NEWBIE in need of help regarding British Gas and a bill thats not ours!

ACon

I'll try keep this short.
My hubby received a bill this morning from British Gas, saying he owed them over £1500 for a flat he has moved out of over a yr ago.
He last paid a bill for £65 in July, when he moved out, (and moved in with me) and told them he was leaving.
Since then the bill states that an estimate was taken in Feb 09 and an Actual reading was given by my husband in May 09 leaving the acct at £1500+ (He has had no access to the flat since July last yr, so this is totally impossible)
Apparantly no final reading was officially given, so the bills continued in his name.
They say we have no leg to stand on, as for some reason they have no record he tried to close his acct. And hes not on my tenancy agreement in this house, or utility bills, as I never got them changed, everythings stayed in my name. Although his bank statements etc come here.

I believe someone else is living there, and has racked up this bill in his name, now told them where he lives, through the landlord, or his ex maybe, and is leaving us to deal with this debt.
How can we prove this is not his debt???
Pls pls help.

Fire_Fox

Presumably he registered for council tax and to vote at your current address (both legal requirements), and has bank statements in his name going back to August 2008? Can he get a letter from the landlord stating the date he surrendered the tenancy? If BG have the closing reading he supplied on record then they know he contacted them, did he check the final bill was accurate? Does he have or can he get a phone bill from the month he left?

Rikki

OP I believe you have posted the wrong years. You may need to check your dates and edit your original post.

Like your username too. :rolleyes:

Cardew

Well self-evidently he has not done things correctly.

Was the July £65 bill based on an actual meter reading or an estimate?

He need to produce a copy of a tenancy agreement showing when he left and then start to negotiate.

ACon

hiya, we last paid a bill in July 08, when he moved out, the readings are based on this year when he didnt live there. (Feb and May 09) He never had a tenancy agreement.
He told them he was leaving, but didnt hang around long enough to sort out final readings etc.
Hes not on my council tax, I know a problem, and electoral register is not a legal requirement, I dont fill that in for myself never mind him.
Yes hes made a big mistake, and someones taking advantage of that, we believe he is still named on the council tax too ...

Vestra

ACon wrote: »

hiya, we last paid a bill in July 08, when he moved out, the readings are based on this year when he didnt live there. (Feb and May 09) He never had a tenancy agreement.
He told them he was leaving, but didnt hang around long enough to sort out final readings etc.
Hes not on my council tax, I know a problem, and electoral register is not a legal requirement, I dont fill that in for myself never mind him.
Yes hes made a big mistake, and someones taking advantage of that, we believe he is still named on the council tax too ...

He's still paying council tax at his old address but not at the new address where he is living. Sorry but something sounds a bit fishy here.

You must have some proof he left the property when he did and if not there's not a lot you can do.

Cardew

ACon wrote: »

hiya, we last paid a bill in July 08, when he moved out, the readings are based on this year when he didnt live there. (Feb and May 09) He never had a tenancy agreement.
He told them he was leaving, but didnt hang around long enough to sort out final readings etc.
Hes not on my council tax, I know a problem, and electoral register is not a legal requirement, I dont fill that in for myself never mind him.
Yes hes made a big mistake, and someones taking advantage of that, we believe he is still named on the council tax too ...

Not on the electoral register with you!
Not on the electoral register at old address?
Not paying council tax with you!
Presumably wasn't paying council tax at his old address?
No tenancy agreement!
Didn't take any action to close the account when he left old address!

My understanding is that the Electoral Register is compulsory.

At present, the register is compiled by sending an annual canvass form to every house (a process introduced by Representation of the People Act 1918). A fine of up to £1,000 (level 3 on the Standard scale) can be imposed for failing to complete the form or giving false information.

Unless his old landlord is prepared to own up and take ownership of the bill from July 2008 you are going to have to go to court to prove your version of events - or pay up.

Fire_Fox

ACon wrote: »

hiya, we last paid a bill in July 08, when he moved out, the readings are based on this year when he didnt live there. (Feb and May 09) He never had a tenancy agreement.
He told them he was leaving, but didnt hang around long enough to sort out final readings etc.
Hes not on my council tax, I know a problem, and electoral register is not a legal requirement, I dont fill that in for myself never mind him.
Yes hes made a big mistake, and someones taking advantage of that, we believe he is still named on the council tax too ...

It sounds more like it's you and you partner that are taking advantage of the system and have got caught out. He had a tenancy that was not above board, he didn't bother to supply a final reading (the billpayer's responsibility), you don't bother to fill in the electoral register forms (a legal requirement), you don't bother to add him to your council tax (also a legal requirement). Have you informed your landlord that his house has a new occupant?

If you'd done at least some of these things properly you'd have a whole raft of documents proving the dates your partner vacated his old flat. As it is you will have to pay the bill and chalk it up to experience.

littletommytucker

Ring BG again and just tell them the dates you moved out. Its quite easy to close the account down on the dates you need to an estimated read. Just be nice to whoever you speak to. ps, you sound very “Jeremy Kyle” with your council tax evasion etc