:( Yet another big huge money problem

Hey everyone,

I know I'm always ranting about my problems on here but with this one I really need some advice. I've just received a 1000 pound gas bill and the units are correct. So British gas did not make a mistake, but I think what's happening is the gas in our flat is somehow connected to the communal washing machine (which is almost always being used). We noticed that if we take a shower at the same time as the washing machine is on, the shower water gets cold (does that mean anything?). If we have to pay this bill, we will not have enough money to last us until our next loan/grant disbursements. Well actually just mine because my husband finishes uni soon so he'll be looking for a job.

I'm panicking like crazy right now because once the money runs out I don't know where to turn. I live in a one bedroom flat so I can't imagine that it's possible for us to use so many units in just 4 months.

So what can I do you guys? Can I get someone in to see if the machine is connected and possibly sue if it is? I find it suspicious that one time I told my landlord that we'll be going to the in-laws for a week, he told me to turn off the boiler.

Maybe this is all just me being crazy and I really do use crazy amounts. I find myself always being cold though and rarely ever turning the heating on.

Sorry for the rant, it's just that I've been crying for like a day now and I really wanted to talk to someone about this.

My first thought would to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau and British Gas and explain these two issues. Other places for advice and how to contact CAB are here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/campaigns/RealHelpNow/DG_172836

It seems that there are two issues to clarify:

1. issues with the flat itself and how the utilities are connected / interconnected and understanding who is responsible to pay

2. how to pay this gas bill at a reasonable pace, financially

British Gas guide on what to do if you cannot pay your bill:
http://www.britishgas.co.uk/pdf/Ways%20to%20pay.pdf

Information about debt:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/PlanYourWayOutOfDebt/DG_10013266

And problems renting:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/RentingAHome/DG_4001369


I'd also keep a written log of everything. Let us know how you get on.

Hi GibbyGab,

How long is the bill for?

Also, don't worry about paying for the £1000 in one chunk, there's lots of things British gas can do to help, including installing a meter where you PAYG Gas, and a chunk of the money you put in goes towards paying off the £1000. They could also work out an instalment plan with you.

Hey everyone,

I know I'm always ranting about my problems on here but with this one I really need some advice. I've just received a 1000 pound gas bill and the units are correct. So British gas did not make a mistake, but I think what's happening is the gas in our flat is somehow connected to the communal washing machine (which is almost always being used). We noticed that if we take a shower at the same time as the washing machine is on, the shower water gets cold (does that mean anything?). If we have to pay this bill, we will not have enough money to last us until our next loan/grant disbursements. Well actually just mine because my husband finishes uni soon so he'll be looking for a job.

Your bill definitely seems high - our bill for the last quarter in a 1 bed flat in London was just over £200.

It's unlikely the washing machine would make a significant difference unless you were using it constantly.   If you are in a communal building, how does your heating work?  Perhaps you are heating someone else's flat?

Another option is to have British Gas check your meter is working correctly - if they find a fault they should fix it free of charge

Another thing you can do, is to turn off all your gas appliances by the wall or the off switch.  This means boiler, cooker, gas fire ... anything you have.  Then watch the dial on the meter.  If it's moving, then gas is being used somewhere.

Additionally, when was the last time you had a Landlord's gas safety check done on your appliances and pipework.  You could have a leak somewhere, but I doubt it.  £1000 per quarter for a 1 bed flat is dreadful.

When you moved in, were you carrying someone else's account?  For instance, do you have someone else's debt on your account?

I have no idea if gas prices in England are the same everywhere.  But I can say that we keep our heat pretty high (23C) and it's on quite often.  We also have 3 people taking a lot of baths (we like to fill the water up REALLY high) and then cooking 3 meals a day.  Our gas bill for the last 3 months was £275.  I know a lot of that has to do with the size of the house you are heating and exactly what kind of heat you have (we have central heating and we live in a brand new house with great insulation so our energy efficiency ratings are excellent).  £1000 just seems insane.  Have you had a gas bill at that flat before or was this the first bill?  Also, along the lines of what Mrs C said...did you have a meter reading when you first moved in so you would only be responsible for paying the bill after that date?

Hey guys thanks for your wonderful responses. Basically we've been paying the gas bill every quarter. We switched over from N power, so it's been the meter reading from the start that I gave them. So no debt being carried forward (although landlord said that the last tenant never paid their bill and they lived here for 2 yrs).

