£176 Gas bill on empty house!

Sexyscorp66

My dad died last July since when his house has been unoccupied.However British Gas has sent me a bill for £176 in spite of the fact the central heating hasn't been used! !-I think this is outrageous and really out of order.So I haven't paid.I rang them and challenged them and they said it's their "standing charge".Now I'm getting letters saying they'll get a debt collection agency onto it.However when I rang the customer service adviser said I wasn't personally liable because I was the executor of my dad's estate and my name isn't on the account.Is this true or can they touch my personal assets?-and I feel like complaining about the size of this bill considering the fact the gas hasnt even been used.Help!!

Mr.Generous

have a look at the tariff your on, find another with high unit price but lower standing charge. British gas are a pain in the a*** and can't get the biling right half the time.

[Deleted User]

Everyone pays standing charges (except Ebico ).These can be around £2 per week. Executors can be prosecuted for maladministration of the estate so make sure your readings when your dad died are up to date and pay what is due to BG and other debtors ( and the funeral expenses/taxman of course) before the estate is dealt with.

CashStrapped

Sorry for your loss.

I have been through this process with other relatives. It can be quite hard and seem quite insulting when a bill is sent for someone who has died. However a company is only billing you for what is owed.

You must give them an up-to-date meter reading as sacquacco states above and pay what is owed.

If you feel the house is going to be empty for a long time, switch to the provider that sacquacco mentions above (Ebico). There is no standing charge with this.

You must administer an estate carefully. These companies arn't billing you out of spite or to rub salt in the wound. They are billing you because that is what your father partially owed and then what the estate owed for maintaining a utility connection.

Normally, when you ring up a company and inform them of a death, they will create a new account for you normally titled "The Estate for XXXXXX". This allows you as the executor of the estate to clearly show in your accounts/book keeping what bills were owed during the period of your administration. This way, if there are any benificiaries, it is clear what monies were paid out during the adminstration period and why.

Again, sorry for your loss, but the small mundane things have to be delt with. As an executor that is your responsibility. If you do not pay the owed bill and debt collection agencies are sent out they will make a claim against the estate. Then you may have to explain why you allowed things to get out of control and further costs to be accrued.

antrobus

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

...However when I rang the customer service adviser said I wasn't personally liable because I was the executor of my dad's estate and my name isn't on the account. Is this true or can they touch my personal assets?.....

No. As executor you have a legal obligation to pay the debts of the estate. Failure to do so can lead you to becoming personally liable for those debts.

For one thing, you should protect yourself by means of placing a deceased estates notice.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/wills-and-probate/place-a-deceased-estates-notice

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

....-and I feel like complaining about the size of this bill considering the fact the gas hasnt even been used.Help!!

You really should be using some gas. The house has been unoccupied since July; the central heating should have been on over the winter. One severe cold snap, and one burst pipe, and you can be talking about a chunk of cash.

Have you sorted out the insurance for this unoccupied house? It's normally a condition of such insurance that you have the central heating switched on.

Cardew

Without being unkind, you shouldn't allow yourself to be named as an executor unless you understand what is involved.

I think this is outrageous and really out of order

Why? Gas and electricity supply normally has a charge of around 20p a day for each, so approx. £6 monthly for gas and £6 for electricity.

Robin9

Looking at this thread and OP's other thread on the subject of Council Tax on the property he has inherited.

Is there any reason why the house which has been empty for nearly 12 months has not yet been sold.

The role of an executor is not one to be undertaken lightly - it is often one which one of the deceased children says yes to but in reality there are lots of emotions involved and the thought of selling the family home can be quite distressing.

Sexyscorp66

Well nobody tells you these things and there is no training to be an executor'nor was thete anyone available to do it!-so it's easy to criticise but unless you've had legal training it's a steep learning curve! I'm an only child too!
Yes I've been trying to sell the house for months-but no luck I'm afraid.The young couples viewing it complain the decor is old fashioned!-of course it is my dad was 90!
So basically writing to the CEO or complaining wouldn't help-I have no choice but to pay?
I wonder of I could say the assets have been distributed and can they wait until the house sells?

Sexyscorp66

Why?-because standing charges seem a rip off.Why charge if the service isn't being used? -and at £176 for 11 months it's more than £6 a month

[Deleted User]

BG standing charges are one of the highest at approx 1.92 per week per meter. The house would still be using a little gas and electric I presume.
I have been an executor twice and if I remember rightly I had a year to wind up the estate.I did read up on the duties/legal bits. The Estate has a strict order of hierarchy when distributing it. Funeral costs are first , followed by the taxman then any debtors come third in line before any benefactors see anything.
I did Probate myself avoiding the huge rip off of solicitors fees and found it easy. It just meant going along to the local probate office and swearing an oath( in the secretaries office ) on a tatty old bible. This gave me the Letters of Administration to approach all banks and sell the house and distribute the Estate. The cost of the Probate fee is now £225 but that is all you would pay, not several thousand if a solicitor got his hands on it. The biggest problem I had was dealing with the family who did`nt see why I had to to pay some of my fathers debts off, but as executor it would`ve been myself facing legal proceedings from debtors.
I m sure BG don t want to install prepayment meters with such a small debt so I would expect them to give you ample time to repay
The standing charge service is actually still being used even with an empty house.The charges are paid to the local electric distribution company and to National Grid to cover maintenance of pipes and cables

WhoIsThat

Sexyscorp66 wrote: »

My dad died last July since when his house has been unoccupied.However British Gas has sent me a bill for £176 in spite of the fact the central heating hasn't been used! !-I think this is outrageous and really out of order.So I haven't paid.I rang them and challenged them and they said it's their "standing charge".Now I'm getting letters saying they'll get a debt collection agency onto it.However when I rang the customer service adviser said I wasn't personally liable because I was the executor of my dad's estate and my name isn't on the account.Is this true or can they touch my personal assets?-and I feel like complaining about the size of this bill considering the fact the gas hasnt even been used.Help!!

Calm down, dear!

What does the £176 billed actually relate to. i.e what is the actual breakdown of how this sum is arrived at?

Only when you fully understand the breakdown, can you hope to make any progress or pass any meaningful comment.

Otherwise, it's just pointless ranting.

If the estate is still not settled, then debts will accrue on that estate (meaning less for the eventual benefactors). You as an executor surely know that? What you may not know is if that the benefactors may come asfter you if you have been at all negligent(tardy) in handling the affairs of the estate, which as a result has reduced their inheritance.

Maybe time to seek legal advice.