Tenant about to leave how to check outstanding bills?

SomeUnusedName

Hi there

I was wondering, what is the right way to check if a tenant has settled all the bills? (bins, electricity, gas) is there a central place? is there a company that does this maybe? The tenant didn't pay his last month (he said to take it out of the deposit, totally not what is in the contract... but at the same time what can I do???) so I want to make sure there is no funny business

Thanks in advance

whippet

SomeUnusedName wrote: »

Hi there

I was wondering, what is the right way to check if a tenant has settled all the bills? (bins, electricity, gas) is there a central place? is there a company that does this maybe? The tenant didn't pay his last month (he said to take it out of the deposit, totally not what is in the contract... but at the same time what can I do???) so I want to make sure there is no funny business

Thanks in advance

Unless the bills are in your name you can't. Anyway if the tenant has the utilities in his name any arrears etc should not be your concern.

On another note .. As you effectively do not have a deposit your options are zero. If I were you I'd be looking to have an inspection (you will need the permission of the tenant) before they move out so you can spot any damage etc.

Should you find any damage i don't think you can actually do anything about it

foggy_lad

Unpaid bills that are in the tenants name are nothing to do with you or anyone else. What you need to do for Gas and Electricity is to take meter readings when the tenant leaves and ring the companies and put the utilities back into your name. you can not be held responsible for any unpaid amounts owed by the tenant regardless of what any customer care agent might tell you.

for the likes of Sky, UPC, Eir, Phone, Broadband etc you just ring them up and cancel the services if there will be a new tenant(Who should get the services in their own name) or you set up a new account in your own name if moving back into the property

If the utilities are in your name then you will be fully responsible for anything left owing.

Michael D Not Higgins

whippet wrote: »

Should you find any damage i don't think you can actually do anything about it

Yes, you can. The landlord can open a dispute with the RTB if the tenant is unwilling to cover the costs of any damage above wear and tear.

whippet

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Yes, you can. The landlord can open a dispute with the RTB if the tenant is unwilling to cover the costs of any damage above wear and tear.

I should have clarified, while there is technically a method to pursue a claim, in reality there is nothing the LL will be able to do without a deposit

SomeUnusedName

that is what I imagined, as far as I am aware all the bills are on the tenants name, but still concerned. Still also wondering if I should hire a management company to do the handover.