Meter location

dirtydavey

Hello All,

I am hoping that some one can help with this one. My self and my girlfriend recantly took on a short term lease of six months in a flat by the sea.

It was basicly the ground floor of a converted house, and was the smallist flat I have ever see, the door opened right into the living room, to the side was a small kicthen, and at the back was a tiny bathroom, apart from that it had no rooms.

Amy way when we first moved in, I could not find the meters any where, so I rang the agent, who told me that they did not know. I asked them how they had taken meter readings (somthing they said they had done) if they did not know where they where. They told me the landlord had done it, and they did not manage the flat, and had nothing to do with it.

So I then rang the landlord, he also did not know where they where. I then rang m-number and m-pass and they said the flat did not exist with the address I had.

I spent many weeks on the phone and never got to the botom of this.

I have now moved out, and have been forwarded bills in jy name for the flat, for the last 4 years!!!! (800 pounds) I only lived there six months. And they are estmates.

I have managed, to get the bills corected, but they are still very very high, as they seam to be for a larger house.

My question is this, what should I do, I cant afford to pay these bills when they are so high, I spent ages to trying to find out who I should be paying and where my meters where, and for how much land I was being metered.

Incisor

You really must get back in there to see the meters and make sure that the meter you are being charged for actually supplies what was your flat. It is a great shame you did not go into writing and keep copies to show that you have chased everyone.

dirtydavey

See this is my main problem, as you can see from the post above, I am dylexic and have great problems with writing letters, and I think that the agent prayed upone this.

dirtydavey

I have now though sent an email to the director of the agents

neas

surely you could just ring the supplier up to justify the gas/elec usage at your property.. ask them to send an engineer out to help you find the meters.. after all they should PROVE what you've used... not the other way around.

Estimating is rollocks imo.. obviously no meter has been installed and you were prob on the same meter as the flat above... or the meter is lost somewherea and an engineer nor you can or have read it before.

I'd ring them and explain this situation, tell them you are not happy with the estimates as you consider you've used Alot less.... ask them to prove what you have used.

When you signup for gas/elec at a proeprty.... they usually require meter readings to be taken.. otherwise how do they know what you've used at all?

Ring gas/elec company up requesting this simple info.

sarah_elton

If the house was converted, has it been done on the cheap and in fact there's only one meter for the building still?

dirtydavey

Well I was not on any of the bills while I lived at the flat, and none came (I think they where delivered to one of the other flats) now that I have moved out the agent has put my name on the bills and forwarded to my new address.

They say they cant prove how much I used and can only estmate.

Where does the liability lay, with me? The provider? The landlord? The agent?

Its all to confussing!

I really tryed to find the meters, and the providers, but never got to the bottom of it.

boggie40

Lesson to be learnt here for people..

The first thing any tenant should do is make sure the meter reading given to you on your contract match up with what is on the meters.
You should have rang the suppliers in the first few weeks after you moved in, all suppliers have people on hand to deal with people who have disabilities or people who have difficulties such as yourself.
As said above if a supplier can not tell you where the meter is how can they give you a bill.

I myself slipped up cos i set up a standing order with my supplier (B-gas) in the belief that my monthly payment of £78 was for both gas and electric. I found out 9 months later when i moved out that i had not had a gas bill and i had only been paying for my electric.
So had to stump up just over £900 - taught me a lesson to be more observant with my utility bills.

Incisor

dirtydavey wrote: »

See this is my main problem, as you can see from the post above, I am dylexic and have great problems with writing letters, and I think that the agent prayed upone this.

Actually, have more confidence in yourself. From your first post, I never would have guessed that you were dyslexic. So whatever you are doing to get your writing up to scratch is working!!

Debt_Free_Chick

Post #6 - Sarah_Elton has a point. It rather sounds like there is only one meter for the entire property. You have registered yourself as the customer of the flat. But the supplier only has one meter at the property and they've registered you as the supplier for the whole property. I think you need to get back to the supplier and keep telling them that you only rented the basement flat.

Do you have a copy of the AST? Look at the address of the property you rented - how does this tie in with the address of the property to which the supply is delivered? Are they identical? If not, send a copy of the AST to the supplier and explain that you only rented the flat - not the whole property. Look also for the Landlord's address on the AST (there must be an address at which notices can be served on the Landlord). Suggest that the supplier contacts the Landlord at the address shown in the AST.

You are going to keep on pressing these points with the supplier.

Airwolf1

Incisor wrote: »

You really must get back in there to see the meters and make sure that the meter you are being charged for actually supplies what was your flat. It is a great shame you did not go into writing and keep copies to show that you have chased everyone.

Can't your girlfirend read the meters? Both of you go together? When you say it has been sorted, I guess you mean you're only bening charged for the dates that apply to you?

It may be worth contacting the fuel supplier, as I thought they had a responsibility to read meters at least once every 2 years - it sounds this hasn't been read in ages. You ought to write to their customer relations department, and if no joy, write to the regulatory body about it, but at the same tim, pursue it with the landlord too.