Worried I will end up in prison!

[isitfree]

I bought a house 3 years ago and did not receive an electric bill so after 5 months I got in touch with the company the previous owners said they had, turned out no electric company had ever had anyone with an account at my address. It is a private new build and has never been registered as receiving an electric supply. I then found out the council did not know the house existed and no council tax had been paid in the previous 10 years that the original owners had it!
I have managed to register with the council now and the person who rates the properties came out to value it for council tax. HOWEVER I can not get any electricity company to register us for an account.
The electric is coming from somewhere but no bill has been paid for 13 years!!! I even phoned the national grid and was told "oh dear, the previous owners have really dropped you in it" What the hell do I do?

Also, if the company do realise, as well as only paying back a year, the bill MUST be for the cheapest tariff(s) for that time. They can't just bill you at the standard rate, even though that's easiest for them.

Your electricity is coming from the power grid, no one in particular is supplying you, when you switch from eon to npower you don't start getting different electric to your house. They just pay for your electricity and you pay them. So you're just cadging free power off the grid.

You've done enough chasing to show any court you've made reasonable attempts to pay. Just enjoy the free electricity.

@Meadowbreeze

We had this, albeit in a rental and with gas and electric. Called everywhere, I was worried sick. Middle of London and no one knew. We got a friend out who was a gas engineer to come and check that it's not been tampered with as I didn't want to burn down but it was all fine. Meter running etc and all good. None of the neighbours had large bills, nothing. I ended up writing a letter to all the companies that could possibly exist as well as the national grid and British gas, saying this is what I have done, it is now in your hands. I'm giving you 90 days notice and from then on I take no responsibility for the cost. It never ever got sorted. We lived there for 5 years and never paid a penny aside from water and council tax. I'd say enjoy it, especially with what's coming this spring in terms of prices.

Ah thank you x

@slashlover

Also, if the company do realise, as well as only paying back a year, the bill MUST be for the cheapest tariff(s) for that time. They can't just bill you at the standard rate, even though that's easiest for them.

Thank you x

@Getyourjinglebellsinarow

Your electricity is coming from the power grid, no one in particular is supplying you, when you switch from eon to npower you don't start getting different electric to your house. They just pay for your electricity and you pay them. So you're just cadging free power off the grid.

You've done enough chasing to show any court you've made reasonable attempts to pay. Just enjoy the free electricity.

thank you x

This happened to us and like you we phoned all the companies and the National Grid to try to find who was supplying us. Eventually we phoned British Gas and explained the situation and they issued a new meter number and took over the supply. - It happens from time to time apparently with single new builds, or in our case where there had been some major refurbishment and maybe the supply had been off for a while - can't quite remember. It certainly was not an unknown situation for them. There was some expression they use, (maybe an orphan meter?) Anyway we only had to pay from that point onwards. It is a horrible feeling though, I certainly couldn't relax and enjoy the free electricity!

They cant back date a bill more than 12 months. See link to ofgem. I have had it on a conversion of an office to 3 dwellings. You can't get anyone to take it on without an MPAN number for electric and MPRN number for gas. It can be frustrating.

www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/check-energy-back-billing-rules

Given I work for the electricity industry, I have come across this situation before. My advice is simple. Call your local electricity distribution company. Asked to speak to their connections section explain the situation and apply for a supply. They will probably do a desk top quote which may be a lot bigger than you expected. Pay the quote, they will then assign someone to do the work, explain the situation and If your supply cable is up to specification then they will simply give you a meter point access number( mpan) and you can then appoint a supplier. If the cable is up to spec then you will be refunded the difference. If the cable isn’t up to spec they will fit a new one as per the quote and your sorted.

I agree with contacting your DNO.

Have you identified them yet?

They own the distribution network of cables delivering electricity to your house, but they are not the "retailer" that is (should be) an electricity supply company who sends (should send) you bills.

However

Don't phone them.

The "customer service centre" is pretty sure to be a call centre of low-paid people with a script.

Instead, write a short letter, with your full address and postcode and, if you can see it, photographs of the serial number of your electricity meter and any tags or labels nearby.

Say that you recently moved in and do not know the supplier or the Meterpoint. It's not your fault that you don't know; but if the DNO doesn't know, it is their fault and it is their problem.

