Advice about house sale and switching utilities

helejenkins1

I am in the process of selling my house and we are looking at exchanging contracts the beginning of next week with a provisional completion date of 6th December.

To cut a long story short, the buyers of my home have already started notifying their utility companies that they are moving into our property on December 6th. I received a bill from talk talk for £194.00 as an early exit Fee and today the buyers have had letters to my house from edf so I’m assuming they have done the same with the gas and electric.

I have not spoken to my utility suppliers yet as like I said the date is onlybprovisional and won’t be set in stone till exchange. Are they right to be doing this and should I be speaking to my suppliers.

Thanks in advance for your help

AnotherJoe

No they are absolutely not correct to be doing this. This idiotic behaviour from buyers has been reported here a couple of times that i can recall.

Contact your EA and tell them to give your buyers a very firm slap.

And have a word with your utilities and get everything rescinded.
As an aside, its shocking how anyone can apparently just call up and cancel your utility service!! How did your buyers they know you are with TT?

gingercordial

AnotherJoe wrote: »

No they are absolutely not correct to be doing this. This idiotic behaviour from buyers has been reported here a couple of times that i can recall.

Contact your EA and tell them to give your buyers a very firm slap.

And have a word with your utilities and get everything rescinded.
As an aside, its shocking how anyone can apparently just call up and cancel your utility service!! How did your buyers they know you are with TT?

They wouldn't have known - the purchasers would have decided who they wanted to use, signed up with them, and the new supplier would have looked up the existing supplier and told TT they were taking over on a set date. This works for broadband these days as well as utilities.

The buyer should absolutely not be doing this, I agree!

Carrot007

Open the rest of your (they do not live there yet and mail is to a house) mail.


Then tell them they will be paying any costs for this stupid idea they have (yes it's not nice to have to wait a month for broadband but people deal with it, and just trying to save using your supplier on thestabndard tarrif until switch will save them what £5 at most, they should not be able to switch without a final read anyway). or you will be pulling out, in fact for the utilities tell them you will be providing a final read now and them paying for the rest of your use till they move in.

helejenkins1

I have just spoken to my utility company and they have confirmed that a switch is in place for our utilities from the 28th November.
Not a headache I want when trying to move as well.

D_M_E

Agree with everyone above - this sort of thing should only be done either after exchange or the day before/on completion.

As for the TT end of contract fee, can you not avoid this by taking your TT contract with you when you move?

Log in to your TT account, go to the live chat facility and get them to stop disconnection and tell them you yourself will notify them of vacation and/or possible transfer.

Also, look out for possible exit fees on your energy supplies and don't forget to reclaim any overpayment of council tax - if any - from the day you move until year end.

Jane_B

I don't see the issue from the buyer pov, we always call our utility companies to give them the one months notice, before moving.

They then will typically let your current provider know they are taking over on x date, its not the buyers fault what your provider does with this info.

helejenkins1

I have spoken to TT and they have put a stop to the switch. Our gas company is trying to put a stop to the switch but they say it depends on how far it’s gone already. Waiting for the switching team to get back to me now.

helejenkins1

Jane_B wrote: »

I don't see the issue from the buyer pov, we always call our utility companies to give them the one months notice, before moving.

They then will typically let your current provider know they are taking over on x date, its not the buyers fault what your provider does with this info.

My point is we don’t have a set completion date. The earliest completion is 6th December but our gas is set to be in their name from November 28th. I suppose if they want to pay my heating bill for the last week I’m living here then I shouldn’t object

pinkteapot

The issue is that contracts have not been exchanged and so the date of 6th December is not confirmed yet.

If that date changes, OP could be losing their broadband before they leave their home.

Buyers shouldn't do anything like this until after contracts have been exchanged.

AnotherJoe

Jane_B wrote: »

I don't see the issue from the buyer pov, we always call our utility companies to give them the one months notice, before moving.

They then will typically let your current provider know they are taking over on x date, its not the buyers fault what your provider does with this info.

Wow. And what happens if the move doesn't go ahead at all, or the date changes?

Of course its the buyers fault if they tell a utility "I'm moving in on on date X" when they dont know that ! You are seriously in the wrong here, you have no standing to make this change.