N Power and landlords

Sinfullou

I moved out of a rented property on 5th May this year. I rang NPower and gave them final meter readings for gas and electric, they sent me a final bill and a cheque for £49.01 as I was in credit.

Set up with another energy provider (because it takes 1/2 a day to get through to NPower) and thought no more about it until this morning.....

I get a letter from Npower saying they sent me a bill and I owe £20.20 on electric and £10.92 on gas. I ring them and after waiting 1 hour and 37 minutes get through to someone who tells me that the landlady rang NPower and told them I was still living in the property until 18th May (I definitely wasn't!!).

Surely they cannot open an account in my name on the landlady's say so?? All NPower kept asking me for was a tenancy agreement which I kept telling them would not say the day I moved out.

At the end of the call...I agreed to scan and email a copy of my tenancy agreement for my new house to them on Monday.

I have also emailed the lettings agency that dealt with my previous property to let them know what has happened and asking them to email Npower to confirm that I did move out on 5th May.

Can landladies / landlords really open accounts in tenants names? Surely this is fraud?

GingerBob_3

Sinfullou wrote: »

Can landladies / landlords really open accounts in tenants names? Surely this is fraud?

I don't know whether this is legal or not, but I would think not. However, where NPower is concerned, anything goes! You will now need to make sure NPower don't report negative data against you to the CRAs. Knowing the way they operate there's every chance they will.

Cardew

Sinfullou wrote: »

Can landladies / landlords really open accounts in tenants names? Surely this is fraud?

From what you say, the landlady hasn't opened an account in your name, she has simply told NPower that you were living there, or responsible for the bill until 18 Nov instead of 05 Nov.


This is a classical 'third person dispute' and Npower simply cannot get involved as they have no way of knowing who is correct. The same situation would occur with any Utility company; could you get the same with your water bill?


Presumably your letting agency will tell them that your responsibility for the property ended on 05 Nov?? and confirm that the readings you gave were accurate??


The start date of your new tenancy agreement doesn't mean your responsibility for the old property ended on the same day - there could have been an overlap.


Whilst not doubting your version of events, if the landlady sticks to her guns, Npower are in an impossible situation.

spiro

You say you moved out on the 5th, but what date did your tenancy actually end? If you move out early LL has just given NPower the correct date.

macman

As above-you are liable until the end of your tenancy, not just until the end of your occupation, if that is earlier.

Kitchen_Sink

Sinfullou wrote: »

I moved out of a rented property on 5th May this year. I rang NPower and gave them final meter readings for gas and electric, they sent me a final bill and a cheque for £49.01 as I was in credit.

Set up with another energy provider (because it takes 1/2 a day to get through to NPower) and thought no more about it until this morning.....

I get a letter from Npower saying they sent me a bill and I owe £20.20 on electric and £10.92 on gas. I ring them and after waiting 1 hour and 37 minutes get through to someone who tells me that the landlady rang NPower and told them I was still living in the property until 18th May (I definitely wasn't!!).

Surely they cannot open an account in my name on the landlady's say so?? All NPower kept asking me for was a tenancy agreement which I kept telling them would not say the day I moved out.

At the end of the call...I agreed to scan and email a copy of my tenancy agreement for my new house to them on Monday.

I have also emailed the lettings agency that dealt with my previous property to let them know what has happened and asking them to email Npower to confirm that I did move out on 5th May.

Can landladies / landlords really open accounts in tenants names? Surely this is fraud?

If the tenancy agreement for the initial property does not define the last date, then there should be a notice that you gave or received that does.

Or, as another user suggests, if you went through a letting agent, perhaps they would be in a position to confirm when your tenancy agreement formally ended.

The new TA does nothing except establish the date on which you would start to be responsible for the energy bills at that address too.

If you have TAs for 2 different rented houses at the same time, then you will have to pay rent for both properties ... and all the other bills associated with both TAs.

Didn't you ensure all appliances were turned off (and preferably then isolated the supplies) when you moved out?
(You'd still get charged the standing charges, but the costs you are quoting are more than that)

nPower

Sinfullou wrote: »

I moved out of a rented property on 5th May this year. I rang NPower and gave them final meter readings for gas and electric, they sent me a final bill and a cheque for £49.01 as I was in credit.

Set up with another energy provider (because it takes 1/2 a day to get through to NPower) and thought no more about it until this morning.....

I get a letter from Npower saying they sent me a bill and I owe £20.20 on electric and £10.92 on gas. I ring them and after waiting 1 hour and 37 minutes get through to someone who tells me that the landlady rang NPower and told them I was still living in the property until 18th May (I definitely wasn't!!).

Surely they cannot open an account in my name on the landlady's say so?? All NPower kept asking me for was a tenancy agreement which I kept telling them would not say the day I moved out.

At the end of the call...I agreed to scan and email a copy of my tenancy agreement for my new house to them on Monday.

I have also emailed the lettings agency that dealt with my previous property to let them know what has happened and asking them to email Npower to confirm that I did move out on 5th May.

Can landladies / landlords really open accounts in tenants names? Surely this is fraud?

Hi Sinfullou,

Thank you for your message.

If you could email me using the email address on our profile I'll take a further look at this for you and help resolve the issue.

Thanks
Chris

chanz4

They can ask for it, you agree in your tenancy that your liable for utilitys

Nada666

There is a natural complication that occasional occurs. It is up to the three of you to be sensible. There is no evidence that anyone is being objectionable, yet. Two sets of tenants and the landlord. When you flit (assuming, of course, it is the end of tenancy etc) there will be a void period. Even if you contact the supplier when the landlord or new tenants contact the supplier they will have the new reads. The intervening days or weeks will be tacked on to either account - there is no sense the landlord setting up an account for themselves for a day or week or two. Sometimes it ends up on the new tenants' account - they tell the landlord of the difference and the new tenants pay the money. Or it can end up being on the final bill of the old account - if this includes readings post your tenancy contact the landlord and ask for the money.

It is only if someone does not do the reasonable thing that complications occur. There is not evidence that anything bad is happening.

spiro

Nada666 wrote: »

There is a natural complication that occasional occurs. It is up to the three of you to be sensible. There is no evidence that anyone is being objectionable, yet. Two sets of tenants and the landlord. When you flit (assuming, of course, it is the end of tenancy etc) there will be a void period. Even if you contact the supplier when the landlord or new tenants contact the supplier they will have the new reads. The intervening days or weeks will be tacked on to either account - there is no sense the landlord setting up an account for themselves for a day or week or two. Sometimes it ends up on the new tenants' account - they tell the landlord of the difference and the new tenants pay the money. Or it can end up being on the final bill of the old account - if this includes readings post your tenancy contact the landlord and ask for the money.

It is only if someone does not do the reasonable thing that complications occur. There is not evidence that anything bad is happening.

With all tariffs now having a standing charge the LLs are going to start to have accounts in their name or compensate the tenants.

ChumpusRex

spiro wrote: »

With all tariffs now having a standing charge the LLs are going to start to have accounts in their name or compensate the tenants.

This is how it should be done.

Having tried this when I was a landlord, a lot of suppliers refuse to set up an account in the LLs name for such a short period of time.

If the void period was a month or 2, no problem - but 5 days, and it causes chaos with the utilities.