Moving out early - utility bills?

RoisinDubh_2

Slithery said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

greatcrested said:

1) is your tenancy in a fixed term and you are moving out early before the fixed term ends? You are liable for council tax till the end of the fixed term. You are also liable for utilities till then. Ask the agent to read the meter and send you a photo of the meter as well. Then use that reading to get a final bill from the utility companies.

2) if you are in a periodic (rolling) tenancy and have served notice, you are only liable for council tax up to the date you vacate (irrespective of when the notice expires and the tenancy ends). However you are liable for utilities as in 1) above. You could perhaps negotiate with the LL/agent for him to either take over, or contribute to the utilities since he will be going in, turning on lights (and heating?) etc, but you can not really insist. Bear in mind also that you must leave the heating on low - if you turn it off and the pipes freeze and burst, you will be liable for the damage......

3) not sure what 'a long notice period' means. Do you mean

a) your contract requires a long period eg 3 months, or

b) you have chosen to serve notice far in advance of the date you want the periodic tenancy to end? Note that a fixed term tenancy does not require any notice period.

I am now in a periodic tenancy. tbh I would have thought it was the other way around - would the landlord not consider me liable for council tax if I'm leaving early for my own benefit (technically)?

The landlord can 'consider' whatever they wish, but it isn't their decision. The law states that it's their responsibility.

Even if I'm paying rent for the same period?

RoisinDubh_2

I'm a bit confused about the pipes freezing issue and why that's my problem. It's not possible to set the heating to come on automatically at certain times - I have to manually turn it on and off. I don't particularly want to be forced to stay in the property longer solely for this reason. What if I went into hospital for a week? Would I be responsible then if the pipes froze? I was away 2 weeks last year over Christmas and New Year - would I have been responsible then? I also turn the heating off overnight every night, of course. Is there something I'm missing?

anselld

RoisinDubh_2 said:

I'm a bit confused about the pipes freezing issue and why that's my problem. It's not possible to set the heating to come on automatically at certain times - I have to manually turn it on and off. I don't particularly want to be forced to stay in the property longer solely for this reason. What if I went into hospital for a week? Would I be responsible then if the pipes froze? I was away 2 weeks last year over Christmas and New Year - would I have been responsible then? I also turn the heating off overnight every night, of course. Is there something I'm missing?

Yes this is your responsibility.  There is usually a specific clause in the contract to require heating sufficient to protect from frost and in the absence of a specific clause you would be required to behave in a tenant-like manner.  

Can you not leave the heating on with the thermostat set at a low level?

AdrianC

While you have a valid current tenancy for the property, it is your problem.
Once you no longer have a valid current tenancy, it is no longer your problem.

Heating, bills, council tax... That applies to all of them.

If you were away for a week, would you expect the landlord to be letting themselves in twice a day to manually control the heating? Of course not.
If you hadn't mentioned your absence to the landlord, would you expect them to be checking daily just in case they needed to take over your heating controls? Of course not.
Is it an odd situation that there's no timer for the heating? Yes. But I presume that applied when you viewed the property prior to moving in...?

davidmcn

Isn't there a thermostat for the heating? It's not going to use much if you turn it down to whatever a suitable "keep all the pipes above freezing" temperature is. 

HampshireH

RoisinDubh_2 said:

I'm a bit confused about the pipes freezing issue and why that's my problem. It's not possible to set the heating to come on automatically at certain times - I have to manually turn it on and off. I don't particularly want to be forced to stay in the property longer solely for this reason. What if I went into hospital for a week? Would I be responsible then if the pipes froze? I was away 2 weeks last year over Christmas and New Year - would I have been responsible then? I also turn the heating off overnight every night, of course. Is there something I'm missing?

Of course this would have been your responsibility who else's do you think it is?

You are choosing to vacate early but you still have the same responsibilities you had the day you signed your tenancy.

You will need to ensure adequate heating to keep the property in good order if there is a risk of freezing. Just leave it on lowest setting and it will prevent frozen pipes and reduce any damp issues from it being left cold/unventilated.

You should be aware of these responsibilities at the point of renting and it's nearly always in the contract to maintain the property day to day (different to maintenance/repairs). If you are moving into a new rental the same will apply.

RoisinDubh_2

Yes, I suppose I could leave the thermostat permanently on a low temperature...what would the norm be? At the moment I have it on very high all day long (property is very cold and draughty) and off at night. 
So I guess I need to talk to the landlord here. Either I vacate early and close all the accounts the day I move out and am no longer responsible for anything after that day, or I keep the keys until the last day of my tenancy and nobody else is allowed in. Does that sound reasonable? Even if they don't see it as such, moving out early to allow access for repairs and viewings is a favour and I don't want to be responsible for bills and possible damages/mess for doing them a favour. 

RAS

Bear in mind that legally you are responsible for the state the property is in when the tenancy ends. If they've got people going to do repairs and coming in to view after you leave, you need it in writing that they accept full responsibility for the state after the date you leave. 

Take pictures or a video of everything before you leave.

RoisinDubh_2

RAS said:

Bear in mind that legally you are responsible for the state the property is in when the tenancy ends. If they've got people going to do repairs and coming in to view after you leave, you need it in writing that they accept full responsibility for the state after the date you leave. 

Take pictures or a video of everything before you leave.

Yep - I will get written confirmation that by surrendering the keys early, I am handing possession back to the landlord and am no longer responsible for anything inside the property, as I will be unable to access it. 

dimbo61

But you are responsible and it's your name on the bills until YOU inform the energy provider of the meter readings and your moving out/ end of tenancy date.
If your on a periodic tenancy I thought you only have to give One months notice to line up with your tenancy agreement.?
So read the meters, take photos of meters and send to Lettings agents and LL. 
Turn off Gas, isolate water supply at stopcock and drain water in taps/boiler by opening water taps downstairs !
Make sure all lights, electrical appliances are off. 
You may have some standing charges or a refund due so don't cancel the direct debit.
You yes YOU must inform the council tax that you have moved out and your liable till the end of contract or notice period.