Energy debt

by brownowl Mon Apr 22, 2024 10:57 am

Hi,

I moved into a house I bought 2 years ago. I never signed up to an energy company and received letters to occupier. Eventually I signed up and paid but used a previous name (Let's say John Cooper) I had (which is not on the land registry). Since then I have also continued to receive letters to Occupier saying that Occupier owes £XXXX for XYZ period. I did call them and told them saying, I am John Cooper and I am paying my bills and the occupier for the period XYZ does not live here and I don't know who they are. Since then it was passed to a debt collector, firstly they wrote to Occupier, to which I filled out the details on the back saying that I don't know who they are looking for. Next I received to The Legal Owner.

Are they just fishing? Could they get my real name from the land registry and then assume me liable for the debt? I was thinking that as I have a mailbox on the other side of the country (Lets say 1 Leather Lane, Stockport) registered in another fictional name (Let's say Ted Smith) - so I could contact them and say, the person who lived here before is Ted Smith and he lives at 1 Leather Lane, Stockport. That would direct it away from my house and they will reach a dead end.

Thanks for your help, as always!

by **LionsShare** Mon Apr 22, 2024 12:16 pm

Hello,

Something is not right with your situation?

Why would you not give your 'real name'? even if they collect under a different name of..... they are collecting?

If as you state you have told them & are paying for utils. What's thier problem?

Best probably get on to them & go out of your way to emphasize what you have stated here (in terms of payment). Also remember you are not liable for another's debt

to answer your questions, the following is based on the info you have given.

1. Are they just fishing?
Yes

2. Could they get my real name from the land registry and then assume me liable for the debt?
Yes that's what they do, if they cannot collect, councils do over c'tax

by diverting away from the address eventually it will come back to haunt.

All they want is an implied name to attach an aledged debt onto at your particular address. When they realise they are not getting anywhere mail will come to your address, its not going to go away.

Eventually force entry for pre-pay etc.

by brownowl Mon Apr 22, 2024 2:14 pm

Thanks.

I just never like to give my real name.

They have no proof that I lived in the address during the time in question, other than my name is on the land registry, but that is not proof I lived there. What if genuinely someone else lived in the address at the time and has since moved out. Would they not be liable for the alleged debt?

If their letters do go to another address, I am able to collect them and respond with the letters for debt collectors on the website, they won't be ignored.

by **LionsShare** Mon Apr 22, 2024 2:46 pm

brownowl wrote:They have no proof that I lived in the address during the time in question, other than my name is on the land registry, but that is not proof I lived there. What if genuinely someone else lived in the address at the time and has since moved out. Would they not be liable for the alleged debt?

if some else was there its thier debt not yours so do not respond to..... worrying about other's debt.

brownowl wrote:If their letters do go to another address, I am able to collect them and respond with the letters for debt collectors on the website, they won't be ignored.

IMO only: you can try all sorts but to keep things short you should not worry about other's debt. If you want to try what you have written that's up to you.

Why would you want to collect them if they are at some other address?

by brownowl Mon Apr 22, 2024 8:17 pm

LionsShare wrote:
brownowl wrote:They have no proof that I lived in the address during the time in question, other than my name is on the land registry, but that is not proof I lived there. What if genuinely someone else lived in the address at the time and has since moved out. Would they not be liable for the alleged debt?
if some else was there its thier debt not yours so do not respond to..... worrying about other's debt.

brownowl wrote:If their letters do go to another address, I am able to collect them and respond with the letters for debt collectors on the website, they won't be ignored.
IMO only: you can try all sorts but to keep things short you should not worry about other's debt. If you want to try what you have written that's up to you.

Why would you want to collect them if they are at some other address?

Ok thanks.

At the moment the letter for the energy debt for a previous year is being addressed to Legal Owner at my address. For all they know, someone else could have been a tenant at the address during that time and they could now live at a different address, which is who and where I could divert their attention to before they try attaching my name to the old debt because I was the owner at the time. Therefore, it is someone else's debt, whom they could not prove otherwise. Also, I doubt they would try to gain entry to the address where the energy debt is for, since I can just change 'suppliers,' and the person they would be looking for would be at a different address?

I hope that makes sense.

by **LionsShare** Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:35 pm

Hi,

it might be worth as I said then to emphasize the debt is someone else's, obviuosly do what you can to deflect away from you.

Also its not up to you to provide them with info to prove anything although they may try to get you to show a tennancy agreement?

as you state change 'suppliers' even though they don't supply awt!

good luck

LS

by flyingfish Tue Apr 23, 2024 7:49 am

The supplier can block the the change if they allege a debt outstanding for 28 days. But thy don't always, so worth a try if you see benefit. Make sure you record and maybe photograph meter readings at the changeover time.

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