Moving into rental property - outstanding balance addressed to “The Occupier.”

Nick212010

I think there’s another thread on here with a similar problem, however there’s some significant differences so am interested in what the MSM community can advise.

I moved into a rented house exactly one month ago today. We (myself and house mate) were not bill payers for our previous homes. We suspect the house was vacant before we moved in, but we don’t know how long for. We took the landlady’s recommendation for using a particular energy company that was already supplying the home and that the previous tenant had used. When we tried to contact the energy supplier directly they confirmed the house was already connected to them and they created an account for us starting on the day we moved in as new tenants on a fixed tariff we were happy with (found on their website for new customers - as technically we were). We supplied them with photos of the meter readings (gas and electric) taken within a hour of moving into the home and gave them the move in date. An account was set up for us and we supplied bank details for direct debit. The first payment was paid by DD just over a week ago. We received a confirmation letter addressed to us welcoming us to the supplier and that everything was set up correctly.

We received a letter today addressed to “The Occupier.” It welcomes us to our new home, however it stated that there is an outstanding balance of “£829.90 for the energy used since you moved in.” It also invites us to create an account (which we already have) to review the first bill. The account number at the top of the letter also differs to the one allocated when we set up an account with them upon moving in. 

Based on the responses to a previous thread on this forum, that new homeowner is expected to pay any difference between switching that house’s old supplier of energy and their own preferred supplier. Surely this will not be the case for us, especially as we cannot afford to pay the balance, and quite frankly I’m not prepared to pay for energy used prior to my move in date?

MWT

I would suspect that the previous tenants closed their account properly, but the landlord failed to register their own account while it was untenanted.

Since it appears you have opened the letter, take a note of the meter readings on the letter and compare them to the ones you provided when you opened your new account.

Hopefully you'll see that the closing reading on the letter matches the opening reading on your new account.

If that is the case then pass the letter on to your landlord and give the energy company the contact details for your landlord.

Nick212010

MWT said:

Since it appears you have opened the letter, take a note of the meter readings on the letter and compare them to the ones you provided when you opened your new account.

Hopefully you'll see that the closing reading on the letter matches the opening reading on your new account.

Unfortunately there are no meter readings on the letter. However there is a web link to access and a unique code to input which I haven’t accessed.

Reed_Richards

Nick212010 said:

...Based on the responses to a previous thread on this forum, that new homeowner is expected to pay any difference between switching that house’s old supplier of energy and their own preferred supplier. 

You have no liability to pay for energy used prior to the date you took over the tenancy (whether or not you actually moved in on that date).  It is often not possible to switch supplier on the day you move in and you are liable for any energy that you used with the old supplier prior to the switch.  Given that you have photos of meter readings on the day you moved in you should not, ultimately, have any problems.  Let your landlord sort it out.

MWT

Nick212010 said:

MWT said:

Since it appears you have opened the letter, take a note of the meter readings on the letter and compare them to the ones you provided when you opened your new account.

Hopefully you'll see that the closing reading on the letter matches the opening reading on your new account.

Unfortunately there are no meter readings on the letter. However there is a web link to access and a unique code to input which I haven’t accessed.

Then just give the supplier a call and pass on the contact details for your landlord or their agent and quote the account number on the letter.

Then pass the letter on to the landlord or their agent.

Nick212010

Reed_Richards said:

Nick212010 said:

...Based on the responses to a previous thread on this forum, that new homeowner is expected to pay any difference between switching that house’s old supplier of energy and their own preferred supplier. 

You have no liability to pay for energy used prior to the date you took over the tenancy (whether or not you actually moved in on that date).  It is often not possible to switch supplier on the day you move in and you are liable for any energy that you used with the old supplier prior to the switch.  Given that you have photos of meter readings on the day you moved in you should not, ultimately, have any problems.  Let your landlord sort it out.

Move in date was the same day the tenancy started.

The supplier is the same as the previous tenant’s. There is no need to switch from one supplier to another, had we chosen a different preferred supplier upon moving in I would otherwise accept this.

Petriix

The letter to 'the occupier' is for whoever was responsible for the bills before you moved in. It's not uncommon for this to happen when moving into a new home. Obviously don't pay it and, aside from passing it on to the landlord/agent, don't worry about it.

Gerry1

The landlady's recommendation to use a certain energy company may be a poisoned chalice if she's getting a kickback so that they can monetise you.  Best to guesstimate your consumption and shop around.  Assume 12,000kWh for gas and 2,900kWh for electricity and then tweak for type and size of property, occupancy (WFH or commuting), insulation etc.

Start comparing tariffs with Citizens Advice and 'Which? Switch'.  Just compare annual costs, always ignore all projections and savings claims.  Remember that separate suppliers are often cheaper than dual fuel, so do the sums for both cases.   Also have a look at the customer service ratings on Citizens Advice and the 'Add your feedback on energy supplier xxxx...' threads here on the forum.

Then remember to send monthly readings, keep your own records and check that your DD payments are keeping up with your usage, it's not All You Can Eat: if you use more than expected your DD will be increased twice, once to reflect your higher usage and again to reclaim your arrears.

niktheguru

You’ve done all the right things.
as long as you know that the energy company you signed up to was the one that has been supplying energy to you property since before you moved in then you are absolutely fine.
you’ve set up your own account on moving in, given meter readings and the photo evidence. It’s from the same day as the start of tenancy so you’ve done everything by the book.

just call the company up, tell them you received the letter, explain your tenancy started on date x and any usage before that date is not your problem. Make your life easier by giving the company your landlords details (found on the tenancy agreement) and also forward that letter to your landlord so they can deal with it.

don’t pay them a penny more!

elsien

Nick212010 said:

Reed_Richards said:

Nick212010 said:

...Based on the responses to a previous thread on this forum, that new homeowner is expected to pay any difference between switching that house’s old supplier of energy and their own preferred supplier. 

You have no liability to pay for energy used prior to the date you took over the tenancy (whether or not you actually moved in on that date).  It is often not possible to switch supplier on the day you move in and you are liable for any energy that you used with the old supplier prior to the switch.  Given that you have photos of meter readings on the day you moved in you should not, ultimately, have any problems.  Let your landlord sort it out.

Move in date was the same day the tenancy started.

The supplier is the same as the previous tenant’s. There is no need to switch from one supplier to another, had we chosen a different preferred supplier upon moving in I would otherwise accept this.

You can’t choose a different supplier until the tenancy starts m. You have to go with the supplier already in place, then swap if you want to. 

Reed_Richards

Nobody has tackled the issue of why the "To the occupier" bill was so large.  It would seem that the previous tenants left with quite a large sum owing.  Had they simply not been paying their bills?  Had the supplier being relying on estimates that were way too low compared to the actual usage?  Could it even be that the previous tenants submitted false reading that were lower than the actual ones?  I wonder if you should switch supplier, just to draw a line under this.  And if you tried to switch, would your current supplier try to block it on the basis that somebody owed them money?