Energy Supplier late notification

noreendavies

My daughter has lived in her current property for 14 months. She received a letter today from Scottish Power informing her that they had been supplying her since the day she moved in. She had no knowledge that they had been supplying her and she suspects that she owes them a considerable amount of money. The first thing I want to know is whether electricity companies are legally obliged to provide either accurate or estimated meter readings before they can ask for payment. She has never had an estimate and no one has been to read the meter. It is very embarrassing that she has not checked who was supplying her but can they really demand this money when she did not request them to supply electricity. It is possible that Scottish Power were supplying the previous tenant but they did not even know my daughter's name or any other details about her and they sent her a letter today saying that she owes about 14 months worth of electricity. Is this legal?

modsandmockers

noreendavies wrote: »

Is this legal?

Yes - the principle of 'finders keepers' is still not recognised by the law! It's generally regarded as a form of theft.

Norman_Castle

noreendavies wrote: »

My daughter has lived in her current property for 14 months. She received a letter today from Scottish Power informing her that they had been supplying her since the day she moved in. She had no knowledge that they had been supplying her and she suspects that she owes them a considerable amount of money. The first thing I want to know is whether electricity companies are legally obliged to provide either accurate or estimated meter readings before they can ask for payment. She has never had an estimate and no one has been to read the meter. It is very embarrassing that she has not checked who was supplying her but can they really demand this money when she did not request them to supply electricity. It is possible that Scottish Power were supplying the previous tenant but they did not even know my daughter's name or any other details about her and they sent her a letter today saying that she owes about 14 months worth of electricity. Is this legal?

Presumably she new she was using electricity. Who does she want to pay for what she has used?.

energyworker

Yes, by using the supply she entered in to a deemed contract to pay for it. It was your daughters responsibility to contact the supplier upon taking responsibility for the property.

Did she take readings when she moved in? If so I would suggest she contact the supplier with these and with an up to date reading to get an accurate bill. I would then suggest she pay it.

Nada666

noreendavies wrote: »

It is very embarrassing that she has not checked who was supplying her but can they really demand this money when she did not request them to supply electricity.

As she did not check then, yes, she has to pay every penny. If she had bothered to try to set up an account when she moved in then she could have had the sum reduced by two or three months and only pay for twelve months. But as no effort was made by her this provision does not apply.

It is also probable she did not bother to note the opening reading. As such there is a chance she will end up paying for some of the previous occupants' bill.

Plus, of course, this will all be charged at twenty to thirty percent more than the best market price as she has not switched to a cheaper tariff and was not paying by Direct Debit.

System

The legal bit from OFgem:

Schedule 2B paragraph 8(1) of the Gas Act and Schedule 6 paragraph 3(1) of the
Electricity Act, respectively, provide that where a supplier supplies gas or electricity to
premises or a consumer otherwise than in pursuance of a contract, the supplier shall be
deemed to have contracted with the consumer for the supply of gas or electricity from
the time when he began to supply that gas or electricity. Typically a deemed contract will
occur where a customer moves into a new property and has not agreed contractual terms
with a supplier who is supplying energy to that property or where a fixed term contract
expires and there are no explicit provisions for terms and conditions for the period
immediately after expiry.

Sorry, but I am afraid this is a debt which will have to be paid. Her best hope is that the Company offers a repayment plan.

Cardew

The 'deemed contract' provision referred to above, was introduced so that new occupants could move into the house with the electricity/gas already connected. Before privatisation they could have been disconnected when the old occupant left, and your daughter would have needed to arrange re-connection after signing a contract.


If the previous occupant notified Scottish Power they were leaving and gave meter readings, there would normally have been a letter from SP addressed to 'The Occupier'.


Has she contacted the water company?(if in England/Wales)

macman

She didn't bother to register with the supplier, so hopes to get 14 months usage written off?I assume this is a wind-up?
And the supplier is presumably psychic and knows when a property changes occupier?
The supplier only has to read the meter every two years-all intermediate reads are down to the occupier.

poppellerant

When your daughter moved in it was ultimately her responsibility to find out who the energy providers were and make contact with them. But some people are naive to this, usually first time renters or owners.

From the sounds of things, it doesn't sound like she has been putting any money to one side with intentions to pay for her usage. Has it never occurred to her who is paying for her energy?

If I were you, I'd check she has registered with other suppliers too, for example water. But if she's registered with water, why didn't she register with the energy providers?