We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
BW legal , Threating to taking me to court
So, BW has sent me a notice to pay British gas bill of 1700 that I didn't use. I never was British gas customer before February this year. I lived in a room for a two three months that was above a shop. I used to pay 200 pound a month that included the rent and energy bills as well and I shared the room with another student. I was a student too. there was no rental agreement or anything. Its just we were asked to pay 200 each and we payed. I had no address so I put that address in my bank. after few month my credit file stated show an energy bill of 1700 pound that I never used. I don't know what to do really stressed about it. When I became customer with British gas I told them about this discrepancy to one of the customer agents but they never contacted me again. I dont know what to do and how to prove this. need help please I am really stressed.
0
Comments
-
You need to clarify the situation, have you received a detailed bill from BG which shows the property address, registered account holder, dates and units used? If it doesn’t show your name you are not liable for the charges. Who were you paying the £200 a month to?
Did your new account with BG start when the moved to your current property?
What have you actually received from the debt collection agency?1 -
This sounds potentially nasty.It seems likely you are potentially being pursued for someone else's debt - its unlikely your fair share would be anywhere near £1700 - even if you were liable - as I fear without any agreements - you might have trouble proving your rent covered your share. Although I suspect if push came to shove - and this was ever actioned and taken to arbitration / court - a judge / arbiter would probably side with you on the basis of reasonable probability.How far along in the debt process are you - are you in the initial demand stages - or has it reached notice of court action ?When you say paid £200 - was that cash in hand - to one of the other residents - so you were subletting from someone with a tenancy agreement - or was everyone paying to someone claiming to be the landlord in person etc - or was it paid electronically so you have some traceability ?You really need proper advice on this - possibly even legal advice - but I'd probably be starting by contacting citizens advice or an energy debt charity.UK debt law and tenancy law is complex.BG have identified you - and possibly you alone - as liable for that £1700.If it covers dates when you were not residentYour defenses might include proof of other addresses before and after - anything official - like you moved bank to this one - others ?Council / govt / part time employers / university records - anything official addresses with dates ?Anything that can corroborate your story will help.1
-
First step would be a "prove it" letter (have a Google).
Let's Be Careful Out There2 -
So ,No Devongardener said:You need to clarify the situation, have you received a detailed bill from BG which shows the property address, registered account holder, dates and units used? If it doesn’t show your name you are not liable for the charges. Who were you paying the £200 a month to?
Did your new account with BG start when the moved to your current property?
What have you actually received from the debt collection agency?
Yes, My account started with BG when I moved to current property.
This is the Main body of what I have received:Bd LegalBW LegalImportant information about the claimEstimated claimSuch legal action may result in you also being liable for Coun fees and solicitors orsts which are estimated below.Principal Debt£1,727.83Estimated Interest£0.00Extinated Court Fees€115.00Estimated Solicitors' Coss£80.00Estintated Total£1922.83EnclosuresEnclosed with this letter are:Infomation Sheet:Reply Form:a sheet explaining what to do next, including how to avoid Court action. a form to complete and return containing four sections. This can also be completelIncome and Expenditure Form:directly on our Customer Portal by using the link myaccount.bwlegal.co.uk/help. registering your account and following the steps outlined under "Letter of Claim a form to complete and return to outline your financial circumstances. This can also be completed directly on our Customer Portal by using the link myaccount.owlegal.co.uk/help. registering your account and following the steps outlined under "Budget Planner".What you need to do nowPayment of £1,727.83 or your reasons for non-payment are required by 14 September 2025 to avoid the above legal action. If you are wable to pay the balance in full, our client is willing to enter into a payment arrangement which is affordable for you talang into sccount your financiel circumstances.llow to get in touchOnlineManage your account on our Customer Portal at by using the link myaccount.bwiegal.co.uk/help-You can complete your reply form and income and expenditure form directly on our Customer Portal Alternatively, you can upload your completed reply form and provide your income and expenditure details online. You can also make a payment, set up an affordable payment arrangement and speak to usby webchat Call us today on 0113 4870430By PhoneVia WebsiteBy PostVisit www.bwiegal.co.uk/customersComplete and return the attached Reply Form to us at the address at the foot of this letter by 14 September 2025Pre-Action Protocol for Debt ClaimsThis letter is being sent to you in accordance with the Civil Procedure Rules Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, a link to which is contained on the foot of the enclosed information sheet. In particular, we refer you to paragraph 7, which sets out the expectations of the Court in terms of complying with the ProtocolParticulars of debtOn 01 March 2024 you entered into an agreement with British Gas Trading Ltd Vu British Gas to provide you with a Electricity account You failed to make payment in accordance with the terms of the account and it was later terminated. Despite Our client's attempts to engage with you and agree a suitable payment arrangement, there is a balance which remains unpaid.Statement of accountThe following summary statement shows the transactions applied to your account since it was passed to BW Legal:Statement for the period to 15 August 2025£1,727,83Opening Balance£0.00Total Payments£0.00Total Adjustments0 -
