Contacting EDF

[ban-all-sheds]

What kind of solicitor/surveyor negligence and incompetence is needed for someone to buy a house not knowing that the supply cable has actually been disconnected?

 

[JohnW2]

What kind of solicitor/surveyor negligence and incompetence is needed for someone to buy a house not knowing that the supply cable has actually been disconnected?

What makes you think that the buyer didn't know?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

This makes me think it:

I fear I may have opened a can of worms here. I spoke to someone from the people responsible for the cabling who told me I could expect to pay between £1,500 and £2,500 to have the supply reconnected This is on top of the £2k I'd allready set aside for a rewire. Super

 

[JohnW2]

This makes me think it:

...I could expect to pay between £1,500 and £2,500 to have the supply reconnected This is on top of the £2k I'd allready set aside for a rewire. Super

Maybe, but that merely indicates that the OP didn't realise what reconnection might cost - and I'm not sure that a solicitor/surveyor would necessarily be the right one to blame for him not having found that out.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Lilt]

What kind of solicitor/surveyor negligence and incompetence is needed for someone to buy a house not knowing that the supply cable has actually been disconnected?

I didn't buy the flat. It is owned (80 year lease) by my father who has mental and now also physical health problems, so it falls to me, as his son, to sort out the financial mess he's got himself into. I've already paid off the outstanding council tax and ground rent, which wasn't cheap and foolishly hoped that getting the leccy switched back on would be fairly straightforward. More fool me.

 

[JohnW2]

I didn't buy the flat. It is owned (80 year lease) by my father who has mental and now also physical health problems, so it falls to me, as his son, to sort out the financial mess he's got himself into. I've already paid off the outstanding council tax and ground rent, which wasn't cheap and foolishly hoped that getting the leccy switched back on would be fairly straightforward. More fool me.

I'm sorry to hear that. If you can find the right person to talk to about the circumstances, I would think you might get a pretty sympathetic approach to the charges for reconnecting the supply.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Lilt]

I didn't buy the flat. It is owned (80 year lease) by my father who has mental and now also physical health problems, so it falls to me, as his son, to sort out the financial mess he's got himself into. I've already paid off the outstanding council tax and ground rent, which wasn't cheap and foolishly hoped that getting the leccy switched back on would be fairly straightforward. More fool me.

I'm sorry to hear that. If you can find the right person to talk to about the circumstances, I would think you might get a pretty sympathetic approach to the charges for reconnecting the supply.

Kind Regards, John.

Thanks for replying. I'm slightly pessimistic having already been bounced between EON, EDF, the Electricity Distrisbution Centre and the UK Power Network. All off whom pass the buck to somebody else and give me yet another 0845 number to ring - I'm getting tired of paying 6p a minute to listen to musak

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks for replying. I'm slightly pessimistic having already been bounced between EON, EDF, the Electricity Distrisbution Centre and the UK Power Network. All off whom pass the buck to somebody else and give me yet another 0845 number to ring - I'm getting tired of paying 6p a minute to listen to musak

It might sound like a strange thing to suggest, but is there a social worker and/or Mental Health Team involved in your father's care? If so, it might be worth talking to them, because it's amazing what they can achieve with officialdom sometimes. A close relative of mine is the manager of a Mental Health Team and it seems that she often only has to pick up a phone to get debts waived or repayments 'suspended' etc., and she has certainly at times managed to prevent or delay disconnection of ultility services.

Just a thought.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Lilt]

Not a bad suggestion John, but unfortunately he doesn't give the time of day to anyone who's "gonna F with my head - I'm fine as I am." And because he's an adult, is housed and can feed and look after himself, the NHS/LA can't do a lot.

It's taken me two years to persuade him to give me a key to his flat so I can fix the place up. You can choose your friends but you sure can't choose your family =p

 

[JohnW2]

Not a bad suggestion John, but unfortunately he doesn't give the time of day to anyone who's "gonna F with my head - I'm fine as I am." And because he's an adult, is housed and can feed and look after himself, the NHS/LA can't do a lot. It's taken me two years to persuade him to give me a key to his flat so I can fix the place up. You can choose your friends but you sure can't choose your family =p

Oh dear - you have even more of my sympathies. If it's any consolation at all, an awful lot of other people (include me) have 'been there'. Is he getting no care at all, even from a GP or associated staff? If he is, then it's worth trying to talk to any of them - but it sounds as if you may have insuperable problems. However, if I were you and there were no other options, I'd certainly be trying a very strong sob story on the electricity suppliers - do they not have special departments/people for dealing/helping with 'hardship cases' etc.?

Good luck.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Lilt]

I'll give the sob story a go - you never know. Although I've shot myself in the foot by telling everyone I've spoken to that the property is mine and I'm the bill payer because that was the only way that I could get them to talk to me.

I feel a large scotch and a kip beckoning tonight. I'll approach it fresh in the morning.

Thanks to all who've taken the time to reply.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I didn't buy the flat. It is owned (80 year lease) by my father who has mental and now also physical health problems,

Sorry for thinking that somewhere along the line a solicitor/surveyor/you had an attack of twattishness.

From what you said about the key this must surely be a vacant property - he can't be living there with no electricity?

I've already paid off the outstanding council tax and ground rent, which wasn't cheap and foolishly hoped that getting the leccy switched back on would be fairly straightforward.

As harsh as it sounds, to what end?

Is he going to live there?

Are you?

Will he allow it to be sold?

More fool me.

Don't think like that.

 

[Lilt]

As harsh as it sounds, to what end?

Is he going to live there?

Are you?

Will he allow it to be sold?

Short term plan is to rent it. Having a property sitting empty seeming crazy to me, when it could be paying its own bills. Long term, who knows? But if the place is sorted he at least has the option of moving back in.

 

[JohnW2]

Short term plan is to rent it. Having a property sitting empty seeming crazy to me, when it could be paying its own bills. Long term, who knows? But if the place is sorted he at least has the option of moving back in.

Ah, I misunderstood - I thought you meant that your father wanted to live there (or even might still be there, despite the lack of electricity!). In that case, the sob stories may not work so well - I thought you'd be able to major on "an 80 year-old unwell man being deprived of electricity". Mind you, I suppose it all depends on how honest you plan to be

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How likely is it that a disconnection for non-payment of bills would be done by a physical removal of the supply which would cost thousands to restore?