Electric and water: moving to new apartment

Hi Britwife,
Do you have an existing BT Line before contacting Virgin? I am just wondering if Virgin was helping you with the transfer since you already have a BT line rental. In my case, I don't have any line yet since we just moved in.

Yes we already had a BT phone line but I don't think that made any difference because Virgin had to get another BT line for the broadband ... we had to wait 10 days for BT to connect it.

Oh I just read your latest post ... your landlord should pay that BT fee and recover it from the previous tenant or else contact the tenant regarding the cancellation. What a hassle!! This should have been taken care of before you moved in.

It's odd that the previous occupant didn't cancel the service when he moved out; after all, you don't want to carry on paying for a service you are no longer using. 

The £124.99 charge sounds like the standard BT fee for installing a completely new line from scratch (i.e. running a new physical line to a property).

We've gotten into a horrible mess with other companies taking over line rental when the physical line is still actually provided and maintained by BT personnel at a BT-owned telephone exchange and their rules say that they can't change the status of the line without the say-so of the current "owner."   

As you've discovered, it's exactly the same with power, with the DNO and other suppliers saying they're not allowed to change anything until the present "owner" of a property's supply relinquishes control. 

It's odd that the previous occupant didn't cancel the service when he moved out; after all, you don't want to carry on paying for a service you are no longer using. 

Not that odd...probably did a flit.  Hands up to having done that before...back in student days, when they didn't ask for proof of name, and we set up a gas account in a made up name.



Vicky

Hi all,

Bad news. I just called BT for the line rental and they told me that there is an EXISTING LANDLINE service from the previous tenant. Unfortunately, the previous tenant has NEVER cancelled the landline service. To make matter worse, that service was NOT WITH BT.

They said if I want to get a line rental with BT, I either:
1) Call the previous tenant to CANCEL the landline service and after that, call BT again to get the landline. No charge to set this up.

OR ...

2)Have BT do the switch over (cancelled the landline rental from the previous tenant) with a CHARGE of 124.99 (!!!!)

This is just super confusing. How would get a hold of the previous tenant and TELL them to cancel the service?

we're in the same boat. we want BT, but the last people in the house had telewest. so we're going to be hit with a £125 set-up fee sometime in the next two weeks when they come out to create our line. pah.

Not that odd...probably did a flit. 

Yep, that was what I was thinking might have happened.   I meant "odd" for anyone who was wanting to settle up all his old bills etc.   

All,

I just found out that the previous tenant did NOT pay ANYTHING. He/she didn't pay the landline, DSL, utilities, and even did not pay the rent for 9 MONTHS. The previous tenant had to be evicted by the landlord through court order!I now even got a collection letter about not paying TV license.

It also seems that the previous tenant had moved out of the country because the landlord can't track him down. Based on my research, it may take MONTHS for BT and the other utilities company to cancel the existing service and agreed to provide the service because I have to first complaint to OfCom, then they'll investigate, etc to force them to do so.

I am really disappointed and at lost now. I just came to UK 3 weeks ago and I have nothing but problems. First, we had issue with the serviced apartment because they were not wheelchair accessible (for my wife), even though they said so when I reserved the place back in the US in December 2006. I had to complaint to their Managing Director to refund the money. Now I am unable to get landline rental, DSL and possiblyutilities because the previous tenant didn't pay anything, and it can take months before I get anything! The landlord seems to refuse paying the BT new line rental (GBP 124.99).

I have also heard that the way the UK credit (for applying loan, credit card, etc.) works is based on the ADDRESS and it MAY affect my creditjust because I lived in the same address. So now I MAY potentially have a bad credit long before I have even apply for one??

I am seriously thinking I should just go back to the US. All these problems are hitting me and looks like it will last for a long time.

What are my options here?

Don't hold your breath waiting for OfCom.   I guess BT, ISP, whoever else will try to pursue the debts, but I can't see why that should prevent them from setting up new accounts for you.  You might have to rant, rave, and stomp your feet a little, maybe get the landlord to do the same and to provide a letter stating that you are a new tenant and have aboslutely no connection with the previous occupant. 

I moved to my present home almost 11 years ago when I returned from the States, and contacted BT to get a line here.   At first, they tried to insist that I would have to pay a very large deposit, until I explained that I was an existing customer and gave them the old account reference (in fact my mother had been living at my old address and the account there was in my name, so as far as BT was concerned I had just moved houses within the U.K.).  It turned out that the previous occupants who had moved out some months earlier had skipped out leaving large debts behind. 

The U.K. credit system which can penalize you simply because a previous occupant left debts at the same address stinks.

The U.K. credit system which can penalize you simply because a previous occupant left debts at the same address stinks.

And this is my BIGGEST worries: I will have bad credit fromt he START of my life in UK simply because the previous tenants didn't pay any of the bills. I know how having a good credit is important, be it in UK or US not just for getting credit card but even for getting an apartment, bank account and jobs.
So I will be screwed from the beginning of my life in UK...

And this is not to mention the utilities issues... I have been calling left and right since the last 2 days and my T-Mobile PAYG already costing me more than GBP 60!

there is a way to put a note on yoru UK credit report... distancing yourself from this address.  i've heard of this, but never had to do it myself.  someone must know how to do this.

there is a way to put a note on yoru UK credit report... distancing yourself from this address.  i've heard of this, but never had to do it myself.  someone must know how to do this.

I think this is the similar to the "consumer remark" section in the US credit report, but it doesn't do anything. As long as there is "bad credit" mark in the credit report, it still bad.

I am trying to call the Legal Service (a service provided by my bank) and see what's my options. If I am going to have bad credit in the next 7 years (just like in the US) and cannot get utilities WHATSOEVER for the next 9 months just because of someone else problem, then what's the point on living here? Sorry if this sounds harsh, but this whole situation on how UK operate their credit and billing systems can really turn someone life upside down for years to come and I don't want that, especially if this is not my fault at all.

I am trying to call the Legal Service (a service provided by my bank) and see what's my options

Try visiting your local Citizens' Advice Bureau too.  They should have all the current contact details for the industry regulators and might be able to point you in the right direction.

Edit:  Just noticed that Jules pointed you toward the CAB in your warning thread.

Hi Lanwarrior again! & others on this post ..

Related to the other post of course, whilst I'm not 100% sure, nor talk or have contact with the credit scoring companies etc, but I think things have moved on since just 'blacklisting' an address becuase of previous idiots who've defaulted.

Call up the places , equifax, experian etc etc and see what they say, talk to the CAB but like others have said, it can be a little time consuming ..

I'm almost sure I spoke to someone who knew stuff like this and said that they know about rental properties.

sorry i cant be more specific but can only suggest calling them to ask how they work

DtM! West London & Slough UK!