Letters from previous energy supplier

[Romantic13]

I bought a flat and from the very first day (the completion date) set the gas and electric with Octopus. I was renting a room before with bills included, so, wasn't with any other energy supplier. The flat was tenanted and their energy supplier was British Gas. They moved out more than a month before the completion date. After a month of living there I received a so called "final bill" from British gas up to the date I actually moved in. It addressed not to me, but to the "occupier". The period they mention the flat was actually empty, but it definitely wasn't mine and I didn't live there. Maybe it included all the previous debts of ex tenants. When I first received this bill (£120) 2 weeks ago, I called British Gas and explained that this bill is nothing to do with me, because I moved in after this period. They told me: "Just ignore it." Today I received another reminder from them to pay the bill addressed to the "occupier". Shall I continue just ignoring it and the future reminders as well? What could be the consequences?

When you say you switched “from the first day” do you mean that on your first day owning the property you started the switch?

Don't ignore it. Send it to the solicitors who acted for you in the flat purchase and ask them to forward it to the sellers solicitors so the sellers can pay their final gas bill

Thank you for the good advice. I have just done that.

I started the switch before I moved in, so by the time I start living there I would be with the new supplier. The time they mention in the bill the flat was empty, the fuse board and boiler switched off. I think it's the debt of the tenant. (it was tenanted.)

Provide them with info that shows you became responsible for the property on x date - completion document or whatever and tell them to stop writing to you.

Energy debt is not like other debt, they will pursue actively if they don't get paid. I wouldn't take their advice to ignore it!

Do you have the contact details of the landlord you bought it from? I know it's their tenants debt, not theirs, but I would make it their problem. I would ring again, confirm the opening date/ meter reading, offer to provide the tr1 form confirming the purchase date if you need to, and give them the previous owners details.

Council tax have told me at work before that they need to be actively pursuing a debt and if they don't have a current address they will use the last known one. I would imagine it's similar for utilities.

Unfortunately, I don't know the contact details of the previous owner. It's kept discreet while the whole process of buying a property. It was done via solicitors, I wrote to mine already, so they pass it to the seller's solicitors. I wrote to the estate agent as well. I called British Gas again and will be writing an e-mail. If it is £20, I would even pay just not to have this headache, but it's £120.

@Romantic13 try typing his name into the companies house website to see if he's in a limited company/ director, and also try googling your address to see whether any old adverts come up- you may find an estate agent used for letting or an old advert with his phone number

And please don't pay it- it's not your debt, they're not trying to pass it on to you, it's just mail sent to the wrong address. You can also find the landlords name/ company name if nothing else on the selling documents, and pass that on to British gas, stating that he either didn't leave a forwarding address, and he can be contacted via xx solicitors, or giving any registered address that comes up during your searches.

Thank you.