We’re in the process of selling our house and have just had a most unusual request from the buyers. They’ve requested that we don’t terminate our electricity, water and fibre optic contracts but transfer them into their names. That seems most odd to me, and I didn’t even think you legally could do it. Obviously, it could practicably be done - changing names, email address, bank details, etc - but it doesn’t seem right to me.
It’s too late now on the fibre as it happens, because I’ve already scheduled a transfer to our new house, but in the process of the doing that, I saw that you could transfer the account to a family member but explicitly NOT to a 3rd party (I’m with Red, it’s maybe different with other telcos)
Am I correct in thinking that it can’t (legally) be done and I have to find a way of politely telling them no? Or can it be done?? I see it as potentially leaving ourselves exposed to all manner of problems.
I don’t know whether it can or can’t be done legally, but either way I wouldn’t. For our recent sale everyone was v helpful in coordinating dates and information and that’s all that was needed.
The sales’s through an agent, and the request came via them. Maybe a bit of Chinese whispers in play though.
I’ve just done a bit of reading and it seems it is indeed possible - but the question’s a bit moot.
Electricity is through a Linky so supply is continued - you don’t cut it off, just advise a final metre reading. If they buyer’s stay with the same supplier (TotalEnergies in our case) then there’d be no reconnection fee anyway. Another supplier may or may not make a charge.
Water is different. It’s necessarily the same supplier but they might levy a small admin fee for the name change.
Edit: tbh, I think I panicked a bit at the question. It just seemed as if they were asking something out of the ordinary when in fact the process, as I understood it, would be followed anyway and give their desired outcome. That is, no reconnection fees.
When I sold up in 2022 I terminated everything and left it for the new owners to start out new with the utilities etc. I had heard horror stories about being pursued for payment after the sale so did not want any of that and I went to the house insurers half an hour after signing the final contract of sale with the proof in writing it was done and I wanted the house insurance terminated the following day when they arrived take over meaning it was still insured for that night with no one in residence. I would never take anything any agent tells you to be true either . End of the day the buyers know they have to open accounts in their own names and with their bank details to continue, you don’t want them using yours and you owe them nothing!