Dispute over landlord or tenants utility bill

Oh Dear,
More gas including, British Gas.
In the many schedules to The Gas Act I think you will discover why landlords are receiving bills when their tenants fail to sign up to a supplier. How British Gas handle these cases does cause me some concern.
At the rear of the above statute you find a provision that stipulates that the legal owner of a property has liability for the provision of a supply. So if your tenants don't sign up expect a bill in your name. Sadly the default supplier is British Gas who used to be administratively hopeless unless you waited for enforcement proceedings when mostly competent staff took over. However when I once asked to whom was I speaking the reply was Ewan Silence and the phone line went dead!

If you can get into the habit phone and asked for the account to go into the tenants name once the tenant signs. Some companies let the landlord do this others insist the tenant must do this. I have been allowing prepayments meters to be put in my properties for sometime now. But be careful and make sure the account is In their name because if the fiddle the meter you can be held liable.

Neil - I have never had any utility company say I cannot put the bill into the tenants name... I wonder which are the awkward utility companies ?

I have a similar problem I need advice on.

My tenant moved out on 27th April 2014. The property has been vacant ever since, as I’m in the process of selling up. I visited the flat this weekend to clear out the mailbox and found a number of letters from British Gas addressed to “The New Occupier”. The first was an estimated bill for a new account for the period 27/04/14 – 25/05/14 for £73.53. The last letter was in July and the bill had increased to £256 based on Collections Agency costs etc on what they presumed is an unpaid bill!

Does anyone have any experience of dealing with Utility Companies, trying to get them to understand that they’re billing an empty property? I’ve rung British Gas this morning but I’ve been bounced around various departments with no success. Clearly I want this sorted before anyone buys the flat. Is it a simple process to clear this imaginary debt? I certainly don’t want to pay it!

Many thanks in advance!

Darren, It sounds like the provisions in the Gas Act I mentioned and have experienced in empty properties are being applied to you. You will have probably find yourself on an expensive tariff. Give them the correct readings and sign up to a sensible tariff. By the way I have found out you will not be able to swap until outstanding bills have been settled. Good luck.

Thanks for that - so as the owner of a (currently) empty property do I have to re-assume responsibility of the utility bills? I guess my main worry is can I get the current bill cancelled?

Reply to the comment left by "Darren Morris" at "26/08/2014 - 13:22":

Yes you must resume responsibility and you can get the current assessment amended once you have provided an accurate reading.

Were readings checked, agreed and recorded with BG when your tenant moved out?
.

Thanks Mark,

I'm trying to establish with my lettings agency if the meter readings were checked and agreed when the tenant moved out. I think they were, as the start date of the bill of the "new account" is the same date that the tenant officially moved out.

I am happy to say things are sorted as soon as I get written confirmation through the post from British Gas.

What helped me was that rather than doing anything with LCS, as advised, I wrote to BG, and asked them to change the name on the bill from legal owner to the tenant's name. Then to stop LCS, I spoke to BG again at the higher level who was authorised to stop LCS and write off the debt. This was only possible through consumer services! And... I had few emails o and from British gas through their face book page where anyone can post anything, they are preety good responding on their page and resolving things faster ususlly by emails as everything can't be done on face book page. phew..... I can relax now!! Thanks to everyone helping me on this matter.

Reply to the comment left by "All BankersAreBarstewards Smith" at "24/08/2014 - 17:54":

Hi

Power NI will not let you put the account In the tenants name. The tenant must do it.