Renting and bills

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I don't know where else to post this but I hope I can get advice and suggestions from here

I am currently rent but really struggling with bills etc but I make sure rent is paid on-time without delay at all. But not so with utility bills and landlord just sent a new contract in it which state that bills must be paid with 10 days and I am wondering if he's got the right to check if bills are paid with utility companies

I do have arrangements with these companies about payment plans etc

But I wonder if landlords have the rights to check status of bill payments with these companies

Does anyone know. I mean I would not want my landlord knowing my business at all

I wouldn’t worry too much, I think your landlord just doesn’t want to risk people leaving without paying the bills. I’ve been asked to show I’ve paid the last ones when I’ve moved out but you can always say they haven’t arrived yet to try and defer things until you get your deposit back

It's a standard thing on normal contracts. The only way he'd know is if the bills are in his name or he has checked your credit file and the missed payments are logged on there. You need to contact the energy companies for help, maybe even local authority as I know they had funding to help people with low incomes and struggling.

Your landlord will not know, and I don't see that it's any of their business. It isn't a debt you owe to the landlord. If you don't pay, the landlord will not be liable for it. In fact, if I were your landlord, my selfish priority would be that you prioritise paying your rent over your utility bills!!

It would be a different matter if you were looking to move into my property for the first time. In that case, if I knew you had struggled to pay utility bills previously, then I might take it as evidence that your income wasn't sufficient and I would worry that you might also struggle to pay rent to me, so I'd prefer to rent to someone else. But anyway, as long as your unpaid utility bills don't get to the point of affecting your credit history, future landlords won't know either.