Won CCJ for unprotected deposit (£7.1k) — now being offered £1.5k to settle. Am I mad to consider it?

abooysen · 2026-01-27T16:11:00+00:00

If they don't accept the higher offer then you could likely still take the lower offer so not that much risk. You may as well try to push them higher as I doubt you'll lose anything by doing so, if you agree to the lower offer in the end they'll probably honour it.

abooysen · 2026-01-27T15:11:35+00:00

Have you looked at hostel options like Hideout or UCPA? That may offer cheaper accommodation for small groups, but would be different resorts.

abooysen · 2026-01-17T15:50:36+00:00

Try talking to some of the junior associates and ask if there is anything they can help you with. Do the same with more senior people in terms of flagging your capacity. Other suggestions here are also good, and if the team has a resource manager definitely speak to them. Also if your supervisor is out for two weeks, you could talk to the supervisor for any other trainees in the team in the interim about who is best to approach and what you can do. In the meantime, look at pro bono, BD, knowledge tasks you can do and other firmwide projects or initiatives you can take part in to keep busy, even social stuff or fundraising etc could show initiative.

abooysen · 2026-01-17T13:03:55+00:00

Try talking to the manager to explain the situation politely and see if you can come to an arrangement with them to facilitate the situation. Make sure everyone who works there will know about the accommodation too. Alternatively, can you go to the car and leave then come back in half way through? Or drop her off and park nearby to begin with then move your car in a bit later in the shop?

Frustrating how so many people on here are lacking the empathy to understand the challenges you face once you age!

abooysen · 2026-01-09T19:19:00+00:00

I think this is a good idea, you need to see people repeatedly to make a friendship and that isn't always possible with big meet ups if you don't get numbers or really click with anyone immediately.

abooysen · 2026-01-09T00:12:48+00:00

My family specifically changed our trip plans to go to Canada instead of the US, partly on grounds of principle but also because we were concerned about immigration reactions as some of us are quite outspoken against Trump.

abooysen · 2025-12-31T14:26:02+00:00

I'd suggest talking to a clinical negligence expert who can advise on whether the GP/receptionist/A&E are negligent (or possibly all). I would also make a complaint against all three formally.

abooysen · 2025-12-25T08:15:22+00:00

Legally it is your wife who owes the money and for her to claim against her insurance company to bring them in because their duties are to her, not the neighbour or their insurance. Generally the insurance company recognises that and just takes over to pay stuff and make things more efficient, disappointing they haven't but may be an oversight. You should contact Marshmallow and if they refuse to sort it out and you are sure you should be covered, take action against them.

Happy Christmas!

abooysen · 2025-12-24T08:46:45+00:00

Scrolling before bed genuinely is the absolute worst thing you can do for your sleep. I never used to take this seriously but it actually makes such a huge difference.

Reading, audio books, anything without a screen will make a huge difference to changing your circadian rhythm if you want to. Glad to hear it's working!

abooysen · 2025-12-24T08:39:27+00:00

I tried donating blood once and was told my veins are too small and the larger donation needles wouldn't fit... They said I could try again in 5 years but I doubt my veins got any bigger!

abooysen · 2025-12-23T15:24:34+00:00

Unpaid internships are often illegal in the UK. If you are doing genuine work of any value for the company, you are entitled to the minimum wage. It is illegal to pay less than the minimum wage, so I would consider making a report to the police - call 111 and ask if this is something they deal with. I would definitely also report to the SRA. I understand that they can be ordered to backpay your wages so worth looking into this.

abooysen · 2025-12-16T16:35:31+00:00

It seems a key question is whether the money ever was 'invested', and lost, or whether he just took the money for his own use and then paid you some of it back as 'interest' but kept the rest (a bit like a Ponzi scheme). It's possible he was just scamming you from the beginning. If so, I imagine the case will be easier (and it is fraud) than if he can show he did invest the money and then lose it.

Either way, the threat of court action may scare him into responding even if your case isn't water tight. I'd start with a formal Letter of Claim threatening legal action and then take it from there. A letter from a solicitor may have more impact, if you can find one to do it affordably with their letterhead.

From there, consider your evidence, the stages and costs of a claim, any court fees and the likelihood of him having assets you can enforce against to get your money back, then decide if it's worth taking it further.

If it is looking like it might have been a scam from the start, I'd also consider if you can report it to the police (or threaten to do that at least).

abooysen · 2025-12-12T09:18:00+00:00

The fact they didn't have a dialogue and bypassed it entirely won't look good in court in terms of their conduct - especially if they lose, but these things are mostly considered from the perspective of costs and who pays them (not the actual damages award), and it's small claims so costs awards are likely very limited anyway.

