Renting Utility bills

spikeyvirus · 9 February 2009 at 11:30AM

Hi, I vacated a property last April after staying there for for 16months. When we moved in we sorted all the bills out. However during our time we never recieved a gas bill. We rang our lettings agents who said our provider was. We were getting our electric bills each quater and paying them. But the utility company could not find our account for gas. In fact saying as far as that our property was never registered by the property developers.

Before departing our rented accomedation we again rang the utility company and lettings agents to try and get a final bill so we don't get stung later on. But no one could get this arranged.

Finally after nearly 10 months we've recieved a bill for the full 16months we stayed. Obviously to our suprise!

Are we still liable for this bill even though, we tried all we can do to get a bill from the utility company and also our Lettings agents?

Its quite a large bill and we waited few months before we spent our deposit to now find we need to find £1000 from somewhere to pay this bill.

sooz · 9 February 2009 at 11:33AM

was it a new build? this happens quite often. Yes - you do have to pay it! Best thing you can do is call the company & arrange to pay the bill in installments.

tbs624 · 9 February 2009 at 12:11PM

spikeyvirus wrote: »

Hi, I vacated a property last April after staying there for for 16months. When we moved in we sorted all the bills out. However during our time we never recieved a gas bill. We rang our lettings agents who said our provider was. We were getting our electric bills each quater and paying them. But the utility company could not find our account for gas. In fact saying as far as that our property was never registered by the property developers.

Before departing our rented accomedation we again rang the utility company and lettings agents to try and get a final bill so we don't get stung later on. But no one could get this arranged.

Finally after nearly 10 months we've recieved a bill for the full 16months we stayed. Obviously to our suprise!

Are we still liable for this bill even though, we tried all we can do to get a bill from the utility company and also our Lettings agents?

Its quite a large bill and we waited few months before we spent our deposit to now find we need to find £1000 from somewhere to pay this bill.

So you contacted the utility company twice - once at the start of your 16 month tenancy and again at the end of your tenancy? Not sure that that,& asking the LA a couple of times, constitutes "doing all you can" - there is more than one gas service provider and you could have checked with the M Number Enquiry Line 0870 608 1524 . The utility supplies bills/readings were for you to sort out, unless the LL was supposed to be paying for utilities under the terms of the contract.

Did you take meter readings before you left or is this bill an estimated one? Has the bill come from the utility company whom you originally contacted or from another supplier?

Of course you're still liable (they can chase for 6 years under the Limitation Act 1980) - presumably you used the gas?

As Sooz says, if you contact their customer services dept, they'll probably agree to you paying in instalments if you can show that you at least made an effort to pursue the issue, and that it will cause you difficulty to pay it all in one lump sum.

Premier_2 · 9 February 2009 at 1:03PM

Utility companies are only allowed to back-bill domestic customers up to 12 months, where non-production of the bill was their fault.

In this case, if I understand things correctly, the following occurred:

Jan 2007 - you started a TA
Jan 2007 - you contacted utility suppliers
April 2008 - you terminated TA
Feb 2009 - you have received bill for period Jan 2007 - April 2008

Now the problem you may have is proving you originally contacted the gas supplier when you say you did. i.e. Jan 2007. However, if this was the same supplier as that which supplied the elctricity, then you may have better luck.

As long as you can prove you contacted the supplier in Jan 2007 (or they acknowledge you did contact them - if you didn't, how did they get your name?), then the most they can bill you for is the period Feb 2008 - April 2008 under the 12 month back-billing rule.
This only applies if the company has not produced a bill before for this period, even though you may have failed to receive it (e.g. because you changed address)

If the 12 month back billing rule applies, that should see a significant reduction in your billed amount

Edit:
12 month back-billing rule
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/MARKETS/RETMKTS/COMPET/Documents1/11070-16305.pdf (page 4)

spikeyvirus · 9 February 2009 at 3:02PM

Thanks for all your help. To tbs264's reply. When I contacted the utility company that the lettings agents told us for responsible for our gas. The did check our M number and told us it was never registered. Hence why they couldn't setup an account as we requested them to do so, so we can give them a start reading.

It wasn't quite a couple of calls we did ring on a number of occassions as my housemates had also tried to get this sorted. We also gave the meter number to our letting agents in case they could get us registered and a bill sent out. But they couldn't either.

I'll look into the 12 month back-billing rule. And see if this applies to us.

Once again, thanks for all your advice.

Renting Utility bills

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