If you can afford to purchase a property you can afford to negotiate to pay off its debts. Due diligence or not, the property is yours now along with it’s liabilities.

Forget about their power supply and start generating your own power for consumption, which means from Production to Consumption 😜😁😜

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

https://nerc.gov.ng/index.php/home/consumers/consumer-rights-obligations

Number 11 is very key to your situation.

You should inform the DisCo of any outstanding bills before occupying a new premises, whether bought or rented.

1. Obligations of electricity consumers
2. Pay bills for electricity consumed

3. Provide requirements for connection as stipulated by NERC and DisCo
4. Vigilant protection of electrical installations

5. Cordiality towards electricity workers

6. Customer compliance to the requirements of the Distribution code
7. Pay for electricity used within the stipulated time frame.
8. Ensure receipt of monthly electricity bills if not on prepaid meters and lodge a complaint to the DisCo serving you should you not get your bills.
9. Ensure that metering and other electrical equipment within your premises belonging to the DisCo not tampered with, or by-passed.
10. Notify the DisCo serving you of any tampering or bypass of electricity installations.
11. Notify the DisCo serving you of any outstanding electricity bill before moving into new premises.

If you bought the house with proper documentation and the use of a lawyer, contact your lawyer.

This is not the business of the IBEDC.

Your lawyer should start a process of recovering part of the fees you paid the seller to offset the bills.

It's a breach of contract if it wasn't declared.

Contact your lawyer ASAP!

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

ACCORDING TO ELECTRICITY ACT , You are not not LIABLE AT ALL as a New Owner of the House! See a Legal Practitioner for Confirmation! THE BILL HAS GONE!

sleekybaba:



They did same to me. I quickly ported to Prepaid Meter

How was the debt cleared sir?
Was the percentage they deducted monthly heavy?

This is a gross oversight. I am certain you did not consult a Lawyer to do a due diligence before you make this purchase. Hope you have checked the Land Use Charge too.

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

Stop wasting your time,
The meter was registered with someone name and phone number.

Do your renovation on the house, remove the meter and apply for new one on your own name.

free2ryhme:


location of house

Ibadan.

Add money and run yourself solar energy and rest. Instead of going to beg anyone,find solar installers to get you estimate on what it will cost you to fully get off the grid

The seller has the obligation to pay the debt

FireUpNow:
Go to their office and negotiate. You never put into cognisance of the word "caveat emptor"

I was aware of that. I just never thought of that.
Might have stemmed from the fact that I have never owed electricity bills.

So this happened to me but with a different twist. Total bill was about N300k. First, I requested the bills and they were different and some of the things I discovered were

1. Only one bill had the name of the seller but that was not even tied to the house address
2. Other bills were not really tied to the street or house and was in other names ....they claim these names were possibly tenants.
3. One of the names on the bills was also tied to several properties and I was informed it is possible NEPA official or whatever opened bills for several houses in his name.

I reached out to IBEDC and the workers wanted me to pay N150k --- 50% to clear the bills. I asked them if I would get receipt and documents to show that the bills will be vacated...they were mumbling and that was when I knew paying those bills wont eliminate them...they will probably transfer them to the new prepaid meters in the near future which is what they did to another property...the balance never really went away and no proof even the 50% will go straight to IBEDC.

I had to enagage one of their Ogas with all the issues concerning the bills not in the name of the seller, the one in the seller's name is not tied to the street or house...longitude and latitude do not match, and I requested a new bill....9 new accounts were created and that was it.

In your own situation -- if the bill is tied to the previous owner and tied to the house, and the purchase contract did not say as it is with all liabilities, you can sue the previous owner to pay the outstanding because its like fraud. If the contract does say that you bought it with all liabilities then he is off the hook...you can then go to IBEDC to negotiate installements but please collect all proofs and pay into IBEDC account...you can also transfer them into the prepaid meters and pay it off gradually as you load the meter.

Hope this was helpful, and please always ask for all the bills...I resolved mine but I will never buy a house without checking the bills...the house I bought was old without meter, so there was no way to check the account status...all I heard was that they were paying the marketers monthly without bills. IBEDC - most of them are crooks.

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

When you bought the house, you also bought the liabilities. Those are checks you needed to do before initiating the transaction.
I bought a property not long ago for around 45m, and there was an unpaid land use charge bill of 400k on it: Had to clear it 🤷🏽‍♂️ . The legal way to me is a waste of money.

You have inherited both assets and liability as the new owner.. Pay off the debts.. May God help you.

I didn't read.

But going by the top story, Bros you have to pay.

Should as you bought that Property, you want to demolish it to build a new Structure, would you have been getting worried about the bill?

Should as you bought that Property, and you find out that the previous person loaded more than 500k on the metre if it's pre paid, would you have been considering returning the metre to the person that sold the Property to you?

You would have also come here to claim that you bought the Property and it's entire feature, including metre, inter locked, painted walls and so on...

