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Landlord/new tenants say i owe, EDF says no?

mystra
Posts: 295 Forumite


I moved out of my old (privately rented) flat at the end of july this year.
On move-out day I was unable to access the gas meter due to the cupboard being locked (it's never been locked before and no key to be seen) I was able to access the electric meter and gave a reading to EDF on the day, they said not to worry about the gas meter as they would estimate.
I got my full deposit back from my landlord and everything seemed fine.
A couple of weeks ago the new tenants are in touch with him about problems with their gas/electric bills - saying i must owe money because their gas bill is far too high.
I paid my last direct debit to EDF on 21st August and they confirmed that everything is paid off when i spoke to them a couple weeks ago.
The landlord has emailed me again today saying that I owe £120 (no proof of this figure or where it is from). I speak to EDF again who confirm I still don't owe anything. They also told me that the new tenants did not provide any meter readings at all until 15th October. (I don't know when they moved in, i gather it was not long after I moved out).
They are going to send me confirmation in the post that my account is £0. My landlord still wont have it, and is sending me a scanned in bill tomorrow when he receives it from the new tenants. He says he doesn't want it to 'get unpleasant' as i was a 'terrific tenant' but it already is unpleasant, i feel sick to think that some random bill for over £100 is going to appear out of nowhere. I moved out of that flat as my partner left me (with all the rent and bills) and it's taken forever to get sorted (and lot of debt to pay off, which i am getting through on target) and i just want it to end and get on with my 'fresh start'!
Any advice? I always paid via direct debit (on time) and took meter readings when asked (submitted online, the last gas reading on move out was the only time the cupboard was locked, if i had known it would be such a problem i would have made more effort to get the cupboard unlocked, but EDF said it was fine!)
I told my landlord this,
On move-out day I was unable to access the gas meter due to the cupboard being locked (it's never been locked before and no key to be seen) I was able to access the electric meter and gave a reading to EDF on the day, they said not to worry about the gas meter as they would estimate.
I got my full deposit back from my landlord and everything seemed fine.
A couple of weeks ago the new tenants are in touch with him about problems with their gas/electric bills - saying i must owe money because their gas bill is far too high.
I paid my last direct debit to EDF on 21st August and they confirmed that everything is paid off when i spoke to them a couple weeks ago.
The landlord has emailed me again today saying that I owe £120 (no proof of this figure or where it is from). I speak to EDF again who confirm I still don't owe anything. They also told me that the new tenants did not provide any meter readings at all until 15th October. (I don't know when they moved in, i gather it was not long after I moved out).
They are going to send me confirmation in the post that my account is £0. My landlord still wont have it, and is sending me a scanned in bill tomorrow when he receives it from the new tenants. He says he doesn't want it to 'get unpleasant' as i was a 'terrific tenant' but it already is unpleasant, i feel sick to think that some random bill for over £100 is going to appear out of nowhere. I moved out of that flat as my partner left me (with all the rent and bills) and it's taken forever to get sorted (and lot of debt to pay off, which i am getting through on target) and i just want it to end and get on with my 'fresh start'!
Any advice? I always paid via direct debit (on time) and took meter readings when asked (submitted online, the last gas reading on move out was the only time the cupboard was locked, if i had known it would be such a problem i would have made more effort to get the cupboard unlocked, but EDF said it was fine!)
I told my landlord this,
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Comments
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If you owed any money for your energy, it would be to the supplier rather than to your landlord or tenants. So I suggest that you respond to your former landlord with a polite note stating that it is not your problem and that you are unable to assist with this issue.0
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Two and a half months gas and electric for £120? How big is the place? How well insulated? How does that compare with what you were paying?
In my previous rented 2 bed, £120 would just about spot on for that length of time, a bit high but not by much. I cant see how they can possibly prove any of it is down to you.0 -
Nothing to do with your LL - your contract is with the energy supplier, not him.
EDF should have issued a final bill (dated) - show him this.
Ultimately, if he's not having any of it, tell him to submit a claim via the local county court - he would be laughed out of there.0 -
Sounds like the new tenants are just surprised at the large bill and looking for someone to blame.
Tell them politely to get lost.
If they can provide evidence to EDF that the estimate was wrong perhaps you might have to pay EDF a bit more money. But don't pay anything at all to the landlord or new tenants! If you sit down with a calculator and a few bills you could probably work out your own estimate and see if theirs was accurate, but don't do anything about it unless EDF send you a new bill!Changing the world, one sarcastic comment at a time.0 -
Two and a half months gas and electric for £120? How big is the place? How well insulated? How does that compare with what you were paying?
