Gas Usage!

CarlRizz

When I moved to the flat that I rent in the UK, there was a problem, no one would know which gas meter was designated to my flat. So, I did notify the letting agency who sent me an email saying not to worry about, they also said the landlord knew about the problem and I would not be responsible for the gas bill till they solve the problem. Nearly 3 years has passed and EON want's the money for the gas supplied through out the period, I have no idea on how to proceed

Reed_Richards

Why not send EON a copy of the email from the Letting Agency and the contact details for your landlord?

saajan_12

CarlRizz said:

When I moved to the flat that I rent in the UK, there was a problem, no one would know which gas meter was designated to my flat. So, I did notify the letting agency who sent me an email saying not to worry about, they also said the landlord knew about the problem and I would not be responsible for the gas bill till they solve the problem. Nearly 3 years has passed and EON want's the money for the gas supplied through out the period, I have no idea on how to proceed

How did you let this go for 3 years!? As the resident, you'd normally be responsible for the rent so this was an entirely foresseable problem. In the absence of the LL amending the tenancy agreement to say you're not responsible, why would you have not forced action sooner?

You could for example do a simple burns test looking at the gas meter that EON thought was yours, and if that proved it wasn't yours then theyd be incentivised to help figure it out. There's nothing really the LL can do that you can't and its not really anything to do with them. 

mmmmikey

CarlRizz said:

When I moved to the flat that I rent in the UK, there was a problem, no one would know which gas meter was designated to my flat. So, I did notify the letting agency who sent me an email saying not to worry about, they also said the landlord knew about the problem and I would not be responsible for the gas bill till they solve the problem. Nearly 3 years has passed and EON want's the money for the gas supplied through out the period, I have no idea on how to proceed

Hi - first thing to do is to establish whether the bill is actually for your property. 

If it is and you're not able to pay it then you can contact with EON and arrange to pay what you owe in installments. Worth checking if your landlord will pay and/or contribute, but ultimately as far as the bill is concerned if it's for your gas you're going to have to pay it. As a separate issue, you can take advice on whether you have a claim against your landlord, but that's a matter between you and your landlord not you and EON. As far as EON are concerned, best thing to do is to be open and honest about the situation - if you are they are likely to be helpful. Much better for them for dealing with a genuine and co-operative customer than to get embroiled in legal matters to recover what is rightfully owed to them.

If it isn't, you need to advise EON of that, give them your landlord's details and let them sort it out. You also need to establish where your gas is coming from otherwise you'll be storing up a bigger problem for the future - this will come back to bite you sooner or later.

As far as establishing which gas meter belongs to the OP, could someone advise the best way to do this safely? I don't have gas but assume the meters have serial numbers? Could someone advise where to look for this on an EON bill and on the meter itself? And how to check the meter itself is supplying gas to the OPs flat without turning off the supply and risking causing problems for someone else?

Gerry1

mmmmikey said:

CarlRizz said:

When I moved to the flat that I rent in the UK, there was a problem, no one would know which gas meter was designated to my flat. So, I did notify the letting agency who sent me an email saying not to worry about, they also said the landlord knew about the problem and I would not be responsible for the gas bill till they solve the problem. Nearly 3 years has passed and EON want's the money for the gas supplied through out the period, I have no idea on how to proceed

As far as establishing which gas meter belongs to the OP, could someone advise the best way to do this safely? I don't have gas but assume the meters have serial numbers? Could someone advise where to look for this on an EON bill and on the meter itself? And how to check the meter itself is supplying gas to the OPs flat without turning off the supply and risking causing problems for someone else?

The meter serial number will be clearly shown on the bill and on the meter on the wall.  Check that these match, which is very easy.

However, that won't prove that said meter is the one supplying your flat.

Preferably very late at night, make sure the CH is on for at least the next hour, turn the room thermostat to maximum.  If there's a gas cooker, turn all the burners on.  Photograph the volume reading (in m3 or hundreds of ft3) displayed on 'your' meter, call this Photo 1.

Wait half an hour, take Photo 2, turn the cooker off and switch the boiler off at the fused spur.  Wait another half an hour, take Photo 3.  Restore the normal CH settings.

If everything is correct then the reading on Photo 2 should be larger than on Photo 1, but the figure on Photo 3 should be exactly the same as on Photo 2.

If in any doubt, repeat the tests at a different date and time, e.g. after breakfast switch the boiler off at the switched spur, take a photo, wait until late evening, switch the boiler back on and use the cooker normally.

Ectophile

Reed_Richards said:

Why not send EON a copy of the email from the Letting Agency and the contact details for your landlord?

I don't suppose EON would care in the slightest about what a letting agency says.  All they know is that the Gas Act says that the moment someone moves into a property and starts using gas, than that person is responsible for paying the bills.