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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

Posting for traffic: lodger problems

22 replies

Gide · 31/01/2018 19:14

A colleague received a letter from an energy company today telling him he has to pay a bill of over £500. He was a lodger in a property and paid the tenant mostly in cash. I know, silly, he has no proof of living there, bills were in tenant’s name and she has passed on his name/new address saying he lived there. At no time was he asked to pay bills. He has no proof of anything, having swapped phones

I’ve told him to ring Shelter and go to Citizens Advice.

OP posts:

Original poster

Gide · 31/01/2018 19:19

Oops, iPad stopped responding! He’s spoken to the company who advised the same as me. Is there anything he should do? Bless him, he’s panicking! He’s given the tenant’s name to the company so they can write to her. He has no idea whose name is on bills.

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PlateOfBiscuits · 31/01/2018 19:21

What was the agreement when he moved in. Did he not think it was strange that he didn’t have to pay bills? (I have no idea about having or being a lodger though so don’t know if this is normal!)

he has no proof of living there
Does she have proof?

Madonnasmum · 31/01/2018 19:22

Who's name was the bill in? They are the ones who signed the contract with the energy firm, and only they can be chased for the money.

BulletFox · 31/01/2018 19:22

Sooo...she was subletting without telling the landlord?

Tinkhasflown · 31/01/2018 19:24

Bills were not in his name so why are energy company sending them to him, based on the word of the actual person named on the bill? Is that not very odd?

TellsEveryoneRealFacts · 31/01/2018 19:27

I know, silly, he has no proof of living there, bills were in tenant’s name and she has passed on his name/new address saying he lived there.

Why is it silly that he has no proof of living there, surely that is a good thing?

gamerchick · 31/01/2018 19:29

If she doesn’t have proof then she’s in a hiding to nothing. The bills in her name.

mummmy2017 · 31/01/2018 19:32

They can ONLY go after the person who set up the bill.
Tell him to just tell them her name and where she works.

As he owes her no loyalty, as he paid what she asked for him to live there.

PotatoesOfTheCarribean · 31/01/2018 19:39

This happened to me. All the bills were in another tenants name but she didn't pay them so they came after me. My name was on nothing and they were just trying it on to get their money. It wasn't my responsibility at all, but they didn't stop them tracking me down and sending me a letter.

Told them where to go, politely, and I didn't hear any more about it

Urubu · 31/01/2018 19:46

If he has no proof of living there can't he just deny. And ask the electricity company why they accepted him as a customer without his knowledge? I mean, could I designate a random person to pay the bill for a property I own/rent and my liability stops there??

Hissy · 31/01/2018 19:49

He does not have a contract with the electric company, the electoral roll will prove her as living there, so they electric company won’t be able to claim a bean from him.

Hissy · 31/01/2018 19:53

Ahh urubu... one of my favourite words

Original poster

Gide · 31/01/2018 22:24

Sorry, had to go do some work, must get a new job this one is not good for my health!

The letter he received says he has a connection to the property, eg may own it or be a tenant. I do think the company is trying it on, but possibly the tenant has told them that he was the person responsible for bills. She has obviously told the company this, thinking about it, because they wrote to him at his new address. What a bitch!

I’m not sure she’ll be on the electoral roll, she’s not from here. He’s already phoned the company and said he has no proof of his living there, in fact the girl he spoke to says that’s great for his sake! He’s panicking, it’s a lot of money and they tracked him down to his current address.

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GladAllOver · 31/01/2018 22:54

It doesn't matter what she told the company. If he didn't sign the contract with them he's not liable. Simples.

UpstartCrow · 31/01/2018 22:56

Where was he on the electoral register at that time?

Original poster

Gide · 31/01/2018 22:58

It doesn't matter what she told the company. If he didn't sign the contract with them he's not liable. Simples.

Dunno. I didn’t sign a contract with energy companies when I bought a house, but I phoned and so on. I guess you could phone and pretend to be anyone you liked. When I got tenants in, I phoned and transferred the bills to their names, so I know it can be done. I’m just upset for the lad, the tenant obviously gave the company his new address and told them he was in charge of bills. So nasty!

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Original poster

Gide · 31/01/2018 22:59

Where was he on the electoral register at that time?

Don’t know, I’ll ask tomorrow.

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pinkdelight · 31/01/2018 23:00

This is nuts. You friend doesn't need proof of anything. She can't tell companies to go after some random whose name is on nothing. They're her bills. She has to pay.

BunsOfAnarchy · 31/01/2018 23:12

If I was him I'd say I'd never lived there. Because in essence, on paper, he never has!

WatchingFromTheWings · 01/02/2018 00:03

What @pinkdelight says. Tell your friend to tell them (the utility company) to bog off!

Urubu · 01/02/2018 08:33

@Hissy

Original poster

Gide · 03/02/2018 10:05

Little update. Colleague was on the electoral role there so he could vote in the last election. He paid one month plus deposit on card, subsequent months in cash.

He went to Citizens Advice Bureau who told him to phone the loan recovery company to say he wasn’t responsible for bills and to take his name off the records. He did, they have but said if they get no joy finding the tenant, they’ll come back to him.

The tenant, in whose name all bills arrived, moved out at the same time as him and he helped her move stuff, so knows the new address (ish). He went there yesterday but it’s behind a big metal gate. He’s taken a photo. He then went to the old flat, spoke to the new tenant and got the landlord’s number and messaged him saying that he’s had a loan recovery letter and telling him that the tenant had bills in her name and was responsible for them.

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