# Tenants' ESB bills



## Hillsalt (3 Sep 2008)

Is there an alternative way to sort out ESB bill with tenants? 

I give tenants two options when they move into a property:

*1.* They can leave bills in my name but I will withold €300 of their deposit upon departure until a final reading is done and the bill is paid. I then forward a cheque to cover the reminder to a nominated person.

*2.* The tenants can put ESB in their own name but this often doesn't work if there are a bunch of students etc

Is there a new method-  not disimilar to the good old fashioned meters - available whereby tenants can buy "credit" in a newsagent with ESB credit (similar to that for pay-as-you-go mobile phones)?  They can then top up their meters every few days. It sounds like a perfect solution to an age old problem. 

I overheard someone talking about this. Perhaps they were talking about paying bills in a foreign country.

Thanks in advance.


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## z106 (4 Sep 2008)

WHat you shoudl do is put the bill in the tenanst name straight away and let them sort it out for themselves if there are many tenants there.

Once your name is on the bill you are not liable for any unpaid debts to the esb.

Let the esb deal with the problem if it's not paid.

Although the esb bill is from your property, the onus is on the person whose name is on the bill.

You're mad to be even suggesting the notion of leaving your name on the bill
You must be one of the very few landlords in teh country doing that.
I am suspecting you didn't realise that you are not liable for teh bill once your name is not on it?

Because if you are aware of that then wHat's the advantage in that method for you?

My advice : Keep your name off the bill forever more !!
That's a far more perfect solution from your viewpoint than dealing with meters.


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## rabbit (4 Sep 2008)

if ithe tenants run up a bill, leave + the elec gets dosconnected, you have to pay a re-connection fee though...about 95 or 100 euro from memory


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## S.L.F (5 Sep 2008)

Hillsalt said:


> Is there an alternative way to sort out ESB bill with tenants?
> 
> I give tenants two options when they move into a property:
> 
> ...



You could keep it in your name and call every few months and get the readings then charge them the amount due then you could put the bills against your tax.

I'm not sure about the moral, legal or tax implications of this.

There are people on this forum who know far more about this then I do


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## bond-007 (5 Sep 2008)

Would the ESB reconnect a flat that was disconnected due to non payment in those circumstances?


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## Towger (5 Sep 2008)

qwertyuiop said:


> You're mad to be even suggesting the notion of leaving your name on the bill


 
We do this and have no problems, far less than the handful who have their own bills. It is all about hands on management, knock on door, present bill, get money for bill, pay bill. You know where you stand at all times. Not something your neo landlord is prepared to do.


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## Bronte (5 Sep 2008)

What is a neo landlord?


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## S.L.F (5 Sep 2008)

Bronte said:


> What is a *neo* landlord?



One who's name is Thomas Anderson.


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## z106 (5 Sep 2008)

Towger said:


> We do this and have no problems, far less than the handful who have their own bills. It is all about hands on management, knock on door, present bill, get money for bill, pay bill. You know where you stand at all times. Not something your neo landlord is prepared to do.


 
Ya - but why do you bother ?
What's the advantage of it regardless how easy you say it is?

The bill betwen the tenants and the esb is of no concern of yours once the tenants name is on the bill.
If they don't pay their bill, then the esb come after the tenants - not you.

So why go around doing the esbs job for them?
Presumably the esb don't do your job for you?

It is a legal contract between the esb and the tenants.

Why do you care less if the bill is paid or not?
It has as much relevance to your life as to whether your next door neigbours esb bill is paid or not.
i.e. no relevance whatsoever.

The only conclusion I can make is that you mistakenly believe that, even though  the bill is in the tenants name,you will still have to pay for the esb bill in the event of the tenant doing a runner.


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## Howitzer (5 Sep 2008)

Well I guess, hypothetically, if you weren't tax compliant having all bills in your own name would be one way of attempting to keep Revenue of your trail. Hypothetically.


