# what if esb/heating bill isn't paid by tenants?



## zxcvbnm (18 Mar 2009)

I have a property that is being let out to tenants that are leavng at the end of the month.

Last week i got a call from the heating company (they had my number on their records and mistakenly rang me thinking i was the tenant).

Anyway - over the course of the phone call it transpired that €750 is owed by the tenants.

The contract is signed between the tenants and the heating company.

If the bill is not paid I realise that i am not liable as the contract is not with me.

However - i have this niggling notion in the back of my mind that if tenants do not pay an outstanding bill then the property may be backlisted by the heating company in the future or something like that ?
Is this correct?

Or does this in any way effect the next tenants geting hooked up for the heating/esb?


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## Bessa (18 Mar 2009)

I would imagine that the ESB have taken a hefty deposit from your tenants.


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## Smashbox (19 Mar 2009)

Have you spoken to the tenants?


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## samanthajane (19 Mar 2009)

A house can not be blacklisted. The debt will follow the person who is named on the account. Your next tennents will not have any problems getting electric/heating. Depending on their past they might be required to pay a deposit. I'm surprised they were allowed to run up a bill of €750.


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## Diddles (19 Mar 2009)

The bill remains in the name on the bill(the tenant)
The esb will go after them for the monies owed not you.


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## dovest (19 Mar 2009)

samanthajane said:


> A house can not be blacklisted.
> 
> Tell that to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council !! When my tenants left behin an environmental waste bill of €800, DLRCC said they would no longer
> collect bins from the house until "somebody" paid the bill. This was in spite of the fact that the account was in the tenant's name.


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## samanthajane (19 Mar 2009)

Unless you signed something to the effect of guaranting that the bill would be paid ( which i highly doubt you did ) then you should not of been made to pay that bill. 
The debt should of followed the previous tennents and had no impact on you or any other tennents moving into the house. I would try and get your money back because under no circumstance should you of paid that €800 bill, it was not your bill or your responsibility. And i believe DLRCC could be liable for refusing to collect the bins because of this outstanding balance.


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## sam h (19 Mar 2009)

> Tell that to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council !! When my tenants left behin an environmental waste bill of €800, DLRCC said they would no longer
> collect bins from the house until "somebody" paid the bill. This was in spite of the fact that the account was in the tenant's name.


 
Had a similar problem....Fingal's attitude was that i'd have to persue the previous tenant. They don't have a contract with the person, they base it on each house (though I see you mention an a/c with the tenant, so I fail to see how they can enforce that on you.....but if you need to rent the house, you can't have the new tenant unable to have their rent collected).

So I had to pay all the back charges or else new tenant wouldn't be able to leave out rubbish....TG not as much as €800....though outstanding rent (€2k), damage to property (€3k+), gas bill, skip loads of junk.....the €100 or so for the waste was small fry!!

Dovest (sorry, got carried away with my own rant), you should definately persue your council - either the bill is to the property or the person: I don't believe, legally, it can be both.


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