Landlord's credit rating affected by tenant's utilities debts

AugustGirl

Two of my tenants (separate properties) have defaulted on their utility bills and I have had to go through a long process with the utility companies to prove the debt is not mine. I have two questions - one, should the agent be dealing with this (they say no because of GDPR but I don't believe that) and two, how can I clear this from my credit rating?

MeteredOut

A tenants debt should not affect your credit ratings, so if the suppliers have put markets on your credit accounts, you should ensure they get those removed. Dispute it with the credit agencies and ask the suppliers to have the markets removed.

As to whether the agent should deal with this, what is in your T&Cs? If it is in relation to your credit rating alone, I suspect that's none of their business, but not because of GDPR (many use that as an excuse not to do stuff) but simply because its between you and the utility provider.

RAS

On what date did you provide the utilities supplier with the tenants' details and the incoming meter reading.

Unless the tenants have vacated and given closing meter readings, you aren't liable for the bills.