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## Eithneangela (5 Sep 2008)

Ongoing costs associated with day-to-day living in rented accommodation should be the responsibility of the tenant(s).  If you're thinking of managing the ESB bill for your tenant(s), why not also the Oil/Gas bill, the TV license, the weekly groceries...?


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## Towger (5 Sep 2008)

Neo is Greek for 'new', just like novus, nova, novum is Latin for 'new'. Did they not teach you that in school.  To be honest I can't remember what the Irish is for new is. After been thought it for 12 years, but by God the Latin was drilled into us...

Many new landlords do not understand (or get a shock) at the level of work involved in properly maintaining a property or what can go wrong. Do they know how to use a sewer rod (at 3 in the morning), change a washer on a tap etc etc.

As the tenants are mainly students or in recent years immigrants (better than students!) they can't easy get the bills in their name, and as the bill is in our name the contract is with us. Therefore everyone is happy and you don't get the ESB turning off the power, and then they do a runner, etc. Do the same who the few that have gas. Dont care about their TV licence, NTL, Phone or internet. The bins are a nuisance, how to you explain the concept of the green bin in Mandarin ?


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## elcato (5 Sep 2008)

> Therefore everyone is happy and you don't get the ESB during off the power if they do a runner. Do the same who the few that have gas. Dont dont care about their TV licence, NTL, Phone or internet.


Uhh ? Is this anglo-latin then ?


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## z106 (5 Sep 2008)

Towger said:


> As the tenants are mainly students or in recent years immigrants (better than students!) they can't easy get the bills in their name


 
Why does this prevent them from getting a bill in their name?


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## bond-007 (5 Sep 2008)

ESB policy.


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## z106 (5 Sep 2008)

You sure about that?

I don't see any mention of it on the esb webpage below.

[broken link removed]

Also see this link

[broken link removed]


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## bond-007 (5 Sep 2008)

Let's just say they make it very awkward. 

I think they want a €300 deposit and DD payment to put an account into a tennants name.


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## z106 (5 Sep 2008)

I think it's €300 OR direct debit.


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## bond-007 (5 Sep 2008)

It was €300 and DD the last time I took over an ESB account. €300 is returned after 12 months good behaviour.


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## clearday (5 Sep 2008)

I would always get the tenant to open up account in their name and follow up with request to see initial confirmation.I recently had a tenant leave who always paid rent pretty much on time,only to find he had not paid a cent to the ESB for the previous 13 months.Amazingly they had never disconnected the supply.


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## z106 (5 Sep 2008)

bond-007 said:


> It was €300 and DD the last time I took over an ESB account. €300 is returned after 12 months good behaviour.


 
You sure that wasn't an error on your part to supply the 2?
See the first link i posted in a previous post above.

It states yoe can avoid the €300 by opening up a DD.


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## Hillsalt (5 Sep 2008)

qwertyuiop said:


> I think it's €300 OR direct debit.



Correct.


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## Hillsalt (5 Sep 2008)

Hillsalt said:


> ...Is there a new method-  not disimilar to the good old fashioned meters - available whereby tenants can buy "credit" in a newsagent with ESB credit (similar to that for pay-as-you-go mobile phones)?  They can then top up their meters every few days. It sounds like a perfect solution to an age old problem. I overheard someone talking about this. Perhaps they were talking about paying bills in a foreign country....



Has anyone got any information on this *ESB credit*?


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## bond-007 (6 Sep 2008)

It is called a budget controller.

Ask the ESB to install one for you.


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## johnjoda (6 Sep 2008)

Hillsalt said:


> Is there an alternative way to sort out ESB bill with tenants?
> 
> I give tenants two options when they move into a property:
> 
> ...


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## johnjoda (6 Sep 2008)

you may wish to consider getting esb to fit pre-payment meter, the tenants simply buy tokens from there local pay point outlet ,ie (credit union) etc. No tokens = no electric


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## bond-007 (6 Sep 2008)

johnjoda said:


> you may wish to consider getting esb to fit pre-payment meter, the tenants simply buy tokens from there local pay point outlet ,ie (credit union) etc. No tokens = no electric


Best solution all round.


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