Hi everyone,
Our problem relates to what happened with our IP's gas supply after we had vacated and cancelled our account with the supplier. The IP has Gas hot water and heating, we left our heater there for tenants use. We vacated the property on Feb 27 2009 and moved to another town an hour and 1/2 away from our IP. As there were cleaners coming in the following week and the agents to do the condition report etc, I left the disconnections of utilities until the week after everything was done.
Once our Gas account was cancelled, we received the final account in the mail at our new address, obviously the gas meter was read and billed accordingly. We paid the bill and thought nothing of it. The agents weren't able to get tenants in until May 23 2009 (yes paying mortgage and rent every week was not fun!). Then last week we received Gas bills stating something like 'The previous occupants have cancelled their account, the gas was not disconnected, now we need to set up your account and bill you for Gas supplied from May - Feb as you have not set up your account with us' I contacted the Gas company and was told that I need to pay the bill as I am the landlord and therefore liable for all charges!
I rang our PM and they said they would bill the tenants if I faxed them the Gas bill, so I did. I don't think the tenents were deliberately not paying a bill, they just hadn't realised they had to set up an account and obviously weren't being billed so were none the wiser. I thought the problem was solved until I received a second gas bill which was for the period after our account was cancelled and then up until the tenancy began (so March-May). I'm assuming the charges ($57.00 or so) was from the water heating up constantly? Am I liable for this charge even though i cancelled our account prior, the meter was read and the final account paid? And also, whose responsibility is it to disconnect a Gas supply when an account is closed, the PM, the Landlord or the Gas company? Now if it was our responsibility as landlords, did they really expect us to drive all the way back there just to turn the Gas off or should the Gas company have sent someone around there. It's Natural Gas supplied by AGL. Can anyone shed some light on this please? If we have to pay, I will pay it, but I really don't think I'm responsible! Any advice would be appreciated!
Regards,
Nicki
Our problem relates to what happened with our IP's gas supply after we had vacated and cancelled our account with the supplier. The IP has Gas hot water and heating, we left our heater there for tenants use. We vacated the property on Feb 27 2009 and moved to another town an hour and 1/2 away from our IP. As there were cleaners coming in the following week and the agents to do the condition report etc, I left the disconnections of utilities until the week after everything was done.
Once our Gas account was cancelled, we received the final account in the mail at our new address, obviously the gas meter was read and billed accordingly. We paid the bill and thought nothing of it. The agents weren't able to get tenants in until May 23 2009 (yes paying mortgage and rent every week was not fun!). Then last week we received Gas bills stating something like 'The previous occupants have cancelled their account, the gas was not disconnected, now we need to set up your account and bill you for Gas supplied from May - Feb as you have not set up your account with us' I contacted the Gas company and was told that I need to pay the bill as I am the landlord and therefore liable for all charges!
I rang our PM and they said they would bill the tenants if I faxed them the Gas bill, so I did. I don't think the tenents were deliberately not paying a bill, they just hadn't realised they had to set up an account and obviously weren't being billed so were none the wiser. I thought the problem was solved until I received a second gas bill which was for the period after our account was cancelled and then up until the tenancy began (so March-May). I'm assuming the charges ($57.00 or so) was from the water heating up constantly? Am I liable for this charge even though i cancelled our account prior, the meter was read and the final account paid? And also, whose responsibility is it to disconnect a Gas supply when an account is closed, the PM, the Landlord or the Gas company? Now if it was our responsibility as landlords, did they really expect us to drive all the way back there just to turn the Gas off or should the Gas company have sent someone around there. It's Natural Gas supplied by AGL. Can anyone shed some light on this please? If we have to pay, I will pay it, but I really don't think I'm responsible! Any advice would be appreciated!
Regards,
Nicki
