Student rental accommodation energy provider threats of bailiff

CW153902

Hi can anyone please advise 
My child and flatmates are being threatened by British gas bailiffs on 1 May for a bill of £3k. The students should all be concentrating on dissertations or NHS final placements.
1. Student accommodation (SA) pays all bills but has not been paying energy, as they have not received a bill, not invoice. Apparently SA changed provider but didn't inform the students.
2. Students have always paid the student accommodation for utilities included. But the students had to sign up for energy with British gas as the bill had to be sent to the house.
3. SA won't / can't speak to British gas about this and say that my child has to be the go between and is obviously really stressed.
4. British gas are not being helpful. 

Can anyone please advise? We obviously don't want the bailiffs turning up on 1 May 2024.

Mark_d

If the students are paying SA for accommodation inc. utilities, it makes no sense why the students had to sign up with British Gas.  The energy supply contract should have been between SA and British Gas.

If your child took out the BG contract, and bills were being sent to the house, were these bills being forwarded to SA for payment?

The simplest thing would be to pay the bill and then claim the money back from SA.

Going forwards the process needs to be clarified.  Should your child be paying the bills and claiming money back from SA, or should they be forwarding the bills to SA.  Surely SA are managing multiple properties so there must be a system that works.

MeteredOut

Something missing here.

Has the SA admitted that they are the ones who should be paying the bill but that they have not paid the bill?

CW153902

SA have admitted that they should be paying the bill.

DullGreyGuy

As above, it doesn't make any sense that they are the account holders with the energy company but then are paying the landlord for the utilities. 

The Landlord says they haven't received the bill so have they been forwarding the bills to the landlord seeing as they are delivered to the tenants?

Seems like someone somewhere is misunderstanding the arrangements.

CW153902

Apparently it is common practice in the area. 

MeteredOut

CW153902 said:

Apparently it is common practice in the area. 

The bill in the name of the students but paid for by the SA? If so, how do those others manage the payments?

CW153902

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/profile/DullGreyGuy
Hi the SA will only do something with invoices and not bills. Still waiting for British gas to send an invoice.

CW153902

All students pay the SA. One lead person for energy.

400ixl

What you have described is where students are responsible for paying the utility bills. They often then do it through a 3rd party that they pay a share to (but don't get a good deal).

Where the bills are included the SA should be contracting with the utilities companies. How do the water rates get paid for example?

Unfortunately it is done but you need to get this sorted asap. Have you checked your daughters credit file to make sure this isn't doing damage with missing payment markers etc?

CW153902

I'll do the credit check, thank you.