In my previous rented 2 bed, £120 would just about spot on for that length of time, a bit high but not by much. I cant see how they can possibly prove any of it is down to you.
It's a 1 bed flat (top floor) gas was about £35 a month (this payment was our direct debit amount per month and was set when there were two people living there)
My last gas bill that i paid for there was about £18 for 17th July-26th July 2014 (10 days). They sent me a paper copy of that, which i was going to forward to him today, but they are sending me something else now which will say £0 on it.
He (and the new tenants) are making out that all my gas bills have always been estimated (they haven't, i read meters normally, and the meter man has also read them during my time there). I don't understand what they are trying to do. If EDF turn around and say they have made a mistake and i do owe money then fair enough (not happy and i will complain etc) but i am no way handing any money over to the landlord for this... it's really stressful. I've had a tough year to be honest, and could do without these emails from him, friends have said to tell him it's not my responsibility as well, just not sure how to tackle it all.0 -
I agree with Voyager and Blue bird man. This is purely between you and EDF, and between EDF and the new tenant.
If you underpaid, then EDF would have to seek payment from you of the difference
If the new tenants have been overcharged, they will have to claim the overpayment back from EDF.
You have no relationship with the new tenants and (unless the tenancy agreement is atypical) your energy bills are nothing to do woth the landlord.
It sounds to me as though the most likely situation is that the new tenants were paying £35 per month based on your historic usage, and they they were in fact using more gas than that so underpaid from when they moved in, until October.
If EDF has already told you that they are satisfied that you owe nothing and your account with them is closed, then even if they were wrong, and did under estimate your final usage, I would expect them to swallow that by way of a reduction of the new tenants bill.
Either way, don;t pay anything at all to the landlord or the new tenants.
I would send the landlord a copy (not original) of the final bill showing £0 together with a letter as voyager suggests stating that you have provided your final bill as evidence that your account was cleared when you moved out, that you have no further liability to EDF, or to the landlord and that this is a matter fro the new tenant and/or landlord to resolve with EDF, as it has nothing to do with you.
Keep a copy of any letters you send.All posts are my personal opinion, not formal advice Always get proper, professional advice (particularly about anything legal!)0 -
after hearing nothing for a bit - i get an email where he wants my address to post bills to this morning
EDF sent me paper bills and email saying i don't owe, he told me to send them once he had sent his copies through - he never did (few weeks ago now) silly me assumed this was over and done with.
Rang EDF today - they insist nothing owed on my account. Old landlord sends me two EDF account numbers (one gas, one elec) which the lady on the phone is investigating the dates on for me. Basically if the dates are after my move-out then I'm not liable for that one either.
Such a headache, really could do without this in the run up to christmas0 -
after hearing nothing for a bit - i get an email where he wants my address to post bills to this morning
EDF sent me paper bills and email saying i don't owe, he told me to send them once he had sent his copies through - he never did (few weeks ago now) silly me assumed this was over and done with.
Rang EDF today - they insist nothing owed on my account. Old landlord sends me two EDF account numbers (one gas, one elec) which the lady on the phone is investigating the dates on for me. Basically if the dates are after my move-out then I'm not liable for that one either.
Such a headache, really could do without this in the run up to christmas
It's only a headache if you continue to deal with it in this manner.
Much better to tell them you will not be paying anything unless EDF bill you.
Stop harrassing you with regards to someone else's bill.
If there is further issue, get EDF to rebill or LL can sue you for the money.0 -
sinizterguy wrote: »It's only a headache if you continue to deal with it in this manner.
Much better to tell them you will not be paying anything unless EDF bill you.
Stop harrassing you with regards to someone else's bill.
If there is further issue, get EDF to rebill or LL can sue you for the money.
i know, i'm just too bloody helpful thinking it will get him off my back
he wasn't even a bad/dodgy landlord while i was there he was really nice - i don't understand what is going through his mind.
I'm just paranoid that i am somehow going to end up with £100-odd bill actually in my name on my doorstep
the account numbers he gave me were for AFTER I moved out so i have now told him to stick it. Told him it's nothing to do with me, if he wants to dispute the amount he needs to do so with EDF not myself. Helpful time over!0 -
I wouldn't give him your address to send bills to because those bills have nothing to do with you and are not your problem. The new tenant should have given the meter readings to EDF as soon as they moved in and then there would be no question about how much they owed.0
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