If a tenent does a runner without paying utility bills, council tax, water rates etc. Would the landlord have to pay them? i.e. would the gas or electricity companies claim that the landlord is responsible to pay these bills and non payment result in the house being cut off?
In message , Rob Beattie writes
You might on an account electric meter if the account is in the landlord's name which is why I always go for key meters -- Southern Electric supply and install them free of charge. Council tax and water charges, TV license, are a charge on the tenant although in all of my cases, the water charges are included in the head lease and are therefore included in the service charges, which the landlord is responsible for.
There is a quirk in the law which has partly resulted in all those 'No DSS' clauses in properties for rent ads. If the tenant's rent has been a local authority handout and the tenant used fraud to increase his or her benefits, then the landlord is liable to the local authority. Dunno how much because I'd never rent to the little buggers. So the general rule for letting decent properties now is: "No sponging scumbags from the criminal republics of Eastern Europe which a corrupt civil service has allowed to swarm through the channel tunnel like rats along a sewer pipe", but the pink and fluffies like it to be reworded a little.
If the accounts have been transferred over to the tenant, then it is up to the utility companies and the council to chase after the tenant. The house may be cut off, but when a new person moves in, they should get it reconnected pretty quickly.
Correct, but the gas/electricity company will still try to claim anything that they think might get a result for them.
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What is the situation with Council Tax if the tenant does a runner while his tenancy agreement is still in effect on the property?
As I understand it, the "occupier" of the property has the responsibility for Council Tax. I'd be interested to know what happens if the tenant abandons the property during the period of his lease. Does responsibly automatically transfer back to the landlord from the time he walked out?
No. Even if the tenant has done a runner, he remains the "occupier" until such time as the landlord has recovered possession. The tenant must first be lawfully evicted before this can happen, unless he has formally surrendered the right to occupy. Simply vanishing doesn't count as formal surrender. Strange as it might seem, if the tenant should re-appear months later and find someone else in residence (be it the landlord, another tenant, or indeed a new owner), he can sue the landlord for unlawful eviction. Of course the tenant could be counter-sued for payment of rent arrears, but the eviction is likely to be "worth" more.
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