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.

Create a new account. You'll only pay less than 10% of the debt. Use back door and lobby one NEPA gee. Them go run am sharp sharp

https://nerc.gov.ng/index.php/component/remository/func-startdown/1002/?Itemid=591
Customer Protection Regulations 2023

The 2023 regulation provides that a previous customer cannot be transferred to a new customer - Section 29(3).
The Disco shall be responsible for recovering any premises' debt left by a previous tenant.

A new customer shall notify the Disco on the first day of moving into the premises. The customer will only be liable for reconnection section 29(5)


What should you do?
Notify the electricity company of the transfer of ownership in writing.
Follow up with reminder letters.
If this is not resolved after 15 days, take your case to the NERC Consumer Forum - check the NERC IBEC website for tthe Forum's address in your locality.

Take the dubious previous owner to court cos it's against the law to hide pre-existing problems from intending buyer. If u had a lawyer that handled the purchase, the lawyer was negligent in handling the transaction. He/ she should be held accountable as well.
Good luck.

Na to go buy another metre or and more money and do solar. No time for nonsense

A debt should ideally be associated to a name. If you buy a new house, you ideally should have no business with how much electricity bill the previous owner owns. With NiN and BVN debtors should be chased for debt recovery.

Unfortunately, we still have a system that upholds this unjust acts.

My sincere hope is someday justice,equity and righteousness returns to my country of birth, both the citizens and leadership.


PonziHater

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.

talk to your lawyers. The debt doesn't transfer to the house owner.

NLchief:

Thanks boss.

You're welcome.

And I just saw this 👇👇👇👇

If they're insisting you must pay the 500k debt, Seriously follow them up with this idea. Stand Your ground that You want to buy a new meter for Your building.

Na them go beg You in the end.

Sue the former owner and IBEDC. It's as easy as that. Both of them should come before a court to explain themselves and one thing I guarantee you is you won't be the one to pay it. It's either the IBEDC waives it or the former owner is ordered to pay it.

Do it for yourself and the society, please 🙏

You will have to pay them.

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.

You failed in Due diligence ... if you buy a property You inherit the liabilities of that property anyway since it's a one man show & the liability is not limited ... approach the seller & Deduct your 500k from your purchase price...

If not approach court or accept your loss ....

But You owe Nepa as far as that house is concerned!

500k😱😱 kilode!!!!

Involve your lawyer asap that is if you didn't....

If they won’t register you as new tenant and you no get connection from influential person like minister or senator, just ignore them and install solar system instead

If you can fight it. In 2020, a man bought a house in a similar situation.

He took the concerned disco to court and won.

Thereafter, Nerc came to say the below:

https://twitter.com/NERCNG/status/1306294638756728832

You dey lucky, i bought two flat of building in osogbo , when we want to put it to let we discovered that each flat was owing 1.2million naira debt.

We are still on it!!!

They are just bringing the bill to the house that is not use for 3 years

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 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 another person

Try to get the meter from third party leaving the area. That way you can resell the meter or take it to you house if you move same disco.

Don't tell them how much you bought the house o. If the price you paid for the house is in millions, my brother, you must pay that N500k. NEPA always assesses once capacity to pay in that kind of situation.

Please go and negotiate with them, its now your property...

BabaOfLagos:
This is most likely one of the reasons the owner of the house sold the house.

You traded with a con man.

You should only be sorted out in their office.

Or,

First, have an electrician remove your wires directly from the pole and properly kept under your protection, this should be out of site

This would save you any drama from the power holding company,

If the street is incorrectly numbered, if possible, have the house number changed. Then, give the power holding company a call to have them register you as a new resident with the new house number associated with your name.

Or go for alternative power supply.

This is one of the many reasons we recommend men to join IAJ ONLINE.

Due diligence!

Should never be underated.

Search and join IAJ ONLINE on Telegram or Twitter.

Join IAJ and build Your masculine intelligence alongside other men who are ready to better themselves everyday.

You are a funny person. Distribution companies are also getting smarter by days because Nigeria and Nigerians are teaching them shege. All houses are now mapped. Even if you erase your house number the company will get/retrieve it for you.

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.

u will pay it o. Just inform NEPA and arrange for payment plan.

NLchief:

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

Ohh! Very sorry about that bro.

Savechild23:
Pay 50k and the rest is gone

for where?

Allow them to disconnect and reconnect in your own name , use that 500K install solar for house.

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.

hahahaha.. how old are you first of all?

It’s not done that way. It’s non of the IBEBC problem. There’s nothing he can do about it.

HeartlessMan:
Utility bills are on the owner's account name not the property's. Get a lawyer and create a new account with them in your name.

The old bill is none of your business.

why are you people talking like kids without experience.
Whether you change the ownership name or not. That house number will still bear the street number.

Next I’ll hear from you is “change the street number “. Street numbers are registered numbers by the local government

timelineinc:



I also made a similar oversight but had my way around it.
I did total renovation of the building which took several months and IBEDC had already disconnected before i purchased the old building.
When the renovation was at the finishing stage, i went to the nearest office to apply for a new meter and discarded the old meter (had 151k Naira debt ).
As far as they are concerned the building is a new house and luckily the marketer covering that area was transferred, so i had no issues atall.

Nice.
They never even mentioned the old debt at all?
And long did it take to get a new meter?

Do u have email list for amazon kdp buyers?

The more pertinent question is that, is that bill valid and tenable?
The discos are very fond of just throwing arbitrary bills at customers with no logic behind them. No customer in their right mind would make such payments.

Why would a disco bill a domestic user >50 KWH/day for example?

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.

If u can buy a house pay agent... u can still afford 500k and pay the bill.. unless the house is in ogbomosho were houses are sold 200k

Rapture123:
The problem was that you told them the house already has an existing Nepa account and it was through the registered accounr name and address they were able to know the bill. You could have told them the house is a new one (since old things have passed away when you purchased the house and became new house owner) and that you have not created an account in the house before (Since it you have no idea when the former owner did that). So you need a new account, which you will open with your name and passport. If possible, repaint the house.

I had similar experience in the past but scaled through.

I haven't even been to their office.
I managed to check the debts and found out.

airsaylongcome:


Just above ₦900k in November 2021. This included the 6 panels, Solar Charge controller and 100m of UV cable to connect to the panels to the solar charge controller and a new 1.5kva inverter for the fridge and freezer (I previously had a 2kva inverter for the house). The real major expense is the battery. I had batteries from before, but had had to change them one year after the solar panels. Spent around one milli to buy 6 top quality new batteries in December 2022. Expensive? Yes. But I'm not going to be worrying about batteries for at least 5 years so definitely worth it

Are they lithium batteries?
Everyone recommends lithium batteries nowadays.
And the cost is not funny.

shimardoil:
Oga call electrician to disconnect the wire from pole to your house, repaint your house with a different suitable colour and go to Nepal office that you want to connect your house. Behave as if you don't know anything relating to the Dept owed by the former owner and if confronted deny it

Interesting 😂

ayotito:
https://nerc.gov.ng/index.php/component/remository/func-startdown/1002/?Itemid=591
Customer Protection Regulations 2023

The 2023 regulation provides that a previous customer cannot be transferred to a new customer - Section 29(3).
The Disco shall be responsible for recovering any premises' debt left by a previous tenant.

A new customer shall notify the Disco on the first day of moving into the premises. The customer will only be liable for reconnection section 29(5)


What should you do?
Notify the electricity company of the transfer of ownership in writing.
Follow up with reminder letters.
If this is not resolved after 15 days, take your case to the NERC Consumer Forum - check the NERC IBEC website for tthe Forum's address in your locality.

Thanks boss