ADVICE required please, HELP! Bills not mines..

mu7861

Hi,
Moved into rented house on 29 september. Lease started 1st August. Had to pay half rented for summer months as was not living in house as student. Bill has come to a total of £160! for Electricity and Gas for 1st August to 8 October. Water bill we had to pay from 1st August as estate agents sent house agreement to seven trents so they charged us from 1st August not 29 september. But, i was not at the house and this bill, expect after 29 september is not mines. What shall i do? had keys to house from 1st August so fear estate agents may say you were living there!! and this bill will fall on me.
PLEASE advice me what to do.
THANK YOU!

brysiewysie

If you had the keys and the lease started from the 1st Aug you are liable for the bill, why wouldn't you be?

Did you check the meter readings were accurate when you moved in?

Vestra

Sorry you were responsible for the usage from that date, have you checked the reads?

KimYeovil

You have no claim against the utility companies.

You do have a claim against the estate agents IF, according to the lease, you were the only occupant from 1 Aug (but did not arrive until 29 Sep) then you should only have to pay the portion that was on the meters from 29 Sep. (That is, consumption portion - you are still liable for any standing charges from 1 Aug.) Note that, as your name is with the utility companies, you have to pay and retrieve the difference from the agents. Did you supply a copy of the readings to the agents when you arrived on 29 Sep?

Of course, if the agents aren't playing ball…

Premier_2

Your tenancy agreement started on August 1st, you had the keys on August 1st.

Who do you think should be responsible for the bills from August 1st?

Who do you think should be responsible for the bills when you probably leave the property empty over Christmas & Easter?

mu7861

KimYeovil wrote: »

You have no claim against the utility companies.

You do have a claim against the estate agents IF, according to the lease, you were the only occupant from 1 Aug (but did not arrive until 29 Sep) then you should only have to pay the portion that was on the meters from 29 Sep. (That is, consumption portion - you are still liable for any standing charges from 1 Aug.) Note that, as your name is with the utility companies, you have to pay and retrieve the difference from the agents. Did you supply a copy of the readings to the agents when you arrived on 29 Sep?

Of course, if the agents aren't playing ball…

The bills come under the estae agents company name. No i never took a meter reading, and the bill company said, we could not give a bill for just oneweek as no acurate readings were taken. But why do i have to pay when i was not at the address? why am i liable? Ok so is i tell the estae agents the situation, and say i pay from 29 september, the consumption portion, but they are unwilling to pay the rest, what do i do? As over the summer period, buliders were at the house, maybe they made the bill?

Vestra

mu7861 wrote: »

The bills come under the estae agents company name. No i never took a meter reading, and the bill company said, we could not give a bill for just oneweek as no acurate readings were taken. But why do i have to pay when i was not at the address? why am i liable? Ok so is i tell the estae agents the situation, and say i pay from 29 september, the consumption portion, but they are unwilling to pay the rest, what do i do? As over the summer period, buliders were at the house, maybe they made the bill?

Because the lease started on the 1st of August not 29th Septemeber, so you were responsible for the property from the 1st of August, so you were responsible for the energy usage from that date.

mu7861

Rian1988 wrote: »

Because the lease started on the 1st of August not 29th Septemeber, so you were responsible for the property from the 1st of August, so you were responsible for the energy usage from that date.

oh my god! ...ok so what can i do to get out of this mess without paying? how to i get the bill as low as possible? i cannot afford £160!

Magentasue

I would have thought you were responsible from the day you took the keys. If you establish this is so, you need to negotiate a payment plan so that you are paying for the energy used and paying back what you owe every month.

If the landlord/agents are liable for the period the builders were in, you still need to contact the supplier and negotiate to avoid disconnection.

Vestra

mu7861 wrote: »

oh my god! ...ok so what can i do to get out of this mess without paying? how to i get the bill as low as possible? i cannot afford £160!

Did you take meter readings yourself when you got the keys to the property?

Magentasue

Rian1988 wrote: »

Did you take meter readings yourself when you got the keys to the property?

Post #6 says "No i never took a meter reading". I've never rented but I would have thought if it was managed by estate agents they would have taken readings on takeover, i.e. 1st August.

If OP didn't take readings on moving in, I can't see how this can be disputed a month later.