Rented Property Gas Bill, HELP

spikeyvirus

Hi, Thanks for reading this, hopefully someone will be able to help.

I rented a property for 16months. During this time we paid all bills that landed on our door step. We noticed we weren't getting a gas bill so rang our lettings agents who told us who our supplier was (the same as our electric) we rang them to get a bill but they told us we weren't registered. So after several calls to them and our lettings agents we never got anywhere. The utility company told us the gas meter was never registered by the property developers. We weren't sure what to do.

When vacating the property we once again tried to get a gas bill from the utility company and also told the lettings agents to get this done for us, as we weren't able to. Incidentally someone else rented the property before us with another letting agent! so surely they must have been paying.

Nearly 10 months down the line we've got a bill! for the time we rented. Its quite large of course having not paid it for 16months. My question is are we still liable to pay? or did we hand over responsibility to the lettings agents once we vacated the property and got our bond back?

Thanks
Viral

Premier_2

See existing thread on same matter here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1477439

filmnoir

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1467313

See here.

Cardew

I assume you didn't write to the gas company?

Someone will be responsible for at least 12 months of the bill - if not the whole bill.

If no bill was raised during your 16 months, then they can only backbill for 12 months. However the Utility company are fully aware of that ruling and would normally only back bill for a 12 month period - from the time they raised the bill.

However if they did raise a bill - even addressed to 'the occupier' or sent to the letting agent/previous occupier - then the 12 month back billing rule doesn't apply.

Assuming the bill is 'legal' then as you used the gas, you have to pay. If not the debt will be passed to a Debt Collecting Agency.

I suspect in the small print of the Letting Agency contract will be a clause when you have agreed you are reponsible for payment of all utility bills - and you did not pay them!