transfering utilities to my tenant?

the_root_of_all_evil

transfering utilities to my tenant?

my tenant has now moved in, can i phone the utility companies on the tenant's behalf so i can have total piece of mind that it has been done, or are the water gas and electric going to tell me the tenant must do it?

would save alot of time if i could do it myself

Jowo_2

The usual process is that the landlord phones in the final meter readings to the utility companies to arrange the final bill and end the accounts, the tenant then arranges their own accounts with them.

This is how you get peace of mind - knowing that you've ceased the accounts with final readings and that the responsibility of them are no longer yours after you move out. You cannot transfer bills into other people's names.

chappers

Not true I have always phoned the utiities companies and given them the meter readings and the names of the new tenants.

Jowo_2

Yes, I assume you can notify them of the names of the incoming occupants which will help the energy company to address their letters when you request a final bill but I'm not sure that this necessarily creates an account for them.

What I mean is that noone can transfer their bill into a new persons name, otherwise you'd have tenants move into a new property and just ring up and say 'oh, the landlord wants to pay the bill so please transfer it back into his name'.

the_root_of_all_evil

ill give them a ring i have got opening and closing reads for them, and of course the name of the tenant.

many thanks for the help

chappers

Jowo wrote: »

What I mean is that noone can transfer their bill into a new persons name, otherwise you'd have tenants move into a new property and just ring up and say 'oh, the landlord wants to pay the bill so please transfer it back into his name'.

Oh yes you can I have done it many times and still have an ongoing dispute with EDF energy from three years ago when a housing association changed suppliers at a property I owned, 9 months after they had sold it to me and someone had forgoten to tell the facilities managment department they had disposed of the property.
Basically Southern electric have a record of me having changed the account to my tenants name and then a record of the supplier being changed to EDF. Neither of these changes were made by the people responsible for the bill

property.advert

The most important thing is to make sure you have correct figures for utilities. It is not uncommon for tenants to inflate their incoming figures and then use services for free !

To avoid all this, agree figures with incoming tenants and have those figures noted in the tenancy agreement.

I don't know where the UK stands on this but in some countries it is usual for the meter to be read monthly by the agent or the LL and the tenant pays the service charges each month, with teir rent.

the_root_of_all_evil

to finish this thread: all utilities transferred to tenant with a simple phone call no questions asked!

dont know if that a good or bad thing but in this instance its worked out great! :beer:

Fire_Fox

chappers wrote: »

Oh yes you can I have done it many times and still have an ongoing dispute with EDF energy from three years ago when a housing association changed suppliers at a property I owned, 9 months after they had sold it to me and someone had forgoten to tell the facilities managment department they had disposed of the property.
Basically Southern electric have a record of me having changed the account to my tenants name and then a record of the supplier being changed to EDF. Neither of these changes were made by the people responsible for the bill

What you are describing is an erroneous transfer. You cannot make someone else responsible for the bill just by giving their name or we'd all be doing it to our hated exes! It's the tenant taking occupation that makes them legally responsible for the bill (deemed contract), not you supplying the name. Supplying the name just makes it easier for the energy company to chase the correct person.

theartfullodger

(After the 'phone calls) I usually write (keep copy) also to utilities, council, TV licensing, 'phone etc. etc. and send tenants copies...

That way there no arguments later over what readings were & who knew what..(unless you record all your 'phone calls..)

Cheers!

Lodger