Brendaniel:
Oga, your own is even a bit fair because you own the house, the house I rented had over 400k bill which If I get a prepaid meter they will be deducting from my monthly recharge till I clear the entire bill and bad part is I won't even take the prepaid meter when going after paying like 50k to get it, that's why I'm still on estimated billing paying only current charges, at least till I pack out of the house.

Go to their office and apply for prepaid meter then beg them to reduce the previous bill to like half that you don't want to settle it with court case with them or would if they would prefer court case, you will spend the money there.....

I won't pay for what I didn't use and I wont buy meter for the another person

Similar situation. I was renting and met a 200k bill. NEPA said they will cut light. I told them to go ahead. They did. Lucky for me it was in Dry season. I bought Solar panels with inverter. Cost way more than the ₦200k. But at least I owned it completely. One year after they came to "beg" to reconnect it that they will put prepaid meter. I knew they were planning to be deducting the ₦200k until it was fully paid. I demanded for proof that the outstanding had been paid. Las Las landlord paid the 200k before they went ahead to install. Landlord had the effrontery to ask if I will leave the panels when km leaving! He tried to increase rent the following year to recoup his ₦200k. I "fought" that increase to a near standstill. But there's so far you can "fight" an indigene in his territory.

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

Simple...

The debt is attached to the prepaid meter, it's not your fault that a house you just bought has so much electricity debt, meaning, the IBEDC weren't properly doing their job. So here's what You're going to do.

Request that You want to buy an entirely new meter box. It shouldn't be more than 100k for the purchase and installation.

Don't pay any 500k debt that isn't Your fault in any way.

michlins:
Add money and run yourself solar energy and rest. Instead of going to beg anyone,find solar installers to get you estimate on what it will cost you to fully get off the grid

It can get difficult in the rainy season o. I've been down that route. You are forced to run a lean operation in the rainy season. But it was fun while it lasted

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

The house I moved into in Lagos has 660k debt on the meter. A newly completed house for that matter

Brendaniel:
Oga, your own is even a bit fair because you own the house, the house I rented had over 400k bill which If I get a prepaid meter they will be deducting from my monthly recharge till I clear the entire bill and bad part is I won't even take the prepaid meter when going after paying like 50k to get it, that's why I'm still on estimated billing paying only current charges, at least till I pack out of the house.

Go to their office and apply for prepaid meter then beg them to reduce the previous bill to like half that you don't want to settle it with court case with them or would if they would prefer court case, you will spend the money there.....

I won't pay for what I didn't use and I wont buy meter for the another person

If you're paying for a meter it'll be registered in your name, and you can take it along when moving.

airsaylongcome:


Similar situation. I was renting and met a 200k bill. NEPA said they will cut light. I told them to go ahead. They did. Lucky for me it was in Dry season. I bought Solar panels with inverter. Cost way more than the ₦200k. But at least I owned it completely. One year after they came to "beg" to reconnect it that they will put prepaid meter. I knew they were planning to be deducting the ₦200k until it was fully paid. I demanded for proof that the outstanding had been paid. Las Las landlord paid the 200k before they went ahead to install. Landlord had the effrontery to ask if I will leave the panels when km leaving! He tried to increase rent the following year to recoup his ₦200k. I "fought" that increase to a near standstill. But there's so far you can "fight" an indigene in his territory.

You tried, I'm also planing on getting solar panels, your landord na guy man

theamazonguru:
This is really interesting.

You can actually negotiate with IBEBC.

Approach the zonal office in your area, ask to speak with the zonal manager.
Show proof of change of ownership, let him/her know that you just purchased the house.

It's not automatic that they will clear your debt oh.
Just pleas to his/her human conscience, you might be asked to pay something even if it's 100k-150k, it's fine.

Go and try your luck.

This is what I would do if I was in your shoes.

If they answer him that means he is lucky those staff behave as if you are nothing without them(just the same way public health nurses behave)

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

just have a meeting with them, you'll reach a consensus for the payment

Go apply for your own metre.

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

frugal:


If you're paying for a meter it'll be registered in your name, and you can take it along when moving.

that is for a new metered number, the house had old meter number registered with the address I am staying, so even the bill I pay is not in my name and the new meter number is the same with the old one, that is why they will still deduct from the old bill on the new meter....

PrettyRX:
You should have involved a real-estate lawyer before transaction. You were probably cutting cost. Go to their office and negotiate or call the owner.

even the lawyer can forget

[quote author=NLchief post=125306358]I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills. [/quote just resell the house]

NLchief:
I made a terrible oversight of not checking electricity bills before purchasing a house. It just completely escaped my mind till after purchase.

I just found out there's electricity debts of 500k unpaid to IBEDC.

How do I handle this?

I know it will be difficult getting such a negligent
previous owner to pay such bills.

Please report to NERC. They handle issues like this.

It is the law for the landlord to pay outstanding debts before a new tenant comes in

This one na inheritance. U think sey na only properties people de inherit

Write to them with proof purchase.

Secondly, ask the previous owner to pay for the bill

Cut the light go buy solar