Tenant runs up £882.60 on prepayment meter?

The utility company complaints email usually sorts Rhonda out. Ask them to indemnify you from any gpdr breach so you can give details of the occupancy

If the tenant incurred the debt then the tenant is responsible!

In any case they can only go back 12 months.

It is a purchased debt or rather alleged debt.

It is a matter of who is the bravest! Either pay up or send a Letter Before Action seeking £10,000 for harassment!
in the Small Claims Track!

Have look at Lisa Ferguson v British Gas 2009,

Also The Protection From Harassment Act 1997 section 3,

This is a Civil Level not a Criminal Level,

Although I can’t answer your exact question I am having problems now with Shell energy over a previous tenants debt on the gas meter. They have installed a smart pay as you go meter and there is a debt of £700. They tried to tell me to clear the debt but its not my debt and as you say how can a pay as you go rack up debt. They wouldn’t tell me how much was needed to top up and clear the debt ! How was I supposed to know how much was was needed ( I wasn’t at the property at the time.
I have new tenants moving in today and we’re going round in circles.

Do you routinely give the names and contact details of tenants to utility companies when they move in, (including properties with pre-payment meters)? If not, then it’s much more difficult to argue you have no liability.

Exact same problem with British gas nearly a year and threats with court for a bill from previous tenant , made the mistake giving my name and address for a new card for the said property so that l could renew the relevant saftey certs l got tourchered for neR a year , l kept saying it was a previous Tennant and how can l use gas or electric on a previous tenants card , when you supplied me with another card in my name I might has well talk to the wall .

Reply to the comment left by David at 29/09/2023 – 15:31
If you have a tenancy agreement for the said period its straightforward.

I have a flat with a prepayment meter that had a debt of 1000 when the tenant moved out. I was unaware of this at the time but needed to renovate the place. I noticed I was burning through topups and later learned that it was taking portions of the top up towards the debt.
The previous tenant had built up debt and the power company decided to install the prepayment meter. They then assigned the debt to the meter, so this is how you can have a big debt on a prepayment meter.
To be fair to the power company, I explained the situation and they removed the remaining debt.

Reply to the comment left by Fergus Wilson at 29/09/2023 – 14:49
As you say, there is a 1 year cut off on the period they can chase.
Nothing lost by asking for a breakdown, so you can determine how much relates to the recoverable period.

Obviously, if they are chasing a bill for the wrong property proving this should put a stop to their actions, but usually you will need to get the supplier to confirm then advise the debt firm.

I’ve a few of these. As mentioned by another contributor, I routinely inform the utility companies of new tenant + start date, move out dates, when I’m liable, and the associated readings. IIRC some companies facilitate this being done via the website.
If done by email they’re usually not acknowledged but there’s a data trail. If done by the message facility in the website there’s no proof.
I know this doesn’t help the OP at this stage, but I simply tell the utility what dates/readings I will pay them for, and ask for a bill reflecting it. They go for the LL as an easy target, hoping they’ll cave in and cough up.