final bills ,moving out of current let

ems01

Hi all,
im wondering if anyone can help , we are moving out of our current rented property , to a seemingly much better landlord and house :j this weekend.
Our letting agent has told us that they want proof that the elec, gas , council tax and water rates are up to date with no arrears.
we have a slight problem as we fell into arrears with the electric and gas as they were so much higher than our previous property and we were not prepared for the HUGE bills, anyway we have aranged DD payments and have been paying that way for the past 2 months adding our arrears onto our DD to clear them.
i phoned swalec today to enquire about a final reading as i didnt think we would have a final bill as such , as they told us previously that the DD would just be taken with us to the new house and assessed in a few months to see if we needed to increase/decrease our payments.
They have now said that we will have a final bill when they have recieved our reading and that it could be a large one as the last bill was in feb..surely our DD should have covered this ???? and that the arrears will also be added to this.
Now our letting agent has said we will not have our bond back until the final bill is payed...surely we can take the bill with us to our new address and continue with our DD, leaving the LA a forwarding address if there are any problems .

Can they do this ? its not like we are doing a runner from our bills, we have payments in place ...there in our name not the propertys.
sorry if im not very clear, and waffeling.....im extreamly stressed

thanks in advance , em x

ems08_2

just bumping up, if anyone can help x

ems01

bumping again...anybody have a clue ?? x

charliemaine1bee

Hi
Sorry im unable to offer advice but would be keen to see any replies as i have similar situation with my gas bill and am paying prev bill in with next bill but unable to clear the lot in the immediate future..
I think..and dont hold me to it..the bond covers is actually to cover damage to the property/fixtures..as in theory any bills are tied to the tenant not the house..
x

tbs624

ems- if it's your name that is on the bills it is your responsibility to see that the bills are paid, not the LAs. The reason that LLs/LAs try this one on is that if there are several Ts in succession who run up a debt & effectively do a runner a LL may be required to have a pre-payment meters installed at the the property which makes it less attractive to new potential tenants.

Confirm in writing that you will be continuing with the same utility company, that you have a DD in place, that you will take meter readings on exit and that the LL can contact you at xx address if they have any queries.Finish off by saying you look forward to the return of your deposit, which is separate from your personal contract with SWALEC.

Is your deposit scheme-registered btw?

JanCee

I am no expert on this but as far as I know all you have to do on vacating a property is to agree final meter readings with the LL or LA and phone them through to the various utility companies. Providing you are giving a forwarding address for any outstanding bills to be sent on then that is it as far as the LL and LA are concerned. As a previous poster has already said the debts are attached to the individual and not the property. Also your deposit is for damage and not unpaid bills. You need to point all this out to the LA, also you need to know which scheme your deposit is protected in.

Planner

Tell your Landlord and his theiving letting agents to mind their own bees wax.

If your most recent AST began on or after 6th April 2007, your deposit should be protected in one of the TDS schemes, who will laugh in your letting agents well fed faces at such requests,

charliemaine1bee

Planner wrote: »

Tell your Landlord and his theiving letting agents to mind their own bees wax.

If your most recent AST began on or after 6th April 2007, your deposit should be protected in one of the TDS schemes, who will laugh in your letting agents well fed faces at such requests,

What happens to any deposits prior to that can i ask..ive been in my property since 2002?many thanks.

princeofpounds

Your questions ramble about a bit, but let's deal with the agent first.

Bills are no concern of theirs, assuming that the utility companies are notified of the changeover in occupier. Despite that, agents often think they are.

However, your options for getting the money back are also not quick. You can either go through the TDS system or court.

Is your deposit protected and have you received the proscribed information? Ring the three schemes to check. If so, you can launch a dispute arbitration with your scheme.

If not, then you can write a letter of intent to the LL (copy LA) stating that your deposit has not been properly protected and you will be taking them to court for the deposit and a three times penalty unless it is returned to you within 14 days.

Keep the letter polite and state that their objection that the utility bills have not been copied to them is not their concern.

Keep all communication in writing and preferably recorded delivery.

Planner

charliemaine1bee wrote: »

What happens to any deposits prior to that can i ask..ive been in my property since 2002?many thanks.

The letting agents/Landlord holds it. The situation concerning utilities is still the same, its none of their business, it just means you have more of a fight on your hands.

tbs624

Have you remained on a month to month periodic tenancy since the expiry of your original fixed term agreement or have you signed up for new fixed terms since then?

If new FTs have been signed then your deposit should have been registered then. If not your recourse in a dispute is via the courts ( county court not terrifying!)