Lowells and credit file

David1982

Just wanting a bit of advice .. got a letter from Lowell’s re a £7500 debt with EDF from 2011-2013 ... whilst I don’t officially owe that amount I do know what it’s relating to, when I first moved into my apartment I contacted EDF with readings and my first bill arrived for £2895 .. obviously this was incorrect so called them and was told the readings were correct and if i made any payment I’d be accepting liability so I went to my landlord and he said he’d sort it and to just pay him £100 monthly from then on .. stupidly I agreed. Never heard from EDF again and nothing shows on my credit file ... I called Lowell’s and explained and they agreed to half the debt so I’ve agreed to set up a direct debit for £100 a month ... I’m now worried that they will now register this on my credit file and I’m hoping to buy a house next year 😫 can they register it now I’ve agreed to pay even if it wasn’t registered before ?

Willing2Learn

The account will most likely be registered with at least one of the three CRAs. So you need to check your files as the account may well be marked as either defaulted or in arrears.

If it were me, I would ask that Lowell put a hold on the account (no DDs) while you do a written complaint to EDF. You don't want to be admitting liability to Lowell whilst the complain process is running.


Your complaint is pretty simple. You moved into your current address on date dd/mm/yyyy. You supplied meter readings on date dd/mm/yyyy. EDF then issue a bill for £2895, which is obviously not correct, as you had only lived there for a matter of days (weeks). The previous tenant or the landlord is liable for the £2000+ arrears as you were not living there and didn't have a contract with EDF.

[Deleted User]

Yes. They can register the default at any time, as long as it is dated correctly.

Make sure you check all three files - it may already be there.

Ben8282

Your OP makes no sense.
You say that when you first moved in to your apartment you contacted EDF, presumably to transfer the account into your name and they then sent a bill for £2895 in your name.
The obvious solution would have been to tell EDF that you were the new tenant and you were taking over the account from the date that the meter reading was provided and to re-issue the bill in the name of the previous person whose name the account had been in.
I cannot understand why you were paying £100 per-month to your landlord. If you had put the account in your name, why were you paying £100 per-month to him and not to EDF? £100 per-month seems a lot for electricity. Did you simply accept your landlord's word that you were using £100 worth of electricity every month?
And where does the £7500 come from? Surely you are not saying that you put the account in your name then just gave £100 a month to your landlord expecting him to pay EDF but instead he pocketed the money and paid nothing to EDF for so long that the debt rose to £7500?
How come EDF did not cut off the supply to the property long before the debt rose to £7500?

Debt_suvivor

I used to work in utilities, do you have any information like readings? I would be happy to take a look