Completed buying - vendor refuses to give final utility reading

sasparillo2

I am preparing to move after completing some time ago. The estate agent has confirmed they asked the vendor for final readings but I have realised I never received them. 

The estate agent has told me they never received them and have contacted her and she ‘can’t remember now’ the final readings or the name of the suppliers and has asked the estate agent not to contact her about the matter! 

This is my first house & I have to arrange suppliers quickly for the move. I have no idea why she is withholding this information both from me and her own estate agent who are also not being entirely cooperative. However I do not wish to have a bad relationship or argument with the estate agent as I need to move in quickly. 

Can anyone give advice on this? 

Southend_2

Just give the utility suppliers your own opening readings taken on the day you completed. 

Chandler85

You get the keys, you open the house, find the meters.  Take a picture of the readings and give that to the supplier?

You should have checked the property after you completed really.

Ayr_Rage

You don't have to arrange suppliers, you automatically become a customer of the incumbent supplier when you take ownership of the property.

Take a note of the meter serial number(s) and the readings and then use an online tool to find who supplies the services.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/moving-home-your-energy-supply/find-out-who-your-gas-or-electricity-supplier-is/

p00hsticks

Have you actually been to the house yet ?
You have a deemed contract with the existing utility providers from the point of completion and so they may have written to the occupier at the address when the previous owner moved out. 
What does the TA06  (TA10 ?) documentation that your conveyancer received from the seller say ? I seem to recall that some of the questions on one of those ask who the current utility suppliers are. 

ThisIsWeird

As above - take photos of the meter readings. Jobbie jobbed.

Flugelhorn

I hope you visited promptly after completion? the heating could have been left on full, a tap dripping etc. 

basically you are just going to have the readings you find when you get there and leave it to the utility company to work out who pays what 

FlorayG

I had this. There were no closing readings because the house was empty and the vendors didn't live nearby. I just sent in opening readings and its very important to take photographs of the meter, because EDF said that couldn't be correct it can't be that low, not realising the house had been empty all winter so heating on minimum. There was of course a discrepancy between the last reading they had and the first one I gave and I passed this detail on to the estate agent and told them to deal with it. It did take some weeks but eventually was sorted; but my photo of the meter reading was an essential bit of evidence

Section62

ThisIsWeird said:

As above - take photos of the meter readings. Jobbie jobbed.

That would be evidence of what the meter readings are today (or some point in the future when the OP can get to the property), but it sounds like they want some kind of proof of what the meters read on the day of completion (which was "some time ago") and reading between the lines they perhaps know or expect the current meter readings to be somewhat higher than they were at completion.

Nothing much can be done if the vendor is not playing ball, unless they gave some kind of contractually binding agreement to provide completion day meter readings to the OP.

bluelad1927

You say you completed some tine ago. Is that actually correct. Has the property been empty since you completed.

Once you have completed the property and services become your responsibility and its up to the the seller and new homeowner to obtain closing opening readings to ensure that neither is paying for the others usage

Mr.Generous

The estate agent isn't going to deal with anybody's utility companies - If they get involved at all I'd be amazed.

Take clear pictures of the meters and deal with it yourself. Forget the previous owners, they're gone.