Tenant runs up £882.60 on prepayment meter?

Tenant runs up £882.60 on prepayment meter?

10:10 AM, 29th September 2023, About 2 years ago 24

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Hello, I am being harassed by a debt collection company. They claim that electricity worth £882.60 was used at a house I let out as two flats, between 2013 to 2020, from a prepayment meter, and no payments were made to the meter.

I made the mistake of ringing them when a letter arrived at the house during a void, to ask what it was about. I fail to understand how a large bill £882.60 can be run up on a prepayment meter, and have put this to to the debt collection company. They say that meters don’t cut off when they run out of credit, at certain times.

Now, I have looked online and know at evenings and weekends, when it is hard to top up, meters can continue giving credit until the next day, BUT I thought that you needed to be in credit before these ‘friendly non-disconnection hours’ started.

I offered to help the debt collection company in any way I could, as they were asking for the tenants names, BUT I don’t believe I can just give them the names of all tenants who have been in both flats for nearly an eight-year period, Surely that contravenes GDPR on personal information? However, the debt collection company have been unable to tell me a tenant name, or even which flat.

This harassment started in early 2021, at that time they were pursuing the debt on behalf of Scottish Power. When I asked them to tell me a tenant name or even which flat, they said they would make inquiries and get back to me.

I received a letter at my own house a couple of months ago, to say they have now ‘bought’ the debt from Scottish Power and are again saying there is a debt of £882.60 owed, and as I have not told them who ran this up (?) they are attributing the debt to me. They claim they can do this as they assume I either owned the house when it was not tenanted or lived at the house myself. I did own the house for some time before this debt, it has always been tenanted in both flats, and I have never lived there.

They have supplied me with the meter number, and are asking me to inspect the meters in both flats to find out which flat ran up the debt. I am saying that it is their job. However, I have checked the photographs that we take between tenancies, of all electrics and meters, and although the purpose of these is not to show meter numbers, I don’t believe the meter number they give is in either flat. I am going to visit both tenants tomorrow to photograph specifically the meter numbers, and any previous ‘meter check’ labels that may be on them.

I believe that will prove that the CURRENT meters are not the one they are claiming, and probably a history of check labels back several years beyond their 2020 date. (Can I charge them for my considerable time and travel costs?)

This is not my debt, and to the best of my knowledge not any of my tenants’ debt, especially on prepayments meters. This is plain and simple harassment.

Does anyone have any ideas how to get these debt collection people off my back?

Thanks,

Paul


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Sam Mack

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22:03 PM, 1st July 2025, About 2 weeks ago

Reply to the comment left by DPT at 12/11/2023 - 10:04
Hello - I realise this is an old thread but I was searching for advice and came across this discussion.

I've had tenants in a flat since 2016 who have always been great - always paid rent on time, kept the place immaculate. I served them with a S21 two and a half years ago because I needed to sell the flat. The tenant sought assistance from the council who told them to stay put until formal eviction which, because the courts and bailiffs are such a mess, finally happened a month ago.

Gas and electricity were both on prepayment meters. I accept that this was a big mistake, but I never got the electricity changed into the tenant's name and when I requested a statement, I see that they had run up large debts and were on a repayment plan, with around £500 outstanding.

I had no idea you could run up debts of this sort on a prepayment service. When I checked the meter when they moved out is showed the account was in credit.

I realise I shouldn't have kept it in my name, but does anyone have any experience of this situation and how was it resolved?

I've been in touch with EDF and they have said that any debt would show on the meter - which it doesn't - but I've not got a proper answer yet about the repayment plan.

Thanks

DPT

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11:23 AM, 2nd July 2025, About 2 weeks ago

My understanding is that they can hold you liable for the debt of an account which is in your name. I'm not sure what policy utility companies usually adopt or even whether it varies.
Many landlords think the same as you that the debt on a prepayment meter must be capped at a low level, but thats no longer the case as providers have increasingly come under fire for cutting off "vulnerable" people.

Sam Mack

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13:13 PM, 2nd July 2025, About 2 weeks ago

Reply to the comment left by DPT at 02/07/2025 - 11:23
Thanks DPT. I suspect I may just need to put it down to experience, especially as I'm selling so it will need to be resolved quickly...

david.... (not Goliath)

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16:44 PM, 2nd July 2025, About 2 weeks ago

Reply to the comment left by Sam Mack at 01/07/2025 - 22:03My previous dispute is still unresolved because I refuse to pay £2,500 for the electricity used by previous tenants.
Utility companies fail to implement the relevant Acts of Parliament that place the liability for paying both Gas and Electricty on the occupiers who used the supply.
Having the prepayment meters in your name is not relevant as utility companies just put landlords names on tenants accounts without contacting landlords.
You are only liable for the usage after the date of the eviction (which you will have).
The Utility company has all the aces. If you leave the balance on the meter when you sell, the other solicitors could ask you to pay it off as part of the sale.
I would ask the Utility company for the balance so you could pay it off. Pay it under duress, then recover it through the small claims court. This puts pressure on the utility company to prove occupation.
You like most other landlords, are unlikely to do this.
Until a landlord does this, and wins, the utility companies will continue to push landlords around by making up their own rules.

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