A letter has quite a fair chance of being logged and passed along until it reaches somebody who knows what to do.

Don't tell them your phone number or your email address, because you want a written reply. Request this. Keep the letter very short. Don't go on about how long it's taken or how nobody has helped.

Now that your have identified your DNO and sent them a letter, you can, if necessary, write to OFGEM if the DNO doesn't reply in reasonable time or, having replied, does not deal with the problem.

Send every company and the national grid an email explaining the situation. That way you can show you've tried your best if it ever comes up in the future. And maybe put some money to one side in case an enormous bill ever appears. Then stop worrying about it.

@travellinglighter

Given I work for the electricity industry, I have come across this situation before. My advice is simple. Call your local electricity distribution company. Asked to speak to their connections section explain the situation and apply for a supply. They will probably do a desk top quote which may be a lot bigger than you expected. Pay the quote, they will then assign someone to do the work, explain the situation and If your supply cable is up to specification then they will simply give you a meter point access number( mpan) and you can then appoint a supplier. If the cable is up to spec then you will be refunded the difference. If the cable isn’t up to spec they will fit a new one as per the quote and your sorted.

thank you

I have a friend in a similar position. She has a new build flat and it seems the address has never been registered even though the other flats in her building were registered. No bills have ever been received and the network operator has no record of her address. She has been worried sick so I will show her this thread.

@HundredMilesAnHour

I have a friend in a similar position. She has a new build flat and it seems the address has never been registered even though the other flats in her building were registered. No bills have ever been received and the network operator has no record of her address. She has been worried sick so I will show her this thread.

Oh please do. I was so worried but now I realise its not my fault, I have done all I can and I can only be charged for 12 months.

This happened to me years ago in a privately-rented student house. We gave up eventually and didn't pay a bill for the 2 or 3 years we lived there.

@toomanypasswords

This happened to me years ago in a privately-rented student house. We gave up eventually and didn't pay a bill for the 2 or 3 years we lived there.

God its more common than I imagined. I thought I was the only one x

@Incywinceyspider

Send every company and the national grid an email explaining the situation. That way you can show you've tried your best if it ever comes up in the future. And maybe put some money to one side in case an enormous bill ever appears. Then stop worrying about it.

it is nothing to do with the National Grid.

It is the problem of the DNO.

Nice problem to have if you ask me! Especially now the rates have gone up

@travellinglighter

Given I work for the electricity industry, I have come across this situation before. My advice is simple. Call your local electricity distribution company. Asked to speak to their connections section explain the situation and apply for a supply. They will probably do a desk top quote which may be a lot bigger than you expected. Pay the quote, they will then assign someone to do the work, explain the situation and If your supply cable is up to specification then they will simply give you a meter point access number( mpan) and you can then appoint a supplier. If the cable is up to spec then you will be refunded the difference. If the cable isn’t up to spec they will fit a new one as per the quote and your sorted.

Mine insists we still don't exist. As I rent, I wouldn't be up for paying for a supply, either. I've read them the numbers on the meter, sent them photos and they're determined that the house is a figment of our imagination. I gave up after five years.

The backdated bill thing is going to be very useful for me when somebody finally gets their head around the fact that there's been a house here for 12 years.

I want to thank everyone for such BRILLIANT advice and information. You have all taken away my worry. Thank you. I am going to bed now with electric blanket on as I can afford it.

@isitfree

I want to thank everyone for such BRILLIANT advice and information. You have all taken away my worry. Thank you. I am going to bed now with electric blanket on as I can afford it.

😂😂😂

Sounds like they had it rigged.

Keep all your letters so you have evidence and maybe send an email to the energy ombudsman. At least you can say you have done all you can then. X

If it's a self built house surely the council would have had some record of it when the people got the planning permission to build the house?

It's odd that no company will let you set up an electric account.

@Anordinarymum

Open an account just for the electric and pay what you think you owe into it. Wait for something to happen and then pay the bill. You will not be charged for power someone else used.

Yes - I was going to suggest the same. Put money by for when (if) a bill arrives, because it may be a big one.

We had a situation where we lived in a property that was used as commercial premises before being converted to a house. The electricity supply was a commercial one (really high charges) and we couldn't swap to a residential supplier because we didn't exist on the national grid as a residential home. Took about a year and the involvement of Ofgem to sort it.