bwlegalmy namemy current address******Our Reference: ******Our Client's Ref. ********Telephone: 0113 487 0430You can contact us via our webform stwww.hwlegal.co.uk/customersCalls are recorded for training and monitoring purposesLetter of ClaimDear *******15 August 2025Our Chent: British Gas Trading Ltd t/a British GasBalance Due. ******Client Reference: ******Energy Type: ElectricitySupply Period: 01 March 2024 to 07 April 2025Supply Address: Address where I lived .We have tried contacting you about the balance of ***** owed to our client British Gas Trading Ltd, which remains unpaid, offering solutions to repay the balance or asking you to contact us so we could work with you to avoid the need for legal actionUnfortunately, all our efforts have failed, and we now regret to inform you that if the balance remains unpaid, or we have not reached a solution regarding the balance with you before the expiry of this letter, we will have no option but to recommend that legal proceedings are issued on expiry of this letter to recover the balance which will mean additional legal costs & fees being added to the balance as set out in the Estimated Claim table.Your case would only escalate to a County Court claim because you failed to pay the sun set out in this Letter of Claim or to reach a repayment solution with us by 14 September 2025. If you have a dispute about the balance, you should contact us before 14 September 2025 so we can assist you. This will prevent your case from proceeding to a County Court claim without further notice. Your prompt response in this regard is appreciated.Paying the balanceWe want to work with you and stop your case from proceeding to a County Court Claim. You can avoid legal action by making payment of the full balance by 14 September 2025. Simply visit our customer portal at portal.bwlegal.co.uk, where you can make payment in full or call us on 0113 487 0430. You can also chat with us at bwlegal.co.uk/customers or for alternative ways to make payment please see the reverse of this letter.It is important that you call us to discuss an arrangement to pay the balance if you can't pay in full before 14 September 2025.Next stepsPlease note that this letter of claim expires on 14 September 2025, after which time your case will continue into our litigation process for the full current balance of ******British Gas Trading Ltd t'a British Gas share information with credit reference agencies. If you don't pay your bills on time, it could lower your credit rating. This can make it harder for you to get credit. It can also mean lenders will give you higher interest rates or stricter rules for borrowing. You can learn more about how British Gas Trading Ltd t'a British Gas manage your credit file at britishgas.co.uk/termsandconditions.Yours sincerelyBW Legal, Enterprise House, Apex View, Leeds. West Yorkshire. L51198H 1:01134870430 F: 03333700107 DX746921 Leeds 39BW Legal is a trading stvie of BW Legal Services Limited which is a coinqiany registerest in England and Wales under Company Registration No. 07966978 Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under No: 569773Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of consumer debt collection under Reg No: 619068VAT Registration No: 975 854092The CFTWWWSLOCUTE0
-
Fr34k31 said:So ,No Devongardener said:You need to clarify the situation, have you received a detailed bill from BG which shows the property address, registered account holder, dates and units used? If it doesn’t show your name you are not liable for the charges. Who were you paying the £200 a month to?
Did your new account with BG start when the moved to your current property?
What have you actually received from the debt collection agency?The problem you've got now is that, in law, BG can hold any resident of the property liable for the entire energy bill. BG have identified that you were living there while the bills weren't being paid, and so they're chasing you for the entire debt.If you had a tenancy agreement it would set out who you were paying and what was included and you could use this to defend BGs claim. Because you don't, that particular avenue isn't open to you.Have you sent the "prove it" ietter yet?HillStreetBlues said:First step would be a "prove it" letter (have a Google).In all honesty, the DFW forum might be a better place for this thread. We're energy geeks over here; if you need help dealing with debt collectors like BW Legal, you'd get better advice over there.N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!1
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 351.7K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454K Spending & Discounts
- 244.7K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.2K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.3K Life & Family
- 258.4K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards