Legal action taken against me to pay for someone else's bill...

Alex44

Hi everyone,

I know it's a little rough of me to come here and ask for devices as I am a newbie but I really didn't know what to do

My situation is quite special. I've rented last year a flat and I have now issues regarding an unpaid bill for a use of water I have never made since my departure. This is a furnished flat and I signed a 10 month contract from a private landlord, for the notice my former landlord had each time written statements for my coming and my departure.

During my stay I made contact several times with Scottish Hydro to pay their bill under my name, since it was under the name of the previous renter, but they never rectify it despite my calls and emails, sent from their website (so no written proof since I couldn't reach them from my mailbox!). I was then in the obligation to make the due payment each time under the name of this previous renter but with my personal contact. When I left the flat, I let them know, both Scottish Hydro and my former landlord, but I never received any answers from both of them.

Thought everything was good until today! I have received on my personal mail account a legal action notice letting me know I owed them more than 1000£ for this year and they were gonna to reach a National Debt Collection Agency to force me to pay!! I am completely freaking out! Also I don't know what to do since I left the country since (I'm french)... Apparently they sent letters to my mother's home to inform me about that earlier, but since I am not living there anymore and it wasn't under my name, my mum never let me know about that, just thought the postman wronged about the address -_-'

Since I signed a contract and let my former owner know about my departure, could I risk any legal punishment regarding this specific situation? Obviously the renter that followed me was dishonest as he/she NEVER paid his/her water bills and I am afraid to be the only one to take the blame... The owner didn't do anything as well to rectify the situation and I am desperate and very angry about the whole thing... I know that according to the french law I am safe and wouldn't have to pay anything (since I signed a contract and wasn't there to consume all this water!!), but know nothing about the uk/scottish rules about that... For this reason I would really need to get advices, and know if Scottish Hydro could really force me to pay this awfully amount of money!!

Thank you for reading me...

Cardew

As far as I am aware, Scottish Hydro only supply gas and electricity.


Was your flat in England or Scotland?

Alex44

Oh I'm sorry I got wrong, it is effectively electricity! I was a little shaken when I wrote my message and didn't took care
Should I delete this thread and post a new one on the Energy section?

(and my flat was in Scotland)

macman

You have to pay for the electricity used during the time you rented and occupied the property. Did you take opening and closing meter reads, if so do these correspond to the final bill you received?
If this bill is for periods outside of the rental term then you must dispute the billling with SH. Normally the method is to prove your dates of arrival and departure by means of a copy of your tenancy agreement.
Failure to pay (f payment is due) will lead to a default on your credit report in the UK for the next 6 years.
Can you prove that you contacted them upon departure and did you not receive a final bill? if so you should have followed that up.

Cardew

You haven't said if you paid anything to Scottish Hydro??


It is perfectly feasible - indeed reasonable - to have a bill for £1,000 for 10 months electricity consumption in Scotland.


You need to obtain the bill and determine the meter readings(actual or Estimated) together with dates, on which the £1,000 bill was based.