Moved home, saddled with previous owners debt

saverupnorth

We moved into our new home just before Xmas. Due to our previous sale falling through we moved 3 months later than originally agreed with the previous owners and so they moved out and gave a meter reading in September/October.

We are setting up our energy supplier and Bulb (the previous occupants supplier) are holding us liable for the energy used between the old owners moving out and us moving in. This is about £150! Seems steep for a fridge and some security lights but we obviously don't know what happened before we officially moved in.

Bulb won't listen, what can we do? Are we liable?

emmajones1976

The person who owened the house in those 3 months is liable, which sounds like isnt you.
The house being empty is irrelevant, they still owned the house and at the very least would have had to pay the daily standing charges, plus any ambient usage (burglar alarms, heating etc).

Did you take a reading when you moved in? Did you actually exchange and complete in September or in December?

MWT

saverupnorth said:

Bulb won't listen, what can we do? Are we liable?

You are liable from the day you took possession of the property, that could be the same day you moved in, or it could be earlier if you completed the purchase but did not move in straight away.

You are not liable for the energy use until you completed though, unless you had separately agreed with the vendor to do that.

emmajones1976

This all boils down to when the completion date was.
 So....when was it?

QrizB

saverupnorth said:

Bulb won't listen, what can we do? Are we liable?

The answer is:

emmajones1976 said:

This all boils down to when the completion date was.
 So....when was it?

Prior to completion, the previous owners are liable. After that date, it's you. Was completion when the old people moved out, when you moved in, or somewhere in-between?

kazwookie

Do you have a meter reading YOU took when you moved in? or better still photos of the meters?

bagand96

As above you're liable from the point the sale completed. 

You will owe Bulb from the completion date to the point your chosen supplier took over the supply. (You are on a deemed contract with the incumbent supplier the moment you take responsibility) 

Inform Bulb when you took ownership of the property and give them the meter reading from that date. 

Carrot007

bagand96 said:

Inform Bulb when you took ownership of the property and give them the meter reading from that date. 

And by inform here that means providing documents with proof. At that point if they have no forwarding address for the previous occupants that is thier problem. You will have many. If you completed early though, you owe.

saverupnorth

Completion date was the 17th Dec. I do have photos of the meter.

The previous owners moved out on the original completion date but as we are in Scotland we don't complete until everything works out if that makes sense so the 17th Dec.

emmajones1976

In which case the previous occupants have done you over. The meters should have been read on the 17th Dec and their accounts closed as of that date. You cant read them 3 months before, leave the house empty, and expect not to have to pay, which is exactly what they have done.

wittynamegoeshere

Nobody's done anyone over, no need for the dramatics!

Just explain the situation to the supplier, the energy usage when it wasn't your house is 0% your problem, it's entirely between them and whoever owned it at the time.

However... it would seem that the delay was at your request, and they weren't actually living there.  I'd just pay it.  I'd make a fuss if they were actually living there, but it was left empty to keep you happy.

They're probably tehnically liable, but I'd argue that the decent thing would be for you to pay.