Tenent Utility allowance

mppk451

Hello,

I have recently finshed my final year of uni and was living in a flat with 2 other flatmates, the tenanacy has recently ended and we have received an email regarding our deposit and our landlord has claimed that we as a flat are over  £1000 our ultility allowance(All bills were included with the tenanacy) and we now have to pay the difference as our depoists will not cover it.

Our landlord has never alerted us to exceeding our utility bill allowance, is there any requirement for them to do so?

They have calculated this from the difference in the meter at the start of the tenancy and the meter tenancy is this a legitmate form of bill calculation (apologies I do not know much about this stuff)

There has been problems during tenanacy regarding a unpaid bills to british gas by the previous tenants and british gas bailliffs arrived at the property at one point.

During the tenanacy it took a number of months to get our names on the bills as well due a deposit issue with the previous tenants deposit.

Thank you for reading this I would aprepicate any help or guidance on this situation.

greatcrested

Please quote the exact wording in your tenancy agreement regarding utilities.

Specifically does it limit usage based on usage (meter readings) or on cost (bill amounts).

If usage, did you read the meters at the start? At the end? Does the usage exceed whatever limit the tenancy agreement allows? Is it a per month, per quater, per annum limit?

Far more information needed before an answer can be attempted.

The issues with the previous tenants' account is irrelevant.

If "All bills were included with the tenanacy", why did you need to "get our names on the bills" - makes no sense!

What was your university major?

SpiderLegs

Hello.
What does your contract say about utility bills?

mppk451

Hello thanks for the response.

The utilty allowance was stated in an annex to the tenancy agreement nothing was mentioned about it in the main tenacy agreement here is what it says in the annex:

"Stated Tenants will register all utility services in their names and then present bills and charges to *company name*.
Services stated below will be inclusive in the rental of this property and the Landlord stating
and agreeing to pay and indemnify the tenant against stated service charge in respect of the
Property except those which by the terms of this Agreement the tenant has expressly
agreed to pay.
Allowance stated for this property is £160.00 per month, this allowance commences on the
commencement of tenancy agreement document and ceases at stated end date of tenancy
agreement document, in accordance with tenants and property address stated above."

I did not read the meter at the start or at the end (Which I now realise was stupid and may have snookered me on this!)

The landlord has  calculated the cost in the checkout report by measuring the difference in the mater at the start and at the end.

My major was in computer science.

Thanks for the help on this!

Caz3121

If you look at the total of the bills over the duration of the tenancy, how does this compare to £160 per month over the duration of the tenancy?

Wanderingpomm

The landlord is alleging almost 50% more utility’s than planned for so something strange is going on. £160 /month on a 3 bed fiat should be plenty. You need to check your bills 

Wanderingpomm

Also you can challenge the readings. Ask him for proof of the readings. I would suspect that you are paying towards the previous tenants bills. Do you still have all your bills? They will have the readings on them

dimbo61

It will have been the addendum to the tenancy agreement.
What Company ! 
Not " split the bills " or something arranged by the Landlord or Lettings agents ?
Did the Landlord do an Inventory with a typed report which you all signed as this should have the start readings.
Funny how the landlord had problems with the utilities last year and now this year.
Report him and the Lettings agents to the University or more students will get ripped off in the future.
It makes me mad that rip off LA /LL can scam students by overcharging them for gas/electric/water or set them up on rip off deals ( for a bribe from the company )
Did the property have a GAS safe Certificate, PAT testing , EICR and EPC when you moved in ?
Did you see them ?

greatcrested

If the accounts are in your name then the bills must be coming to you.

The bills will show

* the dates covered by each bill

* the amount charged for each period

* the meter readings, and whether they are 'actual' readings or 'estimated' readings.

From all of that information you can verify what the landlord is claiming.

HampshireH

This is an odd set up.

So the bills are in your name......  but you give them to your landlord to pay?

Thats very very trusting because if the landlord didnt pay them you are still 100% liable.

Normally in an inclusive agreement the bills go to the landlord directly & they are liable (and choose to include them in the monthly payments)

As they are in your name it should all be very easy to work out.

If you haven't kept them then login to your online portal/app and view them there.

[Deleted User]

I have a feeling the tenants sent the bills to the LA/LL as requested in the TA and didn't keep copies. They should have online access to a list of bills though.  Even £160 a month is a lot, I pay £100 for a similar sized property but tend to wear jumpers rather than have central heating on a lot.  When I was a student, there was a problem with the bills (utility company didn't send them), first place, heating was included for a one bed flat.  Three attempts to get bills got no where.  So when I did finally get a bill it was enormous.  At the time I was on very little money.  Obviousy had to pay the owed amount back and cover new costs each month.  Only way I could do it was calculate exactly what I was using each week.  I've never forgotten that.  Am extremely careful with my useage even now, 40 years later. 

Unfair but important life lesson, know what your bills are and budget accordingly or cut back.