Electricity
A person is liable to pay an electricity bill if:
•they have signed a contract for the supply of electricity; or
•no one else is liable for the bill or their liability has ended (see below) and they are the owner/occupier of premises which have been supplied with electricity (known as a ‘deemed contract’).
A person is not liable to pay an electricity bill if:
•they have not a made a contract with a supplier; and
•someone else is liable to pay the bill, but their liability has not ended.
A person is no longer liable to pay an electricity bill under an actual or deemed contract if:
•they have terminated any contract in accordance with its terms (but they are still liable if they continue to be supplied with electricity); or
•they cease to be the owner/occupier of the property, starting from the day they leave the property, provided they have given at least two days’ notice of leaving; or
•they did not give notice before leaving the property, on the earliest of:
◦two working days after they gave notice of ceasing to be an owner/occupier; or
◦when someone else becomes owner/occupier of the property and takes a supply of electricity to those premises.
This means that if the fuel supply is in the sole name of the client’s partner who has subsequently left the home, the client is not liable for any arrears up to that date. However, they could be liable for the cost of any fuel supplied after this date, regardless of whether their partner has terminated the contract.
Advise clients to arrange for a final meter reading before leaving the property. If this is not possible, they should, at least, read/photograph the meter themselves to be able to check their final bill.