Legal responsibility – N Power or Landlord?

Legal responsibility – N Power or Landlord?

15:49 PM, 27th September 2016, About 8 years ago 18

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A tenant vacates a property and both the tenant and managing agent provided final meter readings to the utility company to terminate the supply of electricity and gas.n power

However, N Power fails to terminate the utility supply.

The property is then empty for 9 months with the service still connected and at the end of 9 months the Landlord is sent a bill by N Power for £900 who say it is the Landlords legal responsibility to pay.

When told there is no contract between the Landlord and N Power they say that does not matter, its the landlords responsibility to pay the charges on a vacant property

When N Power is told they should have terminated the supply they say they never switch services off because if they did so they would have to turn them on again and they cannot manage that with thousands of properties.

Who is right and who is wrong. What is the exact legal situation. Who exactly is responsible for paying N Powers bill. What should the Landlord do in this situation.

Many thanks

John


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Comments

JC Ward

19:45 PM, 28th September 2016, About 8 years ago

Thanks Jay.
Sound advice. Will do
John

Mike

20:35 PM, 28th September 2016, About 8 years ago

Always take pictures of your meter rather than just taking down numbers, that way you have proper proof and email those to yourself via email system, all emails are dated and timed.

JC Ward

20:46 PM, 28th September 2016, About 8 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mike " at "28/09/2016 - 20:35":

Mike
Very good advice.
Fool proof, undeniable & irrefutable even for N Power
Thanks for the idea
John

Rose

7:12 AM, 29th September 2016, About 8 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "JC Ward" at "28/09/2016 - 20:46":

I wouldn’t waste any more time ringing them and would log a complaint straight away using Resolver. It’s a free online tool set up by Martins Money Tips designed to help making a complaint easier. Basically it creates a complaint for you, tells you your rights and then escalates it for you. I have used the desktop version (not mobile app) and found it an invaluable resource which is incredibly easy to use..

This is a clip from the website:
“Complaining isn't always easy – companies often ignore you, or fob you off with legal jargon. The free online tool Resolver* takes the hassle out of making a complaint, by helping you draft a letter, send it, monitor replies and then escalate it to an Ombudsman or key complaint body if it's not sorted. “

What I like most about it is the fact that it keeps all your documentation in one place. You can upload documents and create a case file which you can download, print off or send as a report. I don’t waste time anymore trying time and time to get through I just log it straight away on Resolver and can almost gurantee I will get a call back from someone high up in the complaints team in less than a couple of days. Once you have received a reply you will get an email letting you know.

I have used it four times and on each occasion my complaint was resolved to my complete satisfaction and in some cases better than I hoped as I received compensation/goodwill gesure.

If you decide to use it come back and let other readers know how you found it.

Good luck

Regards,
Helen

JC Ward

11:48 AM, 29th September 2016, About 8 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Helen " at "29/09/2016 - 07:12":

Hi Helen
At wits end I contacted the CEO of N Power this morning and amazingly (or perhaps not) his PA responded saying they are looking into the matter at his level for me
We shall see.
But if this fails to elicit a satisfactory response I will certainly follow the process you have suggested and also write to the Ombudsman as another responder has suggested.
Thanks for your suggestion. I shall keep the info in any case just in case we find ourselves in this type of quagmire again
And they say a Landlords job is an easy one !!
John

Michael Barnes

11:05 AM, 30th September 2016, About 8 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "JC Ward" at "29/09/2016 - 11:48":

I always go CEO when standard complaints process is not getting anywhere.
This means that management up the hierarchy is aware of the issue and no-one wants to upset their boss.

On the specific question in the original post, if you did not ask for the supply to be terminated when the property became empty, then the company will continue to supply gas/electricity, and the property owner will become liable.

I blame Which? because they campaigned for the removal of the system where units of energy became cheaper the more one used on the basis that it was unfair on the poorest who used less energy. So now we have the situation where almost all tariffs have a daily charge and all units are one price, and low-use customers pay even more than before.
Under the old system you would have had very little to pay, as it would just have been for the gas and electricity used.

Puzzler

8:34 AM, 1st October 2016, About 8 years ago

If you have readings they should cave. They are dreadful in terms of getting bills right, I did battle for two years following my father's death. Simply insist that the bill should be for the difference between the reading now and when the tenant left.

Bear in mind though that there is probably a standing charge for which you will be liable, as far as I am aware they don't terminate the supply merely close the account of the tenant. However this should be fairly low. There are tariffs that don't have this and maybe you should consider one of these if the property is remaining empty.

Kevin McLandlord

23:05 PM, 5th October 2016, About 8 years ago

I feel your pain.

Similar to Puzzler I had a 2 year battle with NPower.

In the end I managed c£450 out of them after 2 years of call and emails.

They are the most difficult company I've ever dealt with.

Please let us know how you get on and best of luck.

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