SSE Charging a years worth of Standing Charge on my late Fathers property.

dave1961

Hi All,
Just wondering if this has happened to any one else. My father passed away last April, and I had to deal with his affairs. Not a big problem because he was always one for paying everything by DD and so was in credit with most things. Most companies / local authorities I dealt with where very understanding and helpful except...SSE.

When I contacted them to ask to close down my late father's gas and electricity accounts, they told me it was company policy, "not to close an account on a property until it was sold". Well ok I thought that's a bit odd, but ok. Well in the mean time I have received various bills from them with various amounts owing, for estimated gas and electric, even though I explained, the house was empty and we where in the process of selling it.

So last week I phone them and told them it had been sold, and gave them the final gas and electric readings, which just happened to be exactly the same as the ones I'd given them a year before ! So yesterday I received a gas bill for £122.26 all for standing charge ! Today an electric bill for £79.58, again all for standing charge ! To say I am angry is an understatement ! Over £200.00 pounds for standing charge, at an empty property, and after I had asked them to close these accounts nearly a year ago.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is it worth approaching Ofgem ? I am waiting till I cool down, and will phone SSE on Monday to see what they have to say about this charge.

mac.d

Empty properties still have costs, and if you are the person dealing with the property then you have to pay any ongoing charges (utility bills, council tax etc) until its sold.

The only way to avoid it with gas & electricity is to move to a tariff with zero standing charge.

See EDF's: How do I manage an energy account for someone who's passed away?, it's not just SSE that are being unfair (though I found them very unhelpful when dealing with a bereavement).

dj1471

If the gas and electricity supplies are connected then standing charges are payable, the property being empty doesn't change this. If the house was sold as part of the estate then the estate would be liable for them.

Assuming you're the executor, you should have switched supplier to one that doesn't charge a standing charge such as Ebico, or had the supplies disconnected.

dave1961

Assuming you're the executor, you should have switched supplier to one that doesn't charge a standing charge such as Ebico, or had the supplies disconnected.

dj1471, this my point I asked them to disconnect the supply and they refused, this what is making me so angry with them !

matelodave

You may have found it difficult and costly to get the energy supplies re-instated when the house was sold.

dj1471

dave1961 wrote: »

dj1471, this my point I asked them to disconnect the supply and they refused, this what is making me so angry with them !

You said you asked them to close the account; that's not the same thing. Disconnecting means they actually cut off the gas and electricity supplies, which usually incurs a fee as an engineer needs to visit.

PaschalFun

dave1961 wrote: »

dj1471, this my point I asked them to disconnect the supply and they refused, this what is making me so angry with them !

If they had done what you requested, the bill would have been a lot more than £200 ... and the value of the house significantly less than what it sold for with services connected.

As suggested above, the executors should have consulted a comparison site to ensure the property was on the best value tariff whilst it lay empty for 12 months. It's the executor you need to be angry with, not the supplier whoi was simply doing what they were contracted to do ... and saved you quite a few bob for not doing as you requested.

mjm3346

It would also have been harder to sell without a gas/electricity connection.

[Deleted User]

OP, you would need to keep the radiators on through the winter , even if its just on frost setting to avoid a burst pipe and a flood. Also the lights would need to be on for viewings in the darker days and evenings..
Eon used to waive the standing charges for a vacant property in the past but I think they are the only one of the big 6 to do this. Certainly BG charged me full standing charges until I remembered to switch both to Ebico until the house was sold.
Suppliers would bill for disconnection and reconnection.
Got to disagree with the above poster PaschalFun who suggests venting anger upon the Executor. After being lumbered with the job on two occasions, without any pay I might add, its not up to an executor to get "value for money " all the time in dealing with sales of property or goods and chattels.
.That is the usual way to sell a property, without switching supplier, and without disconnecting services

PaschalFun

Houbara wrote: »

...
Got to disagree with the above poster PaschalFun who suggests venting anger upon the Executor. After being lumbered with the job on two occasions, without any pay I might add, its not up to an executor to get "value for money " all the time in dealing with sales of property or goods and chattels.
...

Feel free to disagree with me, and I will defend your right to do so.

But on a factual basis, it was your decision to act as executor; you didn't have to accept the role even if you were named in a will to do so.

and

The law states that executors must exercise a reasonable care and skill in the administration of an estate. An executor can be held personally financially liable for loss to the estate due to the executor’s actions or lack of action, which affects one or more beneficiaries, which could have been reasonably avoided.

https://www.finalduties.co.uk/what-can-an-executor-be-held-liable-for/

In this case, if the executor had taken 5 minutes to consult a comparsion site and switch supplier, the executor could have saved the beneficiaries over £200

dave1961

Hi All,
Thanks for the advice, I have calmed down a bit know and am resigned to paying standing charge.

Once again, thank you all, for listing to my rant !!!