New to this!! But I have previous tenants debt affecting my credit score...

Aquamania

It would appear you have answered my above question here

KKirk2708 wrote: »

...
Mind you, if we had any letters sent to the name of the previous tenants we would not have opened it, the occupier we do. ...

So I really don't understand, sorry. Your thread doesn't make any sense to me.

KKirk2708

Aquamania wrote: »

Sorry, it's not really very clear.

A debt is applied to a named individual, not an address.

So are you saying you have exactly the same name and date of birth of the former tenant who built up the debt?

:huh:

Well in this case the debt must be applied to the address. When we moved in the account wasn't closed properly by the previous tenant and just went through as a name change on the account.

Until I checked my Experian credit report I had no idea the meter was in debt, nobody from Npower had ever raised this with us.

No problem. Thanks anyway.

KKirk2708

Smodlet wrote: »

Then I would suggest you have two choices: You can either get yourself unboggled and deal with the situation as I have recommended, or you can keep on paying the debt... personally I can think of many things I would like to spend £1200+ on rather than making npower's CEO rich with money I do not even owe.

Your first question was concerning your credit record: Another reason to resolve this issue with npower, I would have thought. This is not your debt but only you can deal with it. It is not the LA's responsibility, the account is in your name. Unless it is in joint names with your bf, only you are liable. What if you lost your job and could not pay the debt which, as far as npower could care less, is now in your name? You would be the one who would end up in court, whose stuff the bailiffs would take. You must have a tenancy agreement with a start date on it; there's your proof!

Yes you're right, I think I will call Npower tomorrow and go through thoroughly with hopefully a senior member/manager, and just take it from there. If there's not much joy I will write a letter and send copies of proof of council tax and tenancy agreement etc. Hopefully I get to the bottom of it this week :beer:

Aquamania

KKirk2708 wrote: »

Well in this case the debt must be applied to the address. When we moved in the account wasn't closed properly by the previous tenant and just went through as a name change on the account.

Until I checked my Experian credit report I had no idea the meter was in debt, nobody from Npower had ever raised this with us.

No problem. Thanks anyway.

I repeat, a debt is applied to a named individual, not an address.

I don't accept your allegation that this was simply a name change on the old tenant's account either, sorry.

(a) suppliers don't usually accept a name change to an account. They may add another name to an account, but won't usually remove one without good reason (and usually evidence to support it). They will only add a new name to a persons existing account with the permission of the existing account holder.

Otherwise they close the account and start a new one (and may require evidence to do that too, e.g. a valid new tenancy agreement)

(b) you say you were given a new key when you advised the supplier of a new tenancy. This is also indicative of a new account having been created.

(c) if your latest allegation were to be true, then you would have noticed this when you received your first statement on 30th December 2015 for the period 14th July - 15th December.

Not only that, but quite a coincidence your statement starts on the day your tenancy starts, isn't it? :cool:

KKirk2708

Aquamania wrote: »

I repeat, a debt is applied to a named individual, not an address.

I don't accept your allegation that this was simply a name change on the old tenant's account either, sorry.

(a) suppliers don't usually accept a name change to an account. They may add another name to an account, but won't usually remove one without good reason (and usually evidence to support it). They will only add a new name to a persons existing account with the permission of the existing account holder.

Otherwise they close the account and start a new one (and may require evidence to do that too, e.g. a valid new tenancy agreement)

(b) you say you were given a new key when you advised the supplier of a new tenancy. This is also indicative of a new account having been created.

(c) if your latest allegation were to be true, then you would have noticed this when you received your first statement on 30th December 2015 for the period 14th July - 15th December.

Not only that, but quite a coincidence your statement starts on the day your tenancy starts, isn't it? :cool:

So what exactly are you saying then?

I repeat, Npower have confirmed it is not my debt and it is infact the pervious tenants. Npower have confirmed we are in credit. Npower have also confirmed that it WAS a name change on the account.

If you don't accept my 'allegation' then that's absolutely fine, but I really don't appreciate any accusations coming from you.

Your (b) statement was absolutely true.

What do you mean 'if my latest allegation was to be true I would have noticed on my statement'?

Why would I post on here if I had any slight incline or had been told by Npower that it was my debt? :huh:

Also what kind of person can rack up £1200 of debt on an electricity meter within the first month of tenancy mid summer?

Smodlet

KKirk, I would suggest you try not to take things personally, the other respondents (in this case, on this thread) are only trying to help you. You should see some of the other threads, especially some of the debt free wannabe and housing ones. People can be downright rude, for all that is contra to the forum rules.

As Aquamania says, your post is not at all clear. You contradict yourself every time you say you are paying off the previous tenant(s)' debt yet you are £300 in credit. Which is it? You can't have it both ways.

Electricity and gas accounts, just like water accounts, bank accounts, tenancy agreements and insurance policies, are all created in respect of a named individual(s), not of an address. This is legal fact. Npower cannot just change the name on an account, this would be illegal. If I wanted my OH's name to be added to our account, I would have to inform them in writing. I enquired and was told the email address to write to, should I wish the account to be in both our names so I know this to be true.

