Is Landlords liable for unpaid bill for gas/electric supply

mattcanary

If the previous account was closed on an estimated reading and the OP's account was opened and closed on estimated readings , the debt can not be enforced. The supplier will be aware of this and are just trying it on, IMO

Cardew

mattcanary wrote: »

Sounds to me like the supplier doesn't want to end up out of pocket for the old and/or new tenant not providing reading when they moved in/out of property. They are now trying to bill you for the supposed difference (which is based on estimates anyway).

You have not contcated the suppler at any stage asking for the supply at the address to be put in your name (at least that is how I am reading your opening post).

I cannot see that the supplier can enforce the bill you have received if you don't pay.

See the first sentence in post#2.

Also isn't it reasonable that the supplier 'doesnt want to end up out of pocket'?

The supplier needs to be paid for the gas/electricity used and quite rightly states it is a third party dispute between Landlord and outgoing and incoming tenant.

Cardew

mattcanary wrote: »

If the previous account was closed on an estimated reading and the OP's account was opened and closed on estimated readings , the debt can not be enforced. The supplier will be aware of this and are just trying it on, IMO

Had the Landlord given the Utility company the meter readings when the old tenant left, then they would have chased that tenant for any discrepancy between estimated and actual readings

Similarly the landlord should have given the Utility company the reading when the new tenant occupied.

spiro

mattcanary wrote: »

If the previous account was closed on an estimated reading and the OP's account was opened and closed on estimated readings , the debt can not be enforced. The supplier will be aware of this and are just trying it on, IMO

But there was a month between tenants so the fact they could be estimated readings is irrelevant.

mattcanary

The supplier has just assumed some electric has been used, basically because of how their computer programs have used historical data at the address to estimate how much electric has been used (quite possibly taking no account that the property was empty for the 1 month period).

I agree that the OP should have done the above, but by the same token the supplier cannot pursue a debt to any great extent, when is based wholly on estimated readings.

Gothicfairy

I had thought that a debt could be pursued based on estimated readings if the company can prove that the estimate was reasonable based on the information they hold about the property.

and it would be reasonable to expect the owner / landlord of the property to supply readings inbetween tenants as that would mean they did not have a bill when nothing was used.

gmartjones

I am a landlord. My tenant moved out a year ago without paying his final rent, failed to supply a forwarding address and leaving unpaid gas/ electricity bills. I read the metres and sent the figures to the utility company together with his mothers address around the corner, where I believed he had moved to when he had left. My house was empty for 4 months for re-decoration and I re-mortgaged it as well before taking in a new tenant. I had knocked off the gas at the metre and electric at the trip-switch for safety reasons whilst the house was un-occupied for the 4 months, so the metre readings when the old tenant had left corresponded with the metre readings taken when the new tenant came in 4 month later, as no utilities had been used. Yesterday I was horrified to received a letter from a Debt collection agency addressed to me personally, at my home address (not the let property in question) demanding I pay almost £140 for the empty period (when the place was un-tenanted). I have readings taken by the 2 different Letting agents which correspond, which show that I hadn't used any gas or electric at all in the empty period. Is this debt collection agency allowed to write to me personally in my own name at my residential/ home address ??? I had never resided at my rented property as I purchased it as a 'buy to let' 5 years ago. I have written to the energy company and await a rely. Any advice please . Am I responsible to pay any monies ?? I would be grateful for any advice on what I should do ??.

Cardew

gmartjones wrote: »

I am a landlord. My tenant moved out a year ago without paying his final rent, failed to supply a forwarding address and leaving unpaid gas/ electricity bills. I read the metres and sent the figures to the utility company together with his mothers address around the corner, where I believed he had moved to when he had left. My house was empty for 4 months for re-decoration and I re-mortgaged it as well before taking in a new tenant. I had knocked off the gas at the metre and electric at the trip-switch for safety reasons whilst the house was un-occupied for the 4 months, so the metre readings when the old tenant had left corresponded with the metre readings taken when the new tenant came in 4 month later, as no utilities had been used. Yesterday I was horrified to received a letter from a Debt collection agency addressed to me personally, at my home address (not the let property in question) demanding I pay almost £140 for the empty period (when the place was un-tenanted). I have readings taken by the 2 different Letting agents which correspond, which show that I hadn't used any gas or electric at all in the empty period. Is this debt collection agency allowed to write to me personally in my own name at my residential/ home address ??? I had never resided at my rented property as I purchased it as a 'buy to let' 5 years ago. I have written to the energy company and await a rely. Any advice please . Am I responsible to pay any monies ?? I would be grateful for any advice on what I should do ??.

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like the Utility company have sold the debt to a DCA.

Those %^$&^ are not interested in who is responsible for the bill, all they are after is money and they don't care who pays.

I suggest you post the above in the 'Debt Free Wannabee' section of MSE as they are versed in how you deal with DCAs.

spiro

gmartjones wrote: »

I am a landlord. My tenant moved out a year ago without paying his final rent, failed to supply a forwarding address and leaving unpaid gas/ electricity bills. I read the metres and sent the figures to the utility company together with his mothers address around the corner, where I believed he had moved to when he had left. My house was empty for 4 months for re-decoration and I re-mortgaged it as well before taking in a new tenant. I had knocked off the gas at the metre and electric at the trip-switch for safety reasons whilst the house was un-occupied for the 4 months, so the metre readings when the old tenant had left corresponded with the metre readings taken when the new tenant came in 4 month later, as no utilities had been used. Yesterday I was horrified to received a letter from a Debt collection agency addressed to me personally, at my home address (not the let property in question) demanding I pay almost £140 for the empty period (when the place was un-tenanted). I have readings taken by the 2 different Letting agents which correspond, which show that I hadn't used any gas or electric at all in the empty period. Is this debt collection agency allowed to write to me personally in my own name at my residential/ home address ??? I had never resided at my rented property as I purchased it as a 'buy to let' 5 years ago. I have written to the energy company and await a rely. Any advice please . Am I responsible to pay any monies ?? I would be grateful for any advice on what I should do ??.

Of course they can, its your property so you are liable for any fuel used. When you submitted the readings when the tenant moved out you should have set up a new account in your own name. When the new tenant moved in readings should have been taken and supplied so that (a) supplier could bill you for anything used between tenants and (b) a new account set up for the new tenant.
The fact its buy to let is not relevant nor is the fact that you dont live there.
In terms of moving out and in readings were these provided and do the the bills correspond to these readings? If so its a valid bill.
Based on you post it would appear that as a LL you are not very clued up on utility bills, I just hope you are more aware of things like safety certificates.

JasX

!!!!!! start a new thread and don't dig up old ones to post unrelated problems in.

It just wastes everyones time re-reading the old stuff.