Estate agent closing utility accounts

[trampoline123]

We're renting and the flat is being sold but we're staying on with the new LL, sale yet to complete.

The other day we had a letter from OVO addressed to my partner but our acc is in my name. We assumed it was junk mail and didn't read it. Since then I have tried to submit a meter reading on the app but don't have the option to which is odd. Today we get a letter from thames water saying account had been closed and I was due a refund. Another letter addressed to partner even though the water acc is also in my name.

I'm assuming the EA has closed our accounts, can't think what else is going on.

Can they do that? Really annoying cos now I have more life admin to sort. I'm really annoyed they've done this and really don't see why they have.

I think I would start by asking them if that's what they've done, and if so why.

They haven't admitted to it, however thames water have an email from OVO asking them to close the account on the request of the letting agent.

Annoyingly, our water account was in credit which was refunded, but means that our monthly DD has gone from £29 p/m to £50 which is bloody annoying!

Can't you just phone the utilities and tell them this was done in error, without the permission of the account holder and to please reinstate everything? I wouldn't waste my energy trying to get people to "admit" to things. Just get on the blower and sort it out.

thames water cant accept an instruction from somebody who is not the account holder or acting under instruction of the account holder.

So I would ignore "who" gave the instruction just focus in it was not you and that they accepted it when they should not have and that you want them to fill their side of the contract.

You think that they should investigate how they made the error but it not your problem and you are not making it your problem.

You may end up having to make a formal complaint and point out that you will be making a complaint about the way they accepted the instruction from a third party who had no authority to act on your account.
Your argumen will be even if you left and were still paying and a new householder was paying too noone except you has a right to end your contract so you expect to keep the same T&C and payment plan.

You have a seprate discussion with your old landlord if the letting agent worked for them during the sale. Go directly to the LL as they "pay and instruct" the LA so its the LL who messed up by allowing the LA to act.

The LL or the LL's representative has misused your personal data to issue an instruction to OVO and you have a financal loss and you expect to be paid for the loss.

It is all sorted out and I've got everything reinstated, it's just annoying and I'm more trying to find out if they are allowed - WE are the account holders, not them.

I spoke to the previous LL when I realised what I thought had happened, and he has no idea why the agent would have done that, he hadn't instructed them to.