Gas & Electric Prepayment Meters

happymumto2

Bit of an odd one this so bear with me, had meters fitted in November 2006 as for the 5 months we had owned the property we had a gas bill for £1200 and electric bill for £680 both in ex's name. We Bought the house jointly (and still own it jointly although i pay everything and we don't speak). I didn't move in immediately and stayed in my council house, we split up shortly after I moved in although he used the place as a hotel when it suited him (thats another story!).

Have spoken to them several times over the past two years they insist I am liable for the bills even though I wasn't living here until the October (i stayed in my council house while work was done). They won't transfer the bills to my name because of the debt in his name, yet I am the one paying it!

Worse still I am putting over £70 a week into the gas meter and around £30 a week into the electric meter, they came out about a year ago and claim there is nothing wrong with the meters! I am out of the house from 8am to 5pm, 5 days a week, only the fridge is on! And no heating on until 5pm 5 days a week, not even in mornings! Has got to the point where I can't afford to put the heating on only for showers and baths, and I bought halogen heaters which kids and i use in whichever room we are in.

The kids and I can see our breath when walking around the house its so cold here (not joking). In November 08 they claimed they hadn't been reclaiming the debt back via the gas meter, so I still owe the £1200. My youngest is disabled (not physically), he has sensory problems (among other things) which meant he was never cold, used to walk around in his pants even when DD and I felt cold, but it has got to the point where he is keeping his clothes on and still feels cold.

I don't know what to do, I can't be using almost £900 of gas every quarter and £360 of electric. I had a bigger house than this (this is a 3 bed detached), and I was putting about £80-100 in the electric and about £160 a quarter in the gas meters. If I put the heating on it uses about £10 in 4 or 5 hours! And the house is still freezing! I have only put £20 in over last 7 days but we are only putting it on for a shower!

I don't see how I am using so much, and I don't feel they should be taking the money he owes them off me! Is there anything i can do?

Magentasue

There are a few issues here. First, you're probably paying a high cost per kwh because you're on prepay and prices have risen a lot in the last few months.

Next, there's the question of how much you are using - your electric will be high if you're using halogen heaters on full price electricity. Gas, I guess is high because it's been so cold but £10 a day seeems very high for four hours heating. Are you sure your meters aren't recovering debts?

Lastly, there's the question of who is liable for the debts. If you had bought the house from your ex, you would have opened a new account. As it is, it looks as if there is still an account in your ex's name and you're just paying for what you use. I'm not sure at which point, your ex was no longer liable and you became responsible but I suppose as joint owners, it could be argued that you were both responsible for the 2006 debt? Even if it was only in one name? Not sure how that works. Are they persuing your ex for any of the amount outstanding before the prepay meters were put in?

happymumto2

Have rung them again this afternoon, have had a sort of resolution, they still won't change bills to my name (even though they have proof I was living at another address as I had prepayment meters there). They have however cleared the electric debt and have knocked down the gas debt from £1200 to £260, strange figure to come up with but still better than £1200!
They are adamant I am liable as the ouse is in joint names. As for the amount I am putting in the meters they say this is because of price increases! So I guess I'll have to not use the heating at all! I bought the halogen heaters as I was told they were the most economical have monitored usage over an hour and it costs 76p!

They are not pursuing ex for any of the previous debt as I can't give them current whereabouts.

Magentasue

Well, that's a bit of a result with the debt, I think. Looking at the glass half full, we're hopefully more than half way through the bad weather so, if you can hang in there, it can only get better. Long term, I'd be wanting a credit meter and monthly DD payments as soon as I could get them. If you can't do that, or don't want to, you need to be putting money aside over the summer so that you've got extra to feed the meters in the winter.