British Gas - £6k Electricity Bill - HELP!!!

KANGD

Please please can someone help re the above....

Several years ago my late father purchased a property for investment under my name when I was young. So technically I am the landlord!!!

I had nothing to do with income expenditure the day to day running of this property, my late father did. The property was only ever used for tanancy purposes.

In 2009 my late father was contacted by BG re the above..as he was very poorly I dealt with the issue. BG requested meter readings and copies of tenancies agreements. i provided them with what they requested. BG came back with a bill for £6k dating back from 2003-2009, and stated that the tenancy agreements did not state the tenants were liable for utilities there the landlord (me!!) is responsible for the account and the bill.

I had a solicitor deal with this issue for me. He discovered that my name was only transfered on to the account in Nov 2006. of which I have no recollection of doing or asking!! He stated that I may have a case that 'any electricity used prior to Nov 2006 you are not laible for' .

In May this year BG came back to me saying that prior to Nov 2006 my late father was named on the account. I contacted the solicitor dealing with my late fathers estate and asked him to contact BG to sort out the issue re the period my late father was named on the bill/account.

I have just heard back from BG via the solitor dealing with my late fathers estate saying:

1. The landlord (me) requested the account be placed in her name in Nov 2006....I have never done this. the evidence i have gathered so far is: on that day i was off work ill i have proof of work absence reports. The only two phones i would have used to make this so callled telephone call would have been my mobile or landline. My mobile provider has come back to me stating that on the so called day in Nov 2006 no calls where made from my mobile. I am now just awaiting BT to provide me with the same information.

2. The tenancy agreements which were all signed etc did not state the tenants were liable for utilities. This is true!!! Is this were my case is weak and I have to give in and cough up the £6K to BG??

3. The period under dispute the late Mr (my father) was not documented as being responsible for the energy billshe was not named on the account during the period of dispute....very confused when back in May this year BG stated over a telephone converstaion he was that is why i contacted the solicitor dealing with his estate!!!

This is BG final position!!!

What case do I have? Please can someone help advise me....

Thanks

KANGD

Hellblazer

Just answer a few questions for me as the billing code would have to come into effect here.

Are you still with british gas? Did they attempt to contact you at any point during this period? Or just at one point asked you to provide meter readings and a tenancy agreement?

When did you recieve this 6k bill, a date if possible. Did you pay anything at all to british gas during the period this bill is for, and what period is the bill for? Did they have any meter readings in the period they are billing you for(actuals)

Your soliciter was right, they can;t charge you for all that period, give me the above info and i can advise you on what to do next, but it seems to me the billing code has already been applied.

KANGD

I am still with BG but have had a pre-paid meter fitted in July 2009...i didnt think I could move to another provider if there was a debt outstanding.

They have never contacted me directly at my permanent address in the Midlands. As i had nothing to do with the properties prior to 2009 my late father did I cannot find anything from BG sent to the rental address which is in the North...that does not mean to say they did not contact him. The first I heard was in May 2009 when my dad gave me a green slip with a name and telephone number on...asking to contact this number...which is what i did as my father was very poorly.

The £6k bill came via an e-mail 21 July 2009, it had no meter readings just a figure of £6,140.43,and account/customer reference, since then the figure has come down to £5,917.39 based on adjustments done by BG since the Pre-Paid meter was fitted I think...not by any sum I have paid. I have never recieved an actual electricity bill from BG with the normal layout actual electricity start and end readings, usage etc.....
The bill is from 11 Nov 2003-14 July 2009(this was the day I fitted the pre-paid meter). I guess the only reading I have is the end reading which is the one I took myself and gave to them.

I have not paid BG anything since 2009 when all this came to light prior to that i don't know if my father paid anything. I will check his papers.

Thanks
KANGD

jalexa

KANGD wrote: »

I had a solicitor deal with this issue for me.

This is BG final position!!

