Help re gas not paid!

McKneff

sacsquacco wrote: »

Sorry you found my post idiotic etc Mckneff, after years of following how idiotic and irresponsible the suppliers are regarding cases like these and of theft of energy in general, I have become very disenchanted with the privatetised energy business . I am not all accusing any untoward actions by the OP, just a totally lax attitude to suppliers making sure that their customers actually pay for what they have used. can you make your point a bit more specific ?

Oh, I think it was specific enough.

I could say a lot more but I'd probably get banned from the site for life.

[Deleted User]

send me pm mate and I will fill you in with the truth, you would be alarmed at how lax the suppliers really are due to a completely toothless regulator. The suppliers, mostly foreign nowadays, and all these little outfits are taking advantage of the Regulators inaction

Terrylw1

McKneff wrote: »

Since I joined here in 2008, this is the most irresponsble, idiotic, unhelpful post I have ever read.

It stated the OP was responsible and may receive DCA action. That's not any of this.

The rest is in sacsquacco's style i.e. the truth about how it is out there.

As said, it wasn't meant to be taken that way. The later apology for confusion and explanation shows that.

A bit like your comment on "you know the rest" which I take as your style. However, why hasn't a supplier been chasing a debt in 6 years...so it doesn't add up.

Terrylw1

sacsquacco wrote: »

Dead right Chanz4. I have recently been in contact with OFGEM in regards to the suppliers proposals to extend the 2 year meter checks to 5 years.this may be O.K. for smarts, but the prepays already never get checked to a 2 year level anyway. the suppliers, I believe, are breaking OFGEMs rules in this regard. I am at the frontline in actually seeing what is going off out there, as you are also. OFGEM at least have responded to my complaints and have said they have recieved the information I have put forward, I dont expect they will do anything, looks like the Daily Mail then for some proper publicity if I dont get some proper replies and action

Its simple to check, you know.

The Last Inspection Date (LID) is held in the distributors database and is updated by suppliers based on a meter check. However, this check can be MRA, MAM or a distributor job entailing a meter check e.g. PEMS work.

So, Ofgem could start by issuing a request for the LID vs supplier id. Then issue a challenge to all suppliers to justify their actions. Ofgem could even check that the LID matches the visit by retrieving all site visit dates from the 3 types of agents systems.

This latter check, I think, would turn something interesting up. How do you know the LID is even correct? The distributor can't check it. So, its possible suppliers update it in error by internal actions such ax dummy meter changes if their staff don't understand the system automation.

I think this would dredge up some damning evidence of Ofgem's lack of enforcement.

Reverts are already known to suppliers as well so that could be applied in an easier way by all national meter operators sending the date & supplier id to Ofgem.

Elec 2 year checks are impossible and Ofgem's SLC is badly thought out. In elec, their is no LID in the distributors database so its a check every 2 years from the supplier start date. How can you achieve that effectively in a switching market where most contracts are pitched at 12 months?

I think if you did this on elec, it would be far worse. Also, why on earth has no one added a LID? Then the SLC could match with gas and be enforceable.

Answer: Ofgem just don't have a clue!

Terrylw1

OP - Check the tenancy agreement as stated. Someone is responsible whether you direct or being billed by the landlord. You also need to check your address and who its registered to. Perhaps nobody hence no supplier can chase.

macman

charlot1977 wrote: »

I have just moved out of a rented property. We did not pay any gas bills as we were never sent one. (6 years)
Who is now responsible for any unpaid bills? Me or the landlord? There has never been a gas bill with my name on it.
The landlord is withholding my deposit until I provide evidence of bills paid. Is this in the event of tenants not paying bills so the deposit goes towards covering bill that the landlord is now responsible for?

Any advice greatly appreciated! This is quite an unusual situation.
I have paid all other bills

You are solely responsible, and the supplier can chase debt up to 6 years back. Since you made no effort to contact the supplier, the one year back billing rule would not appear to apply. It has nothing to do with your landlord and I can't see any grounds for him witholding your deposit. He is only responsible from the day you moved out. The dispute is between you and the supplier.

Meadows

charlot1977 wrote: »

I have just moved out of a rented property. We did not pay any gas bills as we were never sent one. (6 years)
Who is now responsible for any unpaid bills? Me or the landlord? There has never been a gas bill with my name on it.
The landlord is withholding my deposit until I provide evidence of bills paid. Is this in the event of tenants not paying bills so the deposit goes towards covering bill that the landlord is now responsible for? Any advice greatly appreciated! This is quite an unusual situation. I have paid all other bills

YOU!

You know you have to pay, why would you never bother to contact the utility company, did you think it would go away if you didn't pay?
The onus is on you when moving in to a place to read your own meters and then contact the utility companies to give them a reading, if you didn't know who to contact then you only had to ask your landlord.
I very much doubt your deposit will cover the gas used for 6 years so you need to contact the utility company and sort out payment.

Just because you are a tenant does not absolve you of your responsibility to pay what you owe for services used!

jalexa

McKneff wrote: »

Oh, I think it was specific enough.

I could say a lot more

I "thanked" your first post (still "thanked" because I still agree) but I want to point out that in a previous thread I asked if you supported suppliers breaking the law and regulations. I stand to be corrected, in which case I apologise, but I don't recall a response.

Poster sacsquacco makes an excellent point which poster "myopia" fails to spot. Regardless of the OP's conduct (which for the record I don't condone) the OP describes a scenario of serial and systemic industry failure extending over 6 years. Incidentally there is no doubt the scenario described is a scenario mentioned in the Billing Code as a supplier failure. The only issue is whether or not back-billing relief applies in the circumstances (on the face of it, IMO not, but also depending on the coherence of any excuses advanced by the supplier).

The outcome for all customers is the same, a loss of revenue which you and others see as a cost on all consumers. I see that too but prefer to see that "blame" should be focused on the industry because that issue cannot be delegated to "rogue" customers.

lemontart

Just a word to the wise to those who fail register a supply - should god forbid you have an emergency the supply will be cut off as classed as having no post emergency repair work contract, also letters are sent out from the transporters when no records of bills being paid and live gas supply asking you to fill in a form and return - but given flats could be anywhere also billing address may be that of landlord, agents etc.

Bottom line the occupier is responsible or looking into who the gas supplier is and registering.

DVardysShadow

Turning back to the OP's original question

charlot1977 wrote: »

I have just moved out of a rented property. We did not pay any gas bills as we were never sent one. (6 years)
Who is now responsible for any unpaid bills? Me or the landlord? There has never been a gas bill with my name on it.
The landlord is withholding my deposit until I provide evidence of bills paid. Is this in the event of tenants not paying bills so the deposit goes towards covering bill that the landlord is now responsible for?

Any advice greatly appreciated! This is quite an unusual situation.
I have paid all other bills

In the absence of anything specific in the tenancy agreement, the occupier is by default responsible for utility bills.

The Landlord has no right to withhold deposit and you should dispute this with the deposit service he is using - if your deposit is not protected, any notice he gave you to quit is invalid and under the localism Act he had until April this year to put your deposit in a scheme.