£0 electricity bill

[Avalon_]

I have been living in rented accommodation since July 2006. Since then I have received one electricity bill for the sum of £0. This has (the letter claims) been estimated based on previous electricity uses. (This is bizzare since the property had been rented before I moved in). The letter goes on to say that, if I wish the have a more accurate account bill, I can contact my operator with my meter reading. However, it does not say that I have any obligation to do so...

Now, I will be moving out of this accommodation in a few months and, at that time, wish to have my name taken off the account. When I contact them to do this, I expect that they will ask for a final meter reading. Am I under any obligation to give them one? Even if I am, neither my operator nor I know the meter reading when I moved in. Am I entitled to ask them to remove my name from the account and estimate my final payment amount as they have been doing (which, I expect, will come to £0 also)?

What is particularly odd is that the property was rented before I moved in. Therefore, I have to guess that the previous occupants also had the same issue - £0 estimates based on a period when there were no tenants. As a result, any meter reading compared to the last one that the electricity company received could be astronomical! Even if I only pay for the portion of time I was in the flat, how do I not know that the last tenants had a much higher usage than myself!

Any help on this matter is much appreciated.

[jampot]

You should take meter readings of all utilities when beginning a tenancy, and tally these with the landlord's / agent's own readings.

Ditto when you leave.

You are responsible for the electricity consumed during that period, not what is estimated to have been consumed.

[Josamolly]

Looks like they added your usage to mine....

[PKea]

When they produced the last bill foe the last tennant they will have got an actual reading. As you would have had no bills the average would be £0. This will require a final meter reading to produce your final bill.

And as Jampot says, you should have taken a reading from when you moved in, as you will probably be billed from the last tennant leaving.

[Avalon_]

Originally Posted by jampot

You are responsible for the electricity consumed during that period, not what is estimated to have been consumed.

Thanks for that Jampot - this seems pretty logical, as well as being perfectly justifiable. That said, while I am morally responsible to pay for any electricity I have used should I be asked for a payment, I do not feel any compulsion to draw the company's attention to the fact that I am being under charged.

In their one piece of correspondence with me, they stated that I should only give a meter reading if I wanted a more accurate reading. They have not asked me to give them a reading for any other purpose. Should they ask for a reading when I close my account (or before then) as a necessity, or because they would like it, then I will of course oblige.

However, should I close my account with no request for this, then I will not be obliged to give them a reading. The only question remaining is what happens should they, in the future, get in contact asking for a payment. Clearly I should make a note of the meter reading when I leave, and find out whether the landlord made one before I moved in. I will then be happy to pay for the amount of electricity that I have used. The only exception to this comes with the latest guidelines on the matter - I understand that utility companies should write off payments if they are not asked for within 2 years of being incurred?

Thanks for the help

[Avalon_]

Originally Posted by PKea

When they produced the last bill foe the last tennant they will have got an actual reading. As you would have had no bills the average would be £0. This will require a final meter reading to produce your final bill.

Ah, that explain everything! I better hunt down the reading for when I first moved in.

Thanks PKea

[ozzywizard]

I understand that utility companies should write off payments if they are not asked for within 2 years of being incurred

From July 2007 this will reduce to one year. sorry quick post while I can lol.