Help my old landlord has stuck me with a £1444 Elec Bill

DVardysShadow

alitronic wrote: »

I would just like to add that i don't have £1444, i don't have £14. If i had the money then i would pay, of course i would i'v paid every bill if ever had. It's just right now i don't have a penny and Christmas is going to be really hard, i really could do without this bill at the moment. So sorry if it seem i'm trying to get out of it but i have no any other opinion

Christmas comes every year. It is not a surprise and you don't have to take part.

As for not having the money, well make an offer to pay back so much a week or whatever. But if the problem is that you can't pay, then don't make out that the bill is wrong or unjustified. And if the problem is that the bill is wrong or unjustified, then don't make out that the problem is that you cannot pay. It looks to me that you couldn't pay and you saw the broken meter as an opportunity not to pay. Well, you took your chance and now it has gone wrong.

Perhaps someone more sympathetic will be along soon

nitr02007

Sorry mate but it seems the landlord had given you some very bad advice. You should have sorted out the meter when you moved in, that was your responsibility and you would have protected yourself. Letting it fester for a year, and not worring about it, has landed you with a huge bill and no evidence to deny the energy use. Its a hard lesson in life I'm afraid.

nikki2804

Slightly different scenario:

When I was pregnant we lived at my OH's dads.We left on 31st March to move into our own house, we went back to FIL house a week later. There was a power bill of £80, which we duly paid (although his dad CONTINUALLY left lights on etc so it wasn't all our usuage!) 5 months on he tried to land us for a bill of £400 for the time we WEREN'T in the house. When I contacted citezens advice they said because the bill was in his name there was nothing he could do about it, he was liable. But then we never had a contract with him about bills or anything.

alitronic

Im sorry does every one here work for n-power? what's going on, i thought this was a forum to help people. I guess i was wrong, thanks you all the "help"

DJ_Mike

Wow, isn't that a tad unjustified? You asked people here for their advice and they have duly given it. Sorry if it's not the sugar coated "You'll be fine, it's not your fault" that you were desparate for. As someone here has already (and, might I add, very helpfully) said, you should go to the Citizen's Advice Bureau with this, as they can offer you far more legal advice than a bunch of random replies is going to give you.

But to fly off the handle like that, anyone would think you want us to stop caring.

DVardysShadow

alitronic wrote: »

Im sorry does every one here work for n-power? what's going on, i thought this was a forum to help people. I guess i was wrong, thanks you all the "help"

Actually, your problem is that you have put yourself largely beyond help.

When you were in the property you let things run, it seems you did nothing to get your billing sorted. And now you are trying to make out you were hard done by in what has happened, but you can't decide whether you were hard done by or that you should be treated more leniently because you are skint for christmas.

No, I don't work for nPower and I don't generally take the side of a utility co either.

Antispam

Its not for trying to get people to get free electricity as you seem to think

Why should you get off many have to do without things to set money aside to pay for utilities if you cant be bothered then perhaps you should go back and live with mummy and daddy

alitronic wrote: »

Im sorry does every one here work for n-power? what's going on, i thought this was a forum to help people. I guess i was wrong, thanks you all the "help"

NeverInDebt

I am sorry the answers which were given were not for your liken obviously the only solution you wanted was to get off scot free, and those who do put some money aside to pay can pick up your tab

Didn't it ever occur to you that energy is not free some one pays, if you didnt ask the right question to your landlord or pick up phone and ask n-power that's your problem now you learnt a valuable lesson

alitronic wrote: »

Im sorry does every one here work for n-power? what's going on, i thought this was a forum to help people. I guess i was wrong, thanks you all the "help"

Morgan2010

alitronic wrote: »

Im sorry does every one here work for n-power? what's going on, i thought this was a forum to help people. I guess i was wrong, thanks you all the "help"

Yes it's a forum to help people but bare in mind that most people on here are taking charge of their finances and trying to get the best deal rather than trying to avoid their bills.

But since I'm in a helpful mood I'll put it slightly nicer.

1. Find or ask your landlord for a copy of your tenancy agreement. If you're very lucky you'll find it included electric if not follow the following steps
2. Find out exactly what period the bill is supposed to cover
3. Find out what they are basing it on (if it's an estimate ask them how they came by that estimate)
4. Do not admit liability for the bill yet
5. Contact the other tenant and discuss the situation with them.
6. Get advice from CAB
7. If this doesn't work bite the bullet and admit you need to pay at least part of the bill.

Once you've convinced yourself it is your bill you could try the following

If the period is incorrect point out the period you are responsible. If they can't prove when the usage was you could argue that they split it equally over the whole period.

If it's an estimate try and barter them down (I'd suggest going on to their website and honestly answering the questions they use to estimate usage (take the dearest tariff or the actual unit usage) and use this as your aim.

If the other tenant agrees you could approach them with an offer to pay the full amount, a lesser lump sum in Full and Final settlement or regular payments. Bare in mind that if your offering a lesser amount in full and final you need to explain why and why they should accept it.

If the other tenant doesn't agree you could ask them to split the bill but as it was a joint tenancy and you didn't bother to sort the bills they can chase either of you for the full amount.

It's would have been easier to cover your back in the beginning and get the meter fixed and agree with your flatmate how the bills would be paid (either a monthly DD for each bill from one of your accounts (split the bills as equally as you can between the tenants (i.e you take gas and council tax and I'll take electricity and water). and then sort the difference periodically) or at worst a cookie jar you each put X amount in weekly or monthly.

Fire_Fox

alitronic wrote: »

I would just like to add that i don't have £1444, i don't have £14. If i had the money then i would pay, of course i would i'v paid every bill if ever had. It's just right now i don't have a penny and Christmas is going to be really hard, i really could do without this bill at the moment. So sorry if it seem i'm trying to get out of it but i have no any other opinion

Unfortunately there is no law that says if you don't have the money to hand the debt is written off. If you have money worries the Debt-free Wannabe board can advise on how best tot manage the situation, we can only advise on whether the debt is legal or not.