Electricity Question

shaz77_2

I just purchased a house, the purchase came through on Friday - where do I stand in relation to any electricity/phone bills before this point?

Rach39

All services change over on completion day and you are liable from then on. It would be a good idea to phone NIE and BT, explain your position and check if any arrears outstanding. If so make sure your solicitor raises this with the vendor prior to completion and vendor gives an undertaking to clear all at completion day. You will need to contact NIE and BT and Rates office, give them completion date and in the case of NIE they will take a reading and rates will estimate your liability for the rest of the year. BT will open an account for you with the existing line.

warmhands.coldheart

Would agree with all rach39 has said but would go even further where Meters are involved. take a picture of the meter with the reading ASAP.... Just In Case they query it

shaz77_2

I contacted NIE and informed them that I had purchased the house and give them a meter reading from the date of purchase - from this they gave me a customer number so I assume this is all I need to do in relation to this?

Regarding BT - They advised me that the line is dead and has been for some time, again I assume this avenue is closed off and I should not receive any bills from BT in relation to this?

Who do I need to contact in relation to rates, is there a direct contact number?

Bigcammy

For NIE, the meter reading you took is the ione they will run with, but does no harm to have a photo of the meter in case of dispute down the line.

For BT, hopefully they won't try and lumber you with the £125 connection charge if the line has been out of service for a prolonged period of time. If they do, there are some threads on this board regarding how to get BT to waive the connection fee, so do a forum search if that crops up.

nickcardwell

shaz77 wrote: »

Who do I need to contact in relation to rates, is there a direct contact number?

Dont (but keep money set aside ) and wait till they ask..:D

shaz77_2

nickcardwell wrote: »

Dont (but keep money set aside ) and wait till they ask..:D

I like the way you talk, however where do I stand legally if one year passes without me paying any rates? I also do not want to get lumbered with the previous owners share of the rates.

Reagarding BT they have indicated that I will be required to pay a £125 connection charge - I presume that this means that until I reactivate the account there will be no phone bills of any type?

Bannsider

I looked up BT's official site (https://www.bt.com) and found this:

One-off connection charge

• Connecting a new BT line costs (incl. VAT). This charge only applies in some cases – most of our new customers find they don't need to pay this charge.
• We'll let you know whether you need to pay this after you've entered your address and/or phone number in the order journey. You'll see the charge on your order summary before you reach the order checkout.
• If your home has had a telephone service from BT in the recent past, and the wiring and socket is undamaged and the line still has a dial tone, it's likely you won't need to pay this charge. But where there's no suitable BT line available in your property, no dial tone on the line, or if you have been disconnected for non-payment in the past, the standard connection charge will apply.
• Please note that some properties, for example new property developments, may have a white BT socket installed that hasn't been connected (ie no dial tone). In this case the standard connection charge will still apply.
• The connection charge covers engineering work in your exchange or your property in order to connect the line and is subject to survey.
• If the charge does apply it will be added to your first BT bill.
• Connection charge does not apply to Calls and broadband packages nor Calls, broadband and TV packages.

Wookey

You won't need to pay rates until you are moved in, they should contact you about it, i would leave aside £50-£100 per month to cover them.

Rach39

To clarify re: rates you need to pay from the time that the house is considered to be furnished - even if you haven't moved in. I agree with previous posters that you can put money aside and say nowt however as one of those who cant seem to keep money put aside without dipping in I would suggest you contact the RCA (Rate Collections Agency NI - google it for details) tell them what date the house was furnished from in your name and ask them to carry out an inspection. Good idea right now as your rates will be calculated on (among other things) the value of your house which in todays market is pretty low! Congratulations on your new home by the way - when's the housewarming party!;)

suki1964

Rach39 wrote: »

To clarify re: rates you need to pay from the time that the house is considered to be furnished - even if you haven't moved in. I agree with previous posters that you can put money aside and say nowt however as one of those who cant seem to keep money put aside without dipping in I would suggest you contact the RCA (Rate Collections Agency NI - google it for details) tell them what date the house was furnished from in your name and ask them to carry out an inspection. Good idea right now as your rates will be calculated on (among other things) the value of your house which in todays market is pretty low! Congratulations on your new home by the way - when's the housewarming party!;)

I think all rates are calculated on the value of the property on Jan 1st 2005 in line with every other domestic property in NI. I think they are only reviewed if a property has undergone changes between that date and the resale date - IE a conservatory added