Utilities when someone has passed away

Rose1988

Hi guys,

I just wanted to know something as different companies are treating deceased customers differently and I wanted to know if there was a set rule for deceased customers.

When can utility companies charge until? Is it when the keys are handed back to a landlord (in my situation) or the date the tenant passed away.

His landlord has charged me rent until a week after I handed the keys back and I don't understand why. My dad passed away on the 10th December and I was given until the 1st Feb to hand the keys back but they charged me until the 9th Feb. I can understand this because the property was not vacant for them to rent to someone else but I am not understanding the extra week, I didn't hand the keys back during that week, I handed it back before the 1st Feb when they expected me to hand the keys back.

British Gas have charged my dad £197 between 21st Jan to 7th Feb. I called up and explained I was unaware that he had a british gas account because it looks like he did not pay this bill by direct debit and had no letters from british gas in his home, so they said they would send me a revised bill which only deducted £1 and they are basically saying 'so what'?

My dad was in arrears and knowing my dad this is correct which is justifiable to pay but not £197 when everything was switched off in the property.

Is there anything I can do about this? Its not the bill thats the issue, its the amount they are expecting me to pay when no one was in the property!!!!

Tuesday_Tenor

Ideally you should have taken a meter reading on the day you handed the keys back, but you didn't realise. Did you think utilities were incuded in the rent?

Presumably the reading on 7th Feb was instigated by the landlord as the 'end of tenancy' reading.

Only British Gas can give you more info on this.

Ask for a copy of the previous 2 bills, the last one before he died and the one that covers the period up to 21st Jan. Then you can be clear about how much he was in arrears, what was paid when, and which readings were actual and which were estimates. The meter reading on 21st Jan is presumably an estimate as you were not aware of anyone taking a reading, and possibly the reading 3 months before that was also an estimate. In which case there is plenty of potential for underestimates of use which are only getting corrected now that an accurate reading has been taken.

Tuesday_Tenor

You need to take up the 1st-9th February rent with the landlord. It looks like a mistake if you had a letter stating the tenancy would end on 1st Feb.

Rose1988

I wasn't aware he had a gas account with british gas. There were no letters, no direct debits, no keys/cards and I guess I just assumed it was on a PAYG basis as there were no indication in his letters who his gas supplier was. I didn't even look because the day after he died, I went to his property, emptied his fridge freezer and switched everything off from the mains.

I was able to sort out all his other utilities like water etc and they all stopped charging from the date of death.

British Gas stated the last actual meter reading was given in September so this final bill was based on an estimate as I stated that I handed the keys back on the 1st but the landlord gave an actual meter reading on the 7th.

To be honest, I didn't even see a gas meter and it is very possible that I missed it.

I guess I'll ask for the last two bills but I have a feeling they are still going to demand I pay it as looking at the bills won't change the fact I did not take a meter reading when I handed back the keys :-(

Savvy_Sue

What you don't seem to be aware of is that it is not necessarily YOUR responsibility to pay these bills.

They are due from your father's estate.

What does your father's estate consist of? If there's nothing but debts, nothing in bank accounts, no valuable collections of stamps etc, post again ...