Have you got an actual reading for the day your partner moved in ? If so then the amount used in total will be the actual reading now less the actual reading when they moved in. You'll then need to make sure that the total usage on the estimated bills is the same as the actuals and check that any apportionments re price rises look reasonable. That will gve you the total amount due for the period of occupation and taking any amounts actually paid off that will reveal the true amount due.

If your partner didn't get the meter read when they moved in and all you've got is an estimate as a starting point then I suspect that is all that can be used so you're stuck with it.

I know it's not strictly your legal responsibility to read the meter when you get an estimated bill but it is the only way to make sure you are being billed for the correct usage. If that means ringing the maintenance company up 10 times until they get so fed up with you that they come and do it then that is what it takes. It's your money and your account that get messed up if the meter readings aren't reported regularly.

Hi,

I'm having trouble knowing what to do. Basically, I've moved into my partners flat and the gas bill has never been paid for 3 years or some odd. I've looked at all the bills and it amounts to somewhere near £3000. However, having looked in depth, they have only ever read our meter once! All the other bills are based on estimates. On the one bill where it says they read our meter, they estimated in december and then read our meter the following year in march and reached a conclusion that we had used £850 worth of gas in 3 months! This is a bit ridiculous...

But, this was the only time they ever read it and as the first part of the bill was an estimate, means that it can't be accurate.
The reason they never read our meter is because nobody can get in the cupboard where the meter is without a key and the maintenance company have the key, meaning no one is getting in there in a hurry!

Where do I stand with this bill? I'm not in a hurry to pay £3000, and I also don't want to pay more than I owe. Surely, there must be some legal case where this has happened before!

Thanks
mj