Default showing on one agency (TransUnion) but not other two

HelloWonderful

Hi,

I am new to this forum and I am looking for some advice. I recently got knocked back in a mortgage in principle meeting and made the effort to look at my credit score to see what was wrong.

Experian & Equifax showed no defaults at all but score was showing as average however TransUnion was showing as defaulted payments. Upon checking these were linked to a house I rented with a friend back in 2014. He was meant to pay the water bill and I settled all other utilities upon leaving. To my surprise it shows an outstanding bill of £438. At first I couldn’t pin point it because I had used the same company from 2016 to 2020 with no missed payments in another properly and when I left they owed me credit. I contacted them saying I would pay half if they took my name off the account and they wouldn’t accept anything other than full payment. By the looks of it they can’t track down me or my old housemate for several years so I felt my gesture was a fair one. 

I want to know where I stand with this? Do I have to pay the water bill? I heard that they have 6 years to chase and if they can’t then it goes away. I don’t know if that’s true?

Thanks

MattMattMattUK

HelloWonderful said:

Hi,

I am new to this forum and I am looking for some advice. I recently got knocked back in a mortgage in principle meeting and made the effort to look at my credit score to see what was wrong.

Experian & Equifax showed no defaults at all but score was showing as average however TransUnion was showing as defaulted payments. Upon checking these were linked to a house I rented with a friend back in 2014. He was meant to pay the water bill and I settled all other utilities upon leaving. To my surprise it shows an outstanding bill of £438. At first I couldn’t pin point it because I had used the same company from 2016 to 2020 with no missed payments in another properly and when I left they owed me credit. I contacted them saying I would pay half if they took my name off the account and they wouldn’t accept anything other than full payment. By the looks of it they can’t track down me or my old housemate for several years so I felt my gesture was a fair one. 

I want to know where I stand with this? Do I have to pay the water bill? I heard that they have 6 years to chase and if they can’t then it goes away. I don’t know if that’s true?

Thanks

Generally a debt is statute barred after six years from the last payment or from when you last acknowledged you owe the amount, it can then become unenforceable, so I am not sure if your offer to pay would mean that it is now enforceable. Also even a unenforceable debt is still owed, you are not absolved of it after six years. 

[Deleted User]

The default will disappear after 6 years from the date it was created regardless
They have 6 years to enforce the debt and get a CCJ (which can then be enforced)
I'd pay it off personally, if you were jointly (or even solely) liable for the debt if it was in your name then they can still chase it up though depending on when you left the house, it will probably disappear next year - if they don't get a CCJ 

HelloWonderful

I left the house in 2014. Had no indication that this was an issue until the other month. I went to my housemate at the time and he wasn’t keen to pay despite the fact it was on him to settle this particular bill. He is also in the process of trying to buy a house and this bill doesn’t seem to flag for him. Date of the default is Jan 15th 2016. 

[Deleted User]

Defaults are typically done after 3-6 missed contractual payments. I would assume your "mate" put it in your name hence you got the hit. It will disappear from your report in around 4 1/2 months in January next year