Bill delay
Question
I moved out of a flat over a year ago and thought I'd paid all the bills up to date. I never heard anything from the estate agents, so I assumed I was right. But two days ago I got a final bill for the electricity. I know the flat was rented after I moved out and I've long since thrown away all the paperwork.
I can only assume that the electricity company got my new address from the estate agents I rented the flat off. Are they allowed to pass my address on and am I liable for the electricity bill?
Answer
Your electric company has the right to ask you to pay for any electricity you used, up until the time you left the flat. They should have made, or asked you to make, a final meter reading before you left the flat. That bill would normally be sent to your new address so it could be paid. So, it is possible you gave them your address when you left the flat so they could send you the final bill for payment. In most cases, outstanding bills remain 'active' for six years after they are first presented so they are able to ask for the money.
Because of this you will need to try to prove when you moved out and you'll be able to do this with the help of the agents. In addition, you can use utility bills from your new address dated close to when you moved out of your previous flat.
If you cannot resolve the issue with the electricity company directly you may want to refer the case to the Energy Ombudsman.
If the estate agent did pass on your information to a company without your permission it is possible that they may have breached Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as implemented by the Human Rights Act 1998. This says that everyone has the right to respect for their private life, family life, home and correspondence. There may also have been a breach of the Data Protection Act and you would be able to check this with the Information Commissioner. If it does come to a situation where you think you may want to take action under human rights law, you may want to consider contacting Liberty to see if they are able to help.
Updated: 27/01/2009
Question answered by CAB
