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December 3, 2024
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Charged a whole year supply for old address almost 2 years after I moved out

  • December 3, 2024
  • 32 replies
  • 1460 views

Hi everyone. I was with SSE at my old address, moved into my partner's March 2022 and we moved to a bigger house together in August 2022.

New Tenants moved straight into my old house August 2022, I gave final meter readings over the phone as I've always done when I moved and thought nothing else of it.

Then in February 2024 around (18) months after I moved out, OVO said I owed £1800 July 2022- March 2023, I sent them loads of evidence to show I wasn't living there at that time by showing full tenancy agreement at new address, estate agents confirming I was, driving licence at new address, Council tax letter, HMRC and doctors letters at new address, also Octopus confirming I was with them at that time at new address and proving someone else was living their at that time, yet OVO said none of this is proof and continued with debt collection LCS and Solicitor, my question is, is it normal that OVO do not accept any of the above as proof of address?

Best answer by Nukecad

Updated on 22/07/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:

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Just to note that having a Tenancy at one property doesn't automatically mean you are not liable for the bills at another property.

For example, a person could have/rent 2 properties and then sub-let one as 'all inclusive' of bills.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that you have been doing that, it's just one example.*

Somebody obviously believes that you are still liable for the bill at the old property for some reason, otherwise there would be no point in them taking you to court.
You don’t start a court action unless you are pretty sure (rightly or wrongly) that you are going to be sucessful.

We don't know what that reason may be

However they'll now have to convince the court that whatever they think makes you liable to pay the bill then that reason is correct in law.

 

*One slightly concerning thought/possibility does come to mind here, you say:

.... I gave final meter readings over the phone as I've always done when I moved and thought nothing else of it.

However you don't mention getting a final bill after you moved out and new tenants moved in.
You don’t mention getting any confirmation that the account had been closed.

Is it possible that the account in your name was never closed properly?, and that the new tenants never registered new utility accounts there? So the account remained still active in your name until March 2023? Maybe when those tenants left and someone else moved in and registered new utility accounts?
(Such things can and do happen in rental properties).

If that is what happened then that's an administrative error, either made by you for not closing your account properly, or made by the supplier not closing it after you told them to do so.

In which case the court would need to decide who’s error it was, and if in fact you were still liable even though you were no longer living there.

Please do let us know how you get on.

32 replies

Steve107Author
Rank 2
December 4, 2024

@Nukecad Yes, I see what you mean, I can see this could happen, but I can't imagine what they have to suspect I was still living there as even the Council confirmed I moved out and I have very good evidence someone else moved in, also it would be of no benefit to let out a house I'd still be liable for rent, it would be in one hand and straight out the other the landlord.

I also showed OVO I'm a single parent on benefits working part time on living wage, as we know it's hard enough to afford one rental property, for these reasons I feel OVO have completely got it wrong on this occasion.

Steve107Author
Rank 2
December 4, 2024

@Nukecad Sorry, regarding other post, I didn't explain fully there, I meant the case is set-side (stayed) pending my application at hearing, should I lose, then the judgement will be set back on me.

Nukecad
Super User
Super User
December 4, 2024

‘Stayed’ is not ‘set-aside’ they have different meanings.
The first is a pause, the second is a dismissal.

Using incorrect legal terms like that is likely to end badly.

Have you got a lawyer?

I said, Hey - Watts going on.
Steve107Author
Rank 2
December 4, 2024

@Nukecad  I have mentioned in this thread what I have tried prior to court action by OVO, I have not been to court as I didn't know until I found a CCJ on my credit file. What I was referencing to was to set- aside proceedings until I attend court to put in my defence.

Nukecad
Super User
Super User
December 4, 2024

One last try to clarify the actual position here:

Are you now saying that a CCJ against you has already been granted by a court?

Are you saying that what is happening here is that you are trying to have an existing, already granted, CCJ set-aside.
Or
Are you saying that an existing, already granted, CCJ has already been set-aside and you are waiting for the original case to be heard again?

If/when a CCJ is ‘set-aside’ then that isn’t a new judgement in itself.

Set-aside simply means that the process leading to that original judgement may have been legally unsound. (eg if you hadn’t been given a chance to make a defence that could be an unsound process).
Set-aside means that the original case has to be heard over again, and a new judgement arived at.

I said, Hey - Watts going on.
Steve107Author
Rank 2
December 7, 2024

@Nukecad Thank you. I completely misunderstood the whole process and haven't explained we'll at all in here and Apollogies for this. I'll put in order of what's happened. The CCJ was entered as I lost by default, so I applied using the n244 form to ask for the order to be set aside, I waited around 4 weeks for a response, but didn't hear back so call the national business centre who made the order, but was told I would have to apply the n244 form again to my local court as a Writ of control had been issued and had to ask for a stay and set aside, I went to court yesterday, OVO didn't show up, the judge said immediately that he was setting the order aside, and he mentioned my evidence is favourable, but I far as I understand from what the judge said, it isn't cancelled but reset to the beginning of the claim, my understanding now is I have to show my defence to OVO and the original court to see if I can have the order cancelled.

Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
December 7, 2024

That is progress, but you are now at a critical stage. We strongly recommend you seek legal advice at this point - you’ll need it if you want to get the best possible chance of sorting this out.

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Nukecad
Super User
Super User
December 8, 2024

@Steve107 no great problem, it was just getting confusing from what you were saying at first.

So the original CCJ has now been Set aside, that’s a good start.
(“Stayed” means that any and all enforcement action of the original CCJ has been stopped, so if you do get a letter asking you to pay it you just tell them that it has been set aside).

That doesn’t mean that the whole matter is cancelled though.

Your understanding is correct and the case now has to be reheard from the start - but this time you will get a chance to mount a defence.

See: https://nationaldebtline.org/get-information/guides/setting-aside-a-ccj-ew/

If the judgment is set aside by the court, this means that the proceedings go back to the claim stage and any enforcement action is also cancelled. You have a new opportunity to fill in the reply to the claim form, make an offer of payment or put in any defence or counterclaim.

Having a judgment set aside does not wipe out the proceedings altogether, but the details will be removed from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines until a new judgment is made.

Whilst the judge who granted the set aside did say that your evidence looks favourable to him/her it is not likely to be him/her who rehears your case, so you can only take what he said as an informed opinion.

As with anything involving a court hearing it is wise to get proper legal advice about how best to present your defence to the court.

Good luck for the new hearing.

I said, Hey - Watts going on.
Steve107Author
Rank 2
December 8, 2024

@Nukecad Great advice thanks, I've confused myself too 🙃 I will seek at least legal advice in the future.

Emmanuelle_OVO
Retired Moderator
Retired Moderator
December 9, 2024

I’m so sorry to hear this ​@Steve107. It sounds like a very stressful situation. This isn’t my area of expertise & has gone further than customer support. 

I really hope this gets resolved for you. It sounds like you have sufficient evidence to show you don’t owe this money. 

Please keep us posted with how you get on. 

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