A few months after posting this message, I was contacted by the council of the previous rented house with a bill for council tax for the past 2 years (since I hadn't lived there). My housemate and I contacted them explaining that we had moved out 2 years ago and once again proved that we had been living somewhere else. They confirmed that we owed them nothing and even got refunded as they realised we had paid too much whilst living there. It seems that since we moved out the landlord/tenants had not paid any council tax or bills, and we were being targetted as the last people paying bills there. We heard no more from the debt collectors and assumed it had all been sorted out......

I have recently been declined for an Argos storecard and was slightly shocked as I have never had problems getting credit before. My ex housemate was recently refused finance for a car and when she investigated was told it was beacuase of debt from this address!

Now I am worried that this mistaken debt has effected my credit-I am currently living with my parents but will be moving out soon, will I have trouble getting gas/electricity/phone/internet etc?

Thanks

mich13l3:

Sorry I don't have an answer, but a very similar issue with British Gas was featured recently on BBC R4 You and Yours.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p007sr5t

You should put what you've said above together with the times and dates of phone conversations in letters to British Gas and Westcot. You can either send by recorded delivery or get proofs of posting (free) at a post office. Keep copies with the posting receipts. It is likely that your letters will be ignored and you will be contacted again but, as long as you have a good record of what you've said and what has happened, you should not be affraid to say "lets go to court if you want" if they keep contacting you.

You should not be pushed into paying because, if you do, there will be another debt that they'll contact you about in a short while.

hi

I recently recieved a letter from westcot debt collection claiming that i owed british gas electricity £424.16. I was shocked as I always pay my bills on time. after contacting them I found out that the debt was for a house I moved out of 2 years ago (the house was rented through a letting agent) and was for the period since i had moved out. i explained that I had moved out in June 2008 and they asked me to send evidence. I did, along with bank statements showing transactions to british Gas until I moved out, proving that i had paid my bills. I then got a letter from Westcot saying that they had closed the accout and given the debt back to British gas.

Then today, I recieved a letter from SRJ debt recoveries for the same debt and threatening litigation proceedings, solicitors fees, court costs etc if i don't pay immediately!!

What should i do? Contact Britsh gas and explain the situation? Write a letter back to SRJ? I am really stressing about it as I don't want to be hounded by debt collectors and will soon be trying to get a mortgage so don't need a bad credit rating.

Please help me.

Thanks