Builder illegally connected electricity

Hi,

My villa is on a large golf resort. We have owned it for 6 years. My solicitor arranged all the paperwork for the electricity connexction and the direct debit payments. I only visit the property for 6 to 8 weeks of the year. My bank statement showed regular direct debits for electricity. I was contacted in March by a neighbour in Spain who informed me that a row of villas had ben illegally conected to the electricity. I immediately contacted my solicitor who confirmed she had paperwork stating the installation of the electric meter (there is no meter installed).We attempted to contact iberdrola but because we had never been officially connected we could not be identified on their system. At the end of March without notification the illegal supply was disconnected. The code on my bank statement relates to gas and not electricity. We believed both utilities were with the same company HC Energia. I've now completed documentation to have a meter installed by Iberdrola. I was notified today that a meter will be installed after I have paid a fine for the illegal connection. I've been advised to pay the fine because the installation of the meter will be delayed. It appears I'm being punished for someone elses wrongdoing but I need my supply reconnected. ANyone have experience of the likely fine I will have to pay so that I cvan transfer funds to Spain to pay for it?

This happened on my first property in Spain. Apparently a letter was sent and you had to be in when Iberdrola connected the meter and fitted the ICP. We were in UK at the time and couldn't be there. The builders, without us knowing, reconnected the electric bypassing the meter along with other properties. We were still paying the standing charge and thought we were paying the electric as well as the prices varied.

When we found out, we were worried for ages as rumours about thousand of euros in fines were being dished out. In the end, the electrician came round, connected the supply and that was it. Not saying this will happen in your case but we didn't receive a fine even after 2 years of this going on. All we got was rather large electric bill of about 200 euros in the next quarter. I think they averaged out how much we had actually used when using it as a holiday home and charged us a part based on that. 

In our case, it would have been impossible to chase up the builder for any costs as they had gone bust but if your builder did it without your knowledge, surely they should be liable for any charges (yeah, yeah, I know, this is Spain).

Hope it all goes well for you.

I thought you could get imprisoned for this, as I'd think it would count as theft. Having said that, the practice is so widespread, that maybe they never go that far and you have paperwork proving that you were misled about it. If you think about it, if you get fined for the amount you should have paid in the first place, it might not seem so annoying, although an unpleasant surprise. For example, if your bills should have been 40 euros a month, then that equates to about 3,000 euros over 6 years...

My own experience of getting a meter installed was tortuous and very costly, with all kinds of awful red tape. If you can pay a reasonable amount of money (the fine), not get into problems with the law and get a meter, then honestly, that will be a result. Sorry I can't be more help regarding the amount of the fine that is likely.

Of course, one must also question what on earth your lawyer was doing, telling lies...

There is a legal obligation on the owner to ensure that they have a legal connection to an electricity supply and to be honest I believe that it I had had a property and never received an electricity bill, or communication from Iberdrolla, then I would know that I wasn't paying for electricity, especially with the costs for electricity in Spain

Yes as eggcup states that you have to now consider that you have had 6 years free electricity and in a villa chances are that the standing charge is close to €40 a month so perhaps all you should consider for the fine is that you are actually paying for the electricity that you have been using for 6 years

The situation with the lawyer doesn't make any sense, somebody has to be there for the supply to be connected and sig THE CONTRACT, and now you will have to produce all of the technical documents to have a meter and supply installed

Finally there must be a meter somewhere, somebody has been paying for the power so somewhere there are 6 yaers of bills

Don't utilities have to be in place (meter included) before you can legally complete on a property?

no they actuallt cannot be installed on a new property till after you complete

Inspector,   Finally there must be a meter somewhere, somebody has been paying for the power so somewhere there are 6 years of bills

Merlin  Quote “My bank statement showed regular direct debits for electricity”

Maybe the power was being metered through the meter used during construction and Merlin has been paying part of that bill.  If so, he has been paying much more (construction rates) than he may have had he had his own contract.

If you read the thread he has not been paying anything, only CHC Energia which is the gas company in Murcia, where he though the debit was for both bills

If he was on builders supply, without a COH,  perhaps you are correct that there should be a meter there somewhere, somebody has been paying