Help! Just received £2189.33 gas bill

pojule

Hi there

I am frantic! I just received a £2189 gas bill dated period 20/1/2011 to 1/6/2013 for a property I rented from 01/1/2011 to 01/06/2011 so for 6 months only.

I had a normal tenancy agreement so was supposed to pay utilities but: the flat was part of a building above a bank and the meters for the bank and both my flat and the flat next door in kept the bank. There were loads of meters, both old and out of use and in use and staff were not that clear on who's meters were for each flat.

The landlord of the property did not live in the area and had just inherited the flat from his father who had died leaving lots and lots of debts. In the 6 months i was there I received many, many letters regarding the debts and the landlord said to just chuck them all away as he couldn't deal with it all as he was too busy, just had a new child and didn't want to know. This included anything relating to gas and electrics. I never managed to find out in all my time there who provided the gas and electrics as I didn't receive any bills (guessing he paid quarterly or half yearly and I never saw any) and I rang most energy providers but they refused to tell me if they were providing services as I wasn't the house owner. As the owner refused to help me, after several months I gave up trying to transfer into my name. The letting agent who was my managing agent were fully aware and supportive of my attempts and then giving up as they got no joy from him anyway. when I left I just left it for him to get in touch with me if he ever felt like paying the bills and wanted some money.

Now British gas must have got my name as having been on the electoral register and have lumped the whole bill for the 2 and a half years in my name. I need to know my rights. I am quite happy to pay 6 months worth although I don't know how this would be assessed but that is all. furthermore, i never opened an account with british gas so is this even my responsibility? Surely if i never opened an account they can't do this...the landlords (deceased) dad had the account and the landlord never cancelled it so it is his?

Can anyone help me with the legalities of this?

Thank you...

tiger_eyes

OK, let's start with limiting the period which is in dispute. Can you prove that you were living elsewhere after 01/6/2011? For example, do you have tenancy agreements and utility bills showing where you moved to?

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

You will doubtless get lots of posts saying what you should have done, but don't doesn't help this time!

Firstly, yes you are liable to pay BG for what you used in the flat. When you move in you are on a legally binding 'deemed contract' with the company supplying the property; nobody signs contracts these days.

Secondly you need to prove to BG you were only in residence for the 6 months; rental agreements for property and your subsequent property(s) - Council Tax bills etc

Thirdly I would tell the letting agent that he has the responsibility to sort it out - give BG his details. If necessary threaten him with the small claims court.

Unfortunately some of the £2,189 might be for the period BEFORE you were in occupation; and unless you have the meter readings from your date of occupation, you will have difficulty it proving it wasn't your consumption.

macman

Your landlord has hardly helped in this, but it isn't his problem-you and you alone as occcupier are responsible for registering for an account and all usage from the day you moved in to the day you moved out. This will be on Standard tariff-the most expensive. Did you take opening and closing reads? If you did not, then it's not possible to prove what you used, and it will be estimated based on your proven dates of entry and exit.
Finding your supplier is very easy, just Google 'who is my gas supplier?'
What about your electricity bill?

pojule

HI there...thanks guys. Think it will be ok but I am really a bit cross. Rang the agent who said they provided BG with the contracts for myself and all tenants after me to BG should have just provided me with a bill for the 6 months I was there...why they have done the whole lot to me I don't know but easily sorted. The agents also took meter readings so we are ok on that I think. But I am a bit miffed because as the agent agreed with me, I spent several months trying to get info from the landlord as to which meter belonged to which flat, the bank couldn't help and the landlord just didn't want to help as he was too stressed with life and stuff already. Because I couldn't identify my meters and there were also issues with which flat was a and which was b the google search wouldn't work and the landlord coudln't help with that either...and non of the energy suppliers could help. The letting agents were unable to help either, and they agreed after more than 3 months of me trying that I should just leave it all and I had done all I could. Now I feel that I shouldn't be paying todays prices for this, although I am happy to pay my share.