough was enough. It was a process over the next two days and I think I made it clear to the buyer on the 25th. My reaction to their offer on the 30 was to say "no" because I had already decided not to deal with them.

Had the amount he had offered been a stupid amount such as 1p for the house, would I still have had to return the deposit for the same reason? It would seem then that the deposit was giving me no security at all and almost served no purpose. I suppose I would say that by him "trying it on" as you say with a lower offer does that constitute in and of itself a break of the chain of sale?

I don't want to put words in your mouth but it sounds like it could easily go either way? The worst possible outcome because it makes it difficult to decide whether to continue.

[Amethyst]

Ok prior to the 25th they had already indicated they were after a reduction ? ( ie what happened leading up to the 25th that you felt obliged to offer smaller reductions - were issues raised from the conveyancing process ?)

[Amethyst]

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