One of my issues with npower is that they are apparently incapable of processing any change whatsoever without making a pig's ear of it. I cannot even change from one of their tariffs to another via MSE without them closing my account and opening a new one (I got it changed back pretty quick by speaking to them reasonably and calmly, while letting them know I was not happy that my history and credit balance had disappeared). Don't even get me started on the mess they made when we got solar panels. The fact remains, these issues were resolved without too much trouble, except for the solar panel fiasco, but we got there. It did take several phone calls, not just one. You have to be persistent.

I suspect what needs to be done is the meter needs to be re-programmed, re-set, whatever it is they do with prepayment meters, and the debt wiped off of it. You should not be paying for anything other than the fuel you, bf, and your visitors use. This should have been done when you moved in. Perhaps you did not realise you needed to read the meter and give npower the reading on the day you moved in. Now you do. If your bf has rented somewhere before, I would expect him to have known that but appreciate such details can be forgotten in the excitement... then you get a mess like this to clear up.

Next time you move, make certain you read the meter in your present home before you leave and in your new one as soon as you arrive. Take a picture of the meter readings with your phone, how hard is that for you tech-savvy young ones?

Finally (sorry for the epic post) prepayment meters are just that. The money they show is what you have put in and are therefore entitled to use. The debt element should not be there if it pertains to the previous occupant(s) I will look in tomorrow and hope to hear that you have made progress with npower. Please remember to keep calm and be polite, that way you will always have the upper hand; never concede that by losing your rag... until you have put the phone down, then you can say what you like

HTH

KKirk2708

I know, maybe I shouldn't, but I cannot help getting defensive simply because I've never avoided any bills or payments!

I knew it's not all that clear, as I stated in my original post and I have not even got my own head around the whole situation. They have said we are in credit by around £300 which they are going to send us a cheque for, and they have also said the debt was at around £1200 on the meter and from what we have been putting in its now around just over the £900 mark.

Although - we have been told to top up each day and they said a message through to the meter when we put the key in, and today we have noticed that the debt says £0, so i will call as soon as tomorrow and inform them.

From what I remember, getting the new keys wasn't complicated at all and I never had to prove anything or write anything. It was very straight forward and me being inexperienced I just thought this was normal.

Yes maybe Sam should have known, although at his old place he wasn't on pre paid, so I'm not sure if he was used to everything just getting dealt with itself. Or maybe he would have know, but got sucked up into the whole 'first house' stuff!

I definitely will check in any future properties, I cannot afford problems like this to reaccur. But yes I will definitely post if i get anywhere tomorrow - which I am adamant that I will! I will keep calm as I usually do, but I feel I have my head around it a little bit more than I did the other day!

Thanks for the help and encouragement, and again, your patience!

Smodlet

Thank you for the update... curiouser and curiouser. I find it odd that the debt has suddenly disappeared, since npower do not usually work on a Sunday. How very strange.

Sam was either lucky in that the previous tenant in his last place did everything correctly and gave whichever supplier a final reading when they moved out, or perhaps he was in a shared house so it was all in with the rent? Either way, one should never assume anyone, least of all a total stranger who happened to rent a place before you, has done anything they should have. If you take control and deal with a situation yourself, you know it has been dealt with and the details of what happened; any queries down the line, you have the answers at your fingertips because you had the conversation/sent the reading and kept a note of it/whatever it might be.

Hope you get to the bottom of it; you will if you just persist as, eventually, npower will get sick of you and deal just to get rid of you. If indeed you have been paying someone else's debt, not only do you want every penny back, I would ask for compensation as you have been deprived of the use of that money for almost a year. Think of the interest it could have earned you...

You are welcome for any assistance I may have rendered, that is what this forum is for. When you get your compo, I will be happy with a modest fee of 15%... KIDDING! :rotfl::D;):cool:

KKirk2708

Hi Smodlet. Just to inform you I called twice yesterday and just got chucked to different departments again and got absolutely nowhere. Later last night I thought what is there to lose about posting it on their Facebook page, so I did. I got prompt replies this morning, and as it stands now at 7.30pm, the cheque for our credit and goodwill gesture (£50) are in the post, she informed the credit report department today who got back to her today saying they have removed it off of my file and it just takes 48-72 hours for it to update now.

Who would have thought it would have been as easy as that, after 5 slow paced weeks?

Thanks so much for your help, I do believe all the advice from everybody on this thread helped my argument!

Smodlet

Hi KKirk, and thank you so much for the update. I have checked in a few times to see.

Ah, the power of social media. I think I am at a disadvantage there, as I still prefer to keep my business mine. I appreciate my kind are an endangered species, one I'm sure no-one will miss when we are extinct.

It does not say much for npower that, until you do air you dirty linen in public, they are unwilling to deal with things. Am I to understand you are now no longer either liable or paying for this debt? And that they have refunded every penny you have paid? I do hope so.

It goes to show, this forum works, too and, while I can speak only for myself, I imagine many posters who offer advice feel a sense of satisfaction when they read it helped to bring about a satisfactory result.

If there is anything else you would like assistance with, you know where to come and, I am sure, one day you will have the chance to help someone else. Well done!