Unpaid electricity bill from previous owner

M4C4R3

Hi,

I'm lookin for some advice. We moved house at the beginning of the summer and since have had reminders from the previous energy supplier for paying of the final bill (which wasn't completed by the previous owner).

We have reached out to Scottish Power and explained the situation but to no real avail. They advised to send the letters back, which we have been doing, but they still seem to come. We are now recieving final notice letters about a debt which isn't ours.

I know having read before that i am categorily not liable for this debt and I have read that I should continue to return the letters. However, these letters are addressed to the owner/occupier and not an individual. By default, I am the owner/occupier and that is why I am continuing to be concerned.

Any help on this would be gratefully recieved.

matelodave

Did you send in meter readings and open an account in your name with the existing supplier when you moved in and have you got confirmation of that original reading on your first bill.

Have you been sending in regular meter readings and checking your bills regularly.

If you've done all that, then there isn't much else to do except send them back, ideally in an envelope marked complaint and explain that they are nothing to do with you and you'll escalate it to the ombudsman if they don't desist. Also ask for written confirmation that this matter is now closed.

Stop phoning, either use e-mail (and save copies) or better still send a recorded delivery letter (and keep a copy and the delivery receipt)

Clueless56

I had the same issue when I moved to my current house.  Thought I'd got it sorted out with the supplier by proving to them that the debt predated my ownership.  Then it sold the debt on after a couple of years and I began receiving letters from a debt agency addressed to 'the owner/occupier'.  I just kept returning them 'Gone away', and after 3 or 4 returns, the letters stopped.

Your name will show as being the owner from X date and provided the debt predates that, there's no way you could be held liable.

M4C4R3

matelodave said:

Did you send in meter readings and open an account in your name with the existing supplier when you moved in and have you got confirmation of that original reading on your first bill.

Have you been sending in regular meter readings and checking your bills regularly.

If you've done all that, then there isn't much else to do except send them back, ideally in an envelope marked complaint and explain that they are nothing to do with you and you'll escalate it to the ombudsman if they don't desist. Also ask for written confirmation that this matter is now closed.

Stop phoning, either use e-mail (and save copies) or better still send a recorded delivery letter (and keep a copy and the delivery receipt)

Thanks for your reply, I transferred my existing energy deal (with an alternative supplier) from my previous house and provided meter readings to them on the day we completed.

Having no problems with my current supplier and the bills and direct debits are all as expected.

I think I’ll confirm all this in an email and continue to return the letters.

I’ll also confirm the date of our purchase and confirm that the debt pre-dates our ownership.

macman

Oh dear. You can't 'transfer an account' as you describe. You can sometimes port a tariff over from your old supplier, but it's always a new account, and you are in a deemed contract with the existing supplier from day one, so you must first register with them before you commence a switch.
The clue here is that the bills are addressed to 'The Occupier'. If the old occupiers have never closed off their account then the bills would be addressed to them by name.
Obviously you are not liable for anything prior to your occupation.
Check the register to see who is shown as the supplier, but I suspect it''ll be shown as SP still.

macman

https://www.findmysupplier.energy/
https://www.energynetworks.org/customers/find-my-network-operator

ispookie666

Agree with what @macman says.  I'd probably check what time period the bill covers.  If its after exchange, irrespective of if you registered or not, you would be liable if the previous owners have provided a closing meter reading. If not, then they can use an estimate.