QLD New Business Owner Not Paying Gas Bill

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Susann

Member
28 August 2014
2
0
1
I sold a small business and the person who bought it will not pay me for the gas bill debt in the amount of $638. I only bought the business in March and realised I could not continue after one week due to health reasons. The previous owner and I did not change the gas bill over into my name. I have continued to pay the bills as it was me using these facilities. The week before I changed hands to new owner I had the gas filled - I only used the gas for 6 days. I emailed the bill to new owner to let him know that I had paid the bill of $738 & would he reimburse me in the amount of $638. This new owner will not respond to my emails or text messages.

Do I have a leg to stand on as - the gas bill was still in previous owners name?
Regards
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Susann

Member
28 August 2014
2
0
1
Hello,
I bought a small business 6 months ago and after one week realised I could not continue due to health reasons.
The person I bought it from never closed his gas account - i continued with it and never changed it into my business name thinking that I would be able to sell quickly. i did have a buyer who mucked me around for two months then reneged at the last minute. When I did find a genuine buyer six months had passed and I still had
not changed the gas into my name. I continued to pay the bills.
When time came the new owner asked me to change bill to his name - he also asked if I could request cut off date a few days before he officially took over. I agreed and did this. The gas was filled up by the gas company on the 2nd July - he took over on the 9th July so excluding weekend (no trading) I had only used the gas for 6 days.
I have since paid the whole bill and the new owner refuses to acknowledge my emails or text messages for payment. He is currently using gas paid by me. The bill was $738.00 I emailed him to request he deposit $638.00 into my a/c which was more than generous on my behalf.
Do I have a leg to stand on if I took him to small claims court? as the cost of engaging a lawyer to do this far exceeds the amount owing.
Regards
Susan
 

Sarah J

Well-Known Member
16 July 2014
1,314
251
2,389
Melbourne, Victoria
Hi Susann,

If the gas was cut off before the new owner moved in, then why were you still charged? Is the gas stored somewhere? Shouldn't you only be charged for what you use? From the bill, can you tell whether the new owner used any of the gas? Finally, did the transfer of property agreement mention who would pay the bill for the transfer month?