second hand home - outstanding bills

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bobo

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We are buying a second hand home. How do we know that there is no outstanding bills on the property, e.g. Gas, ESB, Bin Tax, NTL. Eircom etc? The solicitor never mentioned anything when we signed contracts (which he is holding pending planning issues being certified). Is this just a standard thing which he overlooked mentioning to us or do we have to specifically request through him that all outstanding debts are cleared?
 
On the day you move in/take possession of the property, read the meters GAIS/ESB and notify respective companies.
It is most than likely NTL/Eircom would have been disconnected. In any case, notify them that you are the new owner.
It is very standard procedure, everybody buying second hand has to do it. Your solicitor does not deal with that.
 
In my case Eircom demanded a letter from our solicitor saying that we are the new owners.
 
What about bin tax? Many people around the estate have resisted paying this tax and i am afraid i would be lumped with their outstanding debts. I will pay the bin tax but not somebody elses. Do I contact dublin city council and just inform them of the new name to be applied to the address?
 
don't know what the procedure is but that's what happened to somebody I know, the previous owner never paid the bin charge and now the arrears have been lumped on to their bill. So I would check that out with the city council.
 
contact the waste department directly - I moved house recently and found their staff extremely helpful. There was no question of being charged for previous occupants.

Waste Dept:
Phone - 411 4300
Waste Charges: 222 1000
Litter Line - 1800 25 15 00
Email - [email protected]
 
As far as the bin charges and management charges go, the vendors have to sign a contract with their solicitor that there are no outstanding charges/fees (at least we did when we sold).
 
It's actually quite routine (or has been on my two second hand purchases anyway!) for buyers' solicitors to require undertakings from the vendors solicitor that any outstanding balances on services to the address be cleared, because of the difficulties in obtaining new connections if they are not.

Waste charges, where the service is provided by the Council, are often treated in the same way rates used to be: solicitors may require evidence of the bills having been discharged in full.

Specific points: councils sometimes try to pass on the balance of waste charges if you cannot provide evidence that they were not incurred by you. Other utility companies - eircom is the big offender - may require evidence of the new ownership. It's useful for these purposes to obtain from your solicitor on closing an all purpose letter confirming that you are the new owners of the property and as of what date you are the owners.
 
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