Any legal beagles?

[DipseyDeb]

My daughter very trustingly (and against my advice) helped her friend buy a horse... they did a payment plan and paid in installments. The agreement and then subsequent bill of sale are in my daughters name, she is happy to let her friend have the horse but wants her money back £1000. There has been no attempt to pay the money and my daughter had been left to pay the livery etc (she rents a yard, so the agreement was her friend pay a token amount of that) .... the friendship is strained as you can imagine ... what is the best course of action. I have refrained from the "I told you so.

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

Just for clarity, did your daughter and her friend buy the horse from a 3rd party, your daughter paid for the horse in full by instalments on the expectation that the friend would reimburse her and now the friend is not reimbursing your daughter or paying livery?

 

[ycbm]

Who paid how much for the horse? What was the agreement as regards repaying? Is that recorded anywhere (paper, email, text).
.

 

[ycbm]

I have refrained from the "I told you so.

You've done well !
.

 

[AmyMay]

If your daughter has paid in full for the horse, and bill of sale is in her name (and friend has not paid a penny towards it), she can simply sell it.

 

[DipseyDeb]

Just for clarity, did your daughter and her friend buy the horse from a 3rd party, your daughter paid for the horse in full by instalments on the expectation that the friend would reimburse her and now the friend is not reimbursing your daughter or paying livery?

Yes that's right, they paid half each. The 'friend' is keeping the horse and paying my daughter back only she's made no attempt... there was no written agreement between them. However it was my daughter who dealt with the 3rd party and paid the installments from her bank (friend would give her the installments each month) and the contract and final bill of sale is in her name.

 

[AmyMay]

So the friend actually handed money over for half the horse?

 

[Regandal]

Horse belongs to your daughter then. Hers to do with as she pleases.

 

[ycbm]

Yes that's right, they paid half each. The 'friend' is keeping the horse and paying my daughter back only she's made no attempt... there was no written agreement between them. However it was my daughter who dealt with the 3rd party and paid the installments from her bank (friend would give her the installments each month) and the contract and final bill of sale is in her name.

I think you need a solicitor, sorry. This is a hell of a financial pickle with unpaid livery on top. .

ETA has she sat the friend down over a coffee and had a frank discussion about it?

 

[Wishfilly]

Yes that's right, they paid half each. The 'friend' is keeping the horse and paying my daughter back only she's made no attempt... there was no written agreement between them. However it was my daughter who dealt with the 3rd party and paid the installments from her bank (friend would give her the installments each month) and the contract and final bill of sale is in her name.

Has she received any money at all from friend? Or was the agreement that the friend would pay her back for half, but she has paid nothing?

Does she have any of this in writing anywhere? A text/whatsapp message etc counts as writing, btw.

If she's received no money from friend, I would say she owns the horse and can do what she likes with it. If she's received half the money, I think it might be more complicated and legal advice would be needed.