Eon chasing me for bill 4years ago, inventory check in and check out does not show meter or reading

rikkyshh

Hello

in short, i moved out of a property back in 2020, i was there from mid 2018.
we were unaware of the heating being provided by Eon Heat
The check in and check out report did not show the meter number or reading and we were unaware that this unit provided heat to the home.

Eon are now chasing me for £1500 for a period of 18months of heating.

It was an electric only supply in the flat, no gas.

I spoke with Eon and until 2023 they had not received an actual meter reading so it seems like the estate agency did not know about it either.

where do I stand? i want to dispute these charges as the bill is only based on estimated readings. we were unaware of the unit and that heat was seperate.

theartfullodger

Use the meter readings you took when you moved in and out.  Photos are usually acceptable as evidence.

You've asked eon to provide photos of meter readings?

Any bill may be disputed in court (presumably small claims?).

Which country (eg Wales, NI...?)

Did your tenancy agreement (which you still have?) state that agent or landlord will take readings please?

Are water/phone/broadband/council tax bills sorted ?

rikkyshh

all other bills were finalised, we contacted the water and electricity providers when we moved out and that was all sorted. unfortunately we do not have any photos that we took. we didnt know what the unit was for so a bit of oversight on my part.

I asked the estate agents to provide photos, which i doubt they would have as the inventory report done by a 3rd party (agents arranged it) doesnt show the serial number or reading.

I will have a read of the tenancy agreement, will need to ask the estate agent for it as its 4 years since we moved out.

AskAsk

Your tenancy agreement would have specified if you or the landlord is responsible for the electric bills.  I guess it would be you as you were responsible for all other utility bills.

It would have been your responsibility to find out who the supplier was and open an account with them.  Eon would have sent numerous letters to you to ask that the occupier open an account.

I thought new laws meant that energy providers can not back claim more than 12 months?  So if that was 4 years ago, they wouldn't be able to claim?

theartfullodger

Your tenancy agreement would have specified if you or the landlord was responsible for the district heating provided by Eon.Heat.  And what the charging process was .  Does it?  Might be worth quoting EXACT wording (anonymising an personal/address details.)

(As you said you were "unaware" presumably the tenancy states nothing?? )

Good luck.

eddddy

Just to double check... Does the Eon Heat bill have your name on it - as opposed to the Landlord's?



I'm absolutely no expert on this, but my understanding is that...

There is no concept of "deemed contracts" for district heating / heat networks, so the LL would have had to terminate his/her contract with Eon Heat, and you would have had to explicitly sign up for a new contract. (Similar to a broadband contract, for example.)

And if the LL had terminated his/her contract, I guess you should have received letters addressed to "The Occupier" inviting you to sign up.

If the LL didn't terminate his/her contract, the LL would owe the outstanding money to Eon Heat. (But if your AST says you are responsible for the bill, I'm not suggesting that you should avoid repaying your LL.)


Also...

The regulations state that:

11.8 Billing information must be issued by the heat supplier at least twice a year and with every bill issued. A bill must be issued to a customer at least once per year based on actual rather than estimated consumption. 

Link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fce3739e90e07562aba0de7/heat-networks-guidance-on-metering-and-billing-regulations-2014.pdf

I've heard people say that if the Heat supplier doesn't adhere to those regulations, the bill isn't enforceable. But I don't know if that's 100% accurate.


But as I say, I'm no expert - so maybe others can confirm/refute this.

Maybe the people on the Energy board know more about this stuff (or maybe not)   https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/energy

propertyrental

Many tenancy agreements refer to utilities, rather than specifying a list (gas, BB, electricity, tel, water etc).

If you have the TA, read and quote the clause in full.

I also suggest posting on the enrgy board where people familiar with energy laws will help

rikkyshh

Thank you all, i will try the energy forum

its communal heating and i think (and hope) back billing comes into play.
They made no effort to send letters or contact whilst i was there.

The tenancy just says utilities but makes no mention of if the landlord/agency or tenant is responsible for providing readings.

AskAsk

rikkyshh said:

Thank you all, i will try the energy forum

its communal heating and i think (and hope) back billing comes into play.
They made no effort to send letters or contact whilst i was there.

The tenancy just says utilities but makes no mention of if the landlord/agency or tenant is responsible for providing readings.

i don't see the relevance of the meter readings being needed in the contract.  it is who is responsible for the bills, and it will be the occupier unless your contract states otherwise.

propertyrental

rikkyshh said:

The tenancy just says utilities but makes no mention of if the landlord/agency or tenant is responsible for providing readings.

If the tenancy says the tenant is responsible for utilities, then it's the tenant's responnsibility to pay the (correct) bills. A sensible tenant would therefore read their own meters.

In this case (strangely) you did not know how your heating was provided (the heating fairy?) or what the box was so did not read the meter.

Whether back-dated bills are valid is best answered on the energy board.