The washing machine used to be on all the time, everyday for several hours. Until like a month ago (it's broken, people don't use it much anymore). so that's what I thought could have been the problem. If it is rigged, can I sue the landlord? Since it's not honest and no where in my contract does it state that I'm responsible for paying for everyone's use of the machine?

BUAS, this house is 1000000 years old and there are cracks everywhere so I guess we're not energy efficient but I still think 1000 bucks is too much.

By the way, we've lived here for about 11 months. In the summer time when I didn't turn the heater on at all we paid like 200+ for 2 or 3 months (at this point we switched so I think it was a 2 month bill).

Thanks for responding everyone I really really appreciate all your input

Hey guys thanks for your wonderful responses. Basically we've been paying the gas bill every quarter. We switched over from N power, so it's been the meter reading from the start that I gave them. So no debt being carried forward (although landlord said that the last tenant never paid their bill and they lived here for 2 yrs).

The washing machine used to be on all the time, everyday for several hours. Until like a month ago (it's broken, people don't use it much anymore). so that's what I thought could have been the problem. If it is rigged, can I sue the landlord? Since it's not honest and no where in my contract does it state that I'm responsible for paying for everyone's use of the machine?

BUAS, this house is 1000000 years old and there are cracks everywhere so I guess we're not energy efficient but I still think 1000 bucks is too much.

By the way, we've lived here for about 11 months. In the summer time when I didn't turn the heater on at all we paid like 200+ for 2 or 3 months (at this point we switched so I think it was a 2 month bill).

Thanks for responding everyone I really really appreciate all your input

I definitely think that is a rip-off. Here in London, for a three bedroom flat, in the winter, we only paid 150-200 for that quarter. For you to pay that much in the summer is outrageous to me.

I definitely think that is a rip-off. Here in London, for a three bedroom flat, in the winter, we only paid 150-200 for that quarter. For you to pay that much in the summer is outrageous to me.

We're in a 3br in London, too -- and ours was about 325 for the winter quarter.  We've got a crazy amount of space, I'm home a lot during the day and keep it at 22ish and we are on the lower ground floor.  To pay 3x that for a 1br when you say you barely turn the heat on seems completely nuts to me. 

I'd definitely do what Mrs C said -- shut everything down and watch the meter.

Ugh!  That really stinks!

Wow, I've been near tears over our £300 bill over this timeframe, and we're in a three bedroom house.  I definitely think you need to check to see if you're only paying for your gas.  Let us know what you find out.  I'm really curious.

Hey everyone,

So we did a little investigation and found that the washer does have two pipes leading from it to our flat. One for cold and one for hot water(I think). Then we used it and compared the meter readings. It's definitely using our boiler to heat the water! We're getting someone from British gas to check it out and give us something in witting in case I need to take this to court.

Our stupid landlord came around today to complain to us about how the house looks scruffy and that he's showing other flats to people and they get scared away because of how the house looks and because my dog barks. I finally stood up to him and said that the house is scruffy because he never fixes any damages. Then I confronted him about the gas bill. He agreed it was too high but of course blamed it on the gas company for over charging me.

This bill couldn't have come at a worse time. We're flat broke and DH is forced to sell a bunch of our stuff on ebay for less than 1/2 of what we originally paid for it.

If I were you, I'd still check and see if there could be other things besides the washing machine hooked up to your flat.  That number seems super high for a flat--even one using a washing machine all the time.  We run laundry every day because of a messy eating baby and cloth nappies and our bill is still nowhere near that. 

I'm wondering if it's possible that other flats may be stealing your power--you already did the check with the meter for the washing machine.  I'd maybe try it during one or two other times when the washing machine isn't going.

Yeah Cadenza, I will do something like that when the guy from the gas company comes. By the way, apparently my floor is registered as one meter according to the email I received from BG. That to me in of itself sounds like everyone's gas is hooked up to our flat.

Is it any wonder the previous tenant wasn't paying his bills?  They can make him out to be a deadbeat, but I suspect he'd been getting shafted and didn't realize he could fight it.

Is it any wonder the previous tenant wasn't paying his bills?  They can make him out to be a deadbeat, but I suspect he'd been getting shafted and didn't realize he could fight it.

I agree especially considering we're all students and generally students are broke.