Many utility companies in 2024 ask for your date of birth and treat your utility bill accounts like a credit agreement and report to credit reference agencies.
Numerous water companies in the UK are very intolerant of late payment and can wreck your credit history for years with defaults/CCJ’s and other issues.
It is very important to manage these supplier relationships. If a bill is in your name or it is in joint names you need to make sure it gets paid.
If you have unpaid bills in the name of an ex-partner it is probably wise to contact the supplier and get the bill put in your name. All you need to say is the person is no longer at the address and you reside at that address. Do not offer the information that you lived at the address during the time of the bill in arrears as they might try and stiff you with the bill.
It could also prove wise to refuse to give you address history and date of birth. They may claim they need it for an application or “data protection” reasons- but as many utility companies have had data breaches, this is your exact excuse to refuse to give it.If the bills are in your name and you need help with debts, please complete the questionnaire below.
Get help sorting out Utility Bills and other financial problems caused by your Ex Partner.
- Reduce constant nagging phone calls and threatening letters
- Manage actions from debt collection agencies
- Professional and confidential help
Relationships break up every day, and in the process, the former couple may not think about things like changing the name on utility bills. If one person remains in the residence the two once shared, but the utility bill is in the name of the other person, problems can arise.
Whether unintentionally or out of spite, a former partner may stop paying the utility bills, leaving the other person literally out in the cold. A utility provider, a debt collection agency, or bailiff will soon come calling to collect the money due.
To prevent this from happening, the person who remains in the home should contact the utility company immediately after a breakup to change the service to his or her name. The other person should contact the provider to have service cancelled so the person who stays can have it activated. If this is not done promptly, bills may accumulate, leading to additional problems.
So Are You Liable?
If the charges were incurred while the couple was still living together, the person who remains in residence might be liable for the back payments. The utility provider is entitled to expect payment from whoever was living in the home.