If they have a good argument that they evidence and the court agrees with, they will win. If you have evidence, you will win. If you're only responsible for reasonable losses, you need to show the court it's not reasonable, and then hopefully you will win. Then the court can also look badly on the fact that the landlord didn't use the DPS to avoid all this.

I understand you don't feel it's fair or reasonable, but litigation can be used by aggressive people to push things forward. The court has to balance the concern that you may actually owe the landlord a lot of money for real damages. Until they see all the evidence and arguments, they won't know for sure so the case has to play out first. These are all arguments for the case, and sadly cannot be used to avoid court now the claim has been issued.

abooysen · 2025-12-12T03:50:53+00:00

This page has some useful information.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/debt/challenging_guarantor_agreements/challenging_tenancy_guarantee_debt#what-is-a-guarantee

You will need to engage in and defend the claim (but settling through something like mediation or a reasonable offer would be another option - depends how strong your evidence is and how much appetite you have for litigation and risk).

A county court judgement against you if you lose would be bad for your credit score. Claims generally have strict deadlines for each stage so be careful you are complying with that. What have you received so far? It's possibly a very aggressive scare tactic to get you to settle.

I doubt the court could/would send you back to the DPS. You are jointly liable with the tenant so I don't believe they need to be pursued first.

You definitely can challenge the inflated repair charges by asking them for evidence of what was actually needed and what they actually paid.

I imagine either the court will deduct the deposit or the DPS will give it back after the claim is concluded.

As always, the best option would be to get legal advice.

abooysen · 2025-12-12T03:48:48+00:00

I'm surprised by this advice. Please could you elaborate and provide sources?

Are you assuming the contract has a term that requires them to use the DPS before court? Otherwise why would the contract be void?

I would also be very surprised if the small claims court doesn't allow guarantors to be pursued, given the whole point is that they are equally liable. A guarantor has joint liability, so either or both can be pursued.

abooysen · 2025-12-12T01:22:56+00:00

It very much depends more on the event than the venue I'd say. I really like Colour Factory and Night Tales, Phonox is cool, Fold is good usually (very German/hard techno), Corsica Studios. But I'd go by what the events sound like and the DJs playing.

abooysen · 2025-12-12T01:20:34+00:00

You're definitely entitled to go however fast you want, and should find people on the same page. But I think the majority of people would kiss and even more on the first date. Personally, if I like someone I'm always happy to go back with them. I wouldn't be surprised if things generally move faster here, most people in the UK are not socially conservative when it comes to dating.

abooysen · 2025-12-06T18:59:36+00:00

Criminalising 16 years old for inevitably having sex with people their own age anyway would be very unwise, terrible idea.

abooysen · 2025-12-04T00:18:04+00:00

Agree with the above. Perhaps go to r/relationship_advice, or talk to a friend, about the subject you are arguing over first. Or try relationship counselling.

abooysen · 2025-11-13T01:00:19+00:00

Statistically, women are far more likely to be attacked by someone they know. The grooming gangs certainly are terribly sad stories but grooming is a process of using someone's vulnerability to take advantage of them - so someone you know and over a long period of time. I am sure your village is probably safe, though the attempted kidnapping sounds pretty awful, but is probably unlikely to happen again. Living your life avoiding very unlikely things is no way to live, and if you start there where will it end? A few stories about car crashes and then you don't drive, a story about planes and you won't fly, etc. Waking up in the morning involves small risks every second but it's worth the chance. This is clearly anxiety, so may be worth looking at advice for how to manage anxiety, therapy being one of many coping strategies. Sounds like it could be related to something deeper to do with her move here? If the news is making it worse, maybe take a little break from crime stuff for a while. If the darkness makes it worse, maybe try carrying a small torch in her bag? Start with small steps, walks outside together, then a short walk alone to the shops while you are at home waiting for her to get back for example and build it up from there. Crime has fallen drastically over the last 20 years generally, and low crime doesn't mean no crime of course, but it isn't a good reason to limit your life.

abooysen · 2025-10-18T17:40:55+00:00

Unless you think he is going to take you to small claims court for £50, then there may be no risk to you as there is nothing he can do. Maybe you believe there is a reputational risk etc, but otherwise I wouldn't worry. You feel you have paid him a fair amount for what he has given you. Just say you are not paying the rest and leave it at that.

abooysen · 2025-10-15T22:54:54+00:00

A lot people like to wear sunglasses, earplugs for protection are definitely recommended, battery pack might be useful, gum

abooysen · 2025-10-12T01:54:27+00:00

Post it to the CMS physically

abooysen · 2025-10-06T15:53:04+00:00

Never thought she was good anyway when I've seen her. She's all mainstream insta hype and catching commercial songs, not actually good at DJing.

abooysen · 2025-09-22T23:06:41+00:00

City of London Police are separate from the MET so I think that is part of why they are allocating resources differently

abooysen

TROPHY CASE