Huge unpaid electricity bill in vacant property

booboobunny

Hi, I am hoping to get some advice for my mother. She rented out a property she owns that adjoins hers to a family, using a local letting/management agent. They weren't great tenants, and when my dad became ill (Sept 2011) the agents were advised that the tenancy would would not be renewed. The tenants advised they would not be moving out and eviction proceedings were started at the end of the tenancy period. They eventually left in Feb 2012.

At the time they left my mother was overseas with my brother following the death of my father in December. The agents appointed an independent official to undertake a final check out of the property against the inventory. Part of this involved their noting meter readings.

Fast forward to now and mum is being chased by British Gas for £800 for electricity they claim was used in the period since the property was vacated in Feb. Since April 2012 the property has been completely empty as mum paid to have it cleared (the tenants totally trashed it - £7k of damage) so as not to pay Council Tax on the property.

On checking it seems that the tenant had a tariff which had a standing charge and this has been maintained since they left, so something is definitely payable (BG website indicates most expensive daily standing charge is 17p per day, so amount owed is iro £50-£60 for 10 months), but BG seem determined that mum owes the whole billed amount.

I have to speak to the former letting agent tomorrow to find out if they informed BG of the tenants departure and provided the meter reading, but i suspect they didn't. I'm aware this is something mum should have done, but to be honest she wasn't thinking straight at all at the time and was just pleased the tenants had left.

So my question really is, if we have a meter reading that was taken at the time by an independent professional appointed by the agent, would this be sufficient to 'prove' the Feb meter reading to BG so we can actually verify whether the bill is fully owed by mum (she has recently supplied a meter reading for the property)? i have to call them tomorrow and i would like to know how to deal with this.

chanz4

short term yes

booboobunny

Short term? I need the whole thing sorted for good so need to get it sorted beyond short term. I will switch her to a non standing charge tariff so no further daily charges and if no further usage in property until it is sold then no more bills. But why do you say it will sort for short term and how can I make it a long term fix?

spiro

booboobunny wrote: »

Short term? I need the whole thing sorted for good so need to get it sorted beyond short term. I will switch her to a non standing charge tariff so no further daily charges and if no further usage in property until it is sold then no more bills. But why do you say it will sort for short term and how can I make it a long term fix?

Thanks to OFGEM NSC tariffs area think of the past. As a matter of urgency you mother needs to ensure that BG know the date the tenants moves out, the meter readings on that date and also a current meter reading. If BG dont have the first 2 she will need to get this information from the agent and supply it to BG. Hopefully if nothing was left switched on then she should have a lot smaller bill.

Cardew

If you employed an agent to look after the property and they didn't inform BG of meter readings - an obvious action to take in the circumstances - get them to sort it out.

It is no good you telling BG what a third party(the agent) did or didn't do.

If they don't sort it out, take them to the Small Claims court.

booboobunny

thanks for the replies.

unbelievably BG have called mum up first thing this morning to tell her it's all been sorted out and she doesn't owe them £800!! they have now found the meter reading submitted (presumably by the agents as the former tenants are very unlikely to have done so) back in February when the property was vacated. as a good will gesture they are writing off the small amount (£30) that had been accumulated too. very strange considering that the last person she spoke to yesterday pm was awful to her and told her it was her bill and she had to pay, flatly refusing to listen to anything mum tried to tell her about the property being vacant etc.

a good outcome, and pleased BG have held their hands up to their mistake.

Wywth

booboobunny wrote: »

Hi, I am hoping to get some advice for my mother. She rented out a property she owns that adjoins hers to a family, using a local letting/management agent. They weren't great tenants, and when my dad became ill (Sept 2011) the agents were advised that the tenancy would would not be renewed. The tenants advised they would not be moving out and eviction proceedings were started at the end of the tenancy period. They eventually left in Feb 2012.

At the time they left my mother was overseas with my brother following the death of my father in December. The agents appointed an independent official to undertake a final check out of the property against the inventory. Part of this involved their noting meter readings.

Fast forward to now and mum is being chased by British Gas for £800 for electricity they claim was used in the period since the property was vacated in Feb. Since April 2012 the property has been completely empty as mum paid to have it cleared (the tenants totally trashed it - £7k of damage) so as not to pay Council Tax on the property.

On checking it seems that the tenant had a tariff which had a standing charge and this has been maintained since they left, so something is definitely payable (BG website indicates most expensive daily standing charge is 17p per day, so amount owed is iro £50-£60 for 10 months), but BG seem determined that mum owes the whole billed amount.

I have to speak to the former letting agent tomorrow to find out if they informed BG of the tenants departure and provided the meter reading, but i suspect they didn't. I'm aware this is something mum should have done, but to be honest she wasn't thinking straight at all at the time and was just pleased the tenants had left.

So my question really is, if we have a meter reading that was taken at the time by an independent professional appointed by the agent, would this be sufficient to 'prove' the Feb meter reading to BG so we can actually verify whether the bill is fully owed by mum (she has recently supplied a meter reading for the property)? i have to call them tomorrow and i would like to know how to deal with this.

As an aside, is the property still empty and unoccupied?
If so, then council tax will be due in full (you only get 6 months free/exemption)

Also, has the insurance company been informed that the property is unoccupied? That will increase the premium significantly.

Cardew

Also check the position on water charges.

booboobunny

thank you. yes the council tax is now being paid in full. the LA have been very helpful with explaining all this. she now (finally) has probate and can begin to sort out selling one or both of her properties as the CT payments are a huge amount to pay from a pension.

insurance co. are aware the property is empty and have 'adjusted' their premium accordingly!

for the purposes of water rates the 2 properties have always been treated as one, so no adjustment needed, mum has just continued to pay as before i.e. rented property never paid any water bills.

thanks again for all the advice/help. so pleased it is sorted without a fight.

Cardew

booboobunny wrote: »

for the purposes of water rates the 2 properties have always been treated as one, so no adjustment needed, mum has just continued to pay as before i.e. rented property never paid any water bills.

Presumably the two properties were once a single property?

Just a word of warning, if the other property is now a separate property, paying council tax and gas/electricity bills, then it must have separate water bills.

David_Partington

Sorry to hear about your nightmare experience; Goes to show with British Gas depends who you speak to; I don't think their training for the call centre workers is up to much , when I was with them I spoke to some who were almost abusive and had to insist on being transferred to a manager. Maybe let the property to someone who is trustworthy at a good rate just to get it occupied (better interviewing them youself, don't rely on agents to pick them, they don't care if your property is abused) then at least the council tax is covered.