Bradford homeowner told he owes £12,000 after law firm collapses

Omer Saleem was sent a letter which said he owed almost £12,000

A man who was using a no-win, no-fee law firm to claim compensation has been told he must pay nearly £12,000 after the company went into administration.

Omer Saleem, 43, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was using Sheffield company SSB Law to claim for damp-proofing work which did not work properly.

He said he had "no clue" how he was going to pay the money back.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed it is investigating.

The BBC has been told more than 1,400 people could be affected - with some having received demands for costs of up to £40,000, with no means of paying.

Mr Saleem had work done on his house in about 2014, which he believed led to mould and damp in his home.

SSB Law went into administration earlier this month

He said a few years later, a representative from SSB Law knocked on his door to offer to help him make a compensation claim on a no-win, no-fee basis.

Over the years he said he had had several surveys done on the house in relation to the claim, but in November, SSB Law advised him to close the case and he agreed.

Mr Saleem said he had heard nothing more until the letter asking him to pay the total of £11,701.63.

He said: "I am feeling quite stressed at the moment because I have three children to look after, and it is going to be very difficult if I have to pay that amount of money.

"I have no clue how I am going to raise that money to pay it back".

Administrators FRP advisory said another law firm would now look at any adverse cost claims.

Kabeer Kaleem, from Todmorden, has also been sent a bill of about £11,000

Kabeer Kaleem, from Todmorden, was also sent a letter which said he owed £11,000.

He said his cavity wall insulation failed to work and he was using the law firm to claim against the installers.

"I've got a demand for payment for just over £11,000," he said.

"When you get something like that through the post which says you have 10 days to pay, otherwise enforcement action is going to be taken, it is extremely distressing."

Erich Kurtz, from Hugh James Solicitors, is working on some of the cases. He said: "It is a complete mess. They were told win or lose they wouldn't face any adverse costs, and that hasn't come to pass.

"It's incredibly stressful and nobody should be left in that situation."

The BBC has been unable to contact SSB Law for comment.