Well two responses (in reverse). If that is the "BG final position" in response to a complaint your only procedural option now is an Energy Ombudsman referral. Note that if you intend to do that you must not initiate any legal action beforehand.

Regarding the "solicitor", either you trust the solicitor or you don't, in which case perhaps you need a new solicitor.

I would say a test for that is whether the solicitor has made a £10 Subject Access Request of British Gas requiring provision of all the information British Gas hold on you, specifically including correspondence, customer information system logs, contract records and billing records.

If not, prior to any Energy Ombudsman referral you may consider, that is something you need to do urgently.

KANGD

Thanks so much to jalexa ...

I will definatley ask the solicitor I he requested a Subject Access Request from BG. If not I will ask BG to send it to me directly.....do I send the £10 to them at same time of requesting??

Cheers again

KANGD

jalexa

KANGD wrote: »

do I send the £10 to them at same time of requesting??

You can if you want but if not it will be requested at the appropriate time.

If you are not familiar with SAR, details here...

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/personal_information/how_manage/access_info.aspx

keith1950

Hi, the main question is , who owned the property prior to 2009.

If it was your father and he has made a mistake with the tenancy agreement the £6000 should be paid out of his estsate.

If it was you, even if it was some sort of tax fiddle, then you should be paying it.

It sounds as if your father made a terrible mistake and just 'stuck his head in the sand' and you are left with the problem.

At the end of the day , your property has used this energy and because attention was not paid to the terms of the tenancy agreement you are responsible.

What happened to your fathers estate after he died?

Either you have to accept responsibility for this debt because you were technically the landlord or you have to accept responsibility for it on behalf of your father.

Someone has got to pay.

Ben84

I believe there is a limit on how far energy suppliers can backdate bills. Depending on when you were first contacted, much of this time period may be outside this limit. However, there's still grey areas as they may have been trying to contact you at an address where you didn't live so what you believe to be the first contact may not be what they believe to be the first contact?

Anyway, I find it hard to believe they failed to make any attempts to bill someone during this time (unless it was somehow forgotten), so who were they contacting/trying to contact? I also don't believe it's normal for bills of this size and time period to accumulate, normally there comes a point where the electric and gas is cut off? If they have for some reason not followed normal procedure (I suspect they haven't in this case) then they need to justify why they allowed the bill to get so large and go without being paid for so long?

jalexa

keith1950 wrote: »

At the end of the day , your property has used this energy and because attention was not paid to the terms of the tenancy agreement you are responsible.

Well yes and no. The property didn't use the energy, the tenants did. Whatever became of the bills? Either "the property" was never billed, or the tenants were billed. If the tenants were billed either they paid or they didn't. Didn't it would seem. At *that* point the supplier should have taken action. Didn't it would seem.

To receive a demand without a detailed breakdown is a disgrace, but not as big as disgrace as the solicitor's reported ineffectualness.

keith1950

As usual in these sort of scenario's I find it hard to believe that we are getting the full facts
.

Several years ago my late father purchased a property for investment under my name when I was young. So technically I am the landlord!!!

I had nothing to do with income expenditure the day to day running of this property, my late father did. The property was only ever used for tanancy purposes.

So the father has been very lax or very nieve.

He discovered that my name was only transfered on to the account in Nov 2006. of which I have no recollection of doing or asking!! He stated that I may have a case that 'any electricity used prior to Nov 2006 you are not laible for' .

Why would the father transfer responsibility for the accounts without telling the daughter?

2. The tenancy agreements which were all signed etc did not state the tenants were liable for utilities. This is true!!!

So if would seem that the father let the tenants get away wthout paying for any energy for a least six years ??.... without mentioning anything to the daughter.

Something just doesn't add up here........either we are not getting the full facts or the father was in denial.

Bebop_Beru

As already stated, too much missing information to give a properly considered response.

Only points I have to add are:

1. The Statute of limitations may apply here (limits the claim to 6 years).

2. Where is the tenancy agreement between the landlord and the tenants? Utility bills should have been included within the terms here.