Changing Name On Electric Bill

[Pattel]

When buying a house what happens to the name on the Electricity Bill.

Where do you go? What do you do? and is a deposit needed or refunded to previous owner.

If its any help the house comes under the Pattaya Land Office.

The house is in a Thai name.

Edited May 23, 2010 by Pattel

[JusMe]

When I moved into my house, instead of having all the utility bills in the name of the management company, I wanted them all in my own name and so I could pay them myself rather than having that company take care of them.

I had to go to the individual offices, taking lots of paperwork. Can't remember the details, but I had my blue book, my purchase papers as well as the leasing papers for the land, passport, bank book, etc.

I was also organizing automatic debit payment for those accounts through my Bangkok Bank account.

There were no fees for the water bill, and as I was establishing the phone/internet in my own name, nothing there. But there were some fees for the electric company.

I remember sitting in their office and signing so many papers all in Thai that I figured if I ever had a first born it wouldn't be mine anymore! Paid some fees, and had everything set up in my own name.

Surprise - because it was a personal account rather than a company account, the billing type for my water changed and my water bill dropped so far that I got the government subsidy on it until that was cancelled. Still paying one third of the company account type for the same amount of water.

Everything is now in my name and the bills are paid automatically, with bills and receipts mailed to me.

[Pattel]

When I moved into my house, instead of having all the utility bills in the name of the management company, I wanted them all in my own name and so I could pay them myself rather than having that company take care of them.

I had to go to the individual offices, taking lots of paperwork. Can't remember the details, but I had my blue book, my purchase papers as well as the leasing papers for the land, passport, bank book, etc.

I was also organizing automatic debit payment for those accounts through my Bangkok Bank account.

There were no fees for the water bill, and as I was establishing the phone/internet in my own name, nothing there. But there were some fees for the electric company.

I remember sitting in their office and signing so many papers all in Thai that I figured if I ever had a first born it wouldn't be mine anymore! Paid some fees, and had everything set up in my own name.

Surprise - because it was a personal account rather than a company account, the billing type for my water changed and my water bill dropped so far that I got the government subsidy on it until that was cancelled. Still paying one third of the company account type for the same amount of water.

Everything is now in my name and the bills are paid automatically, with bills and receipts mailed to me.

Thanks for that. Was there any mention of a deposit.

[jcon]

You go to the neighborhood "electricity office" with the previous owner (can't recall the Thai name at the moment).

Some old-style paperwork filled out, some signatures, and deposit of 4K THB (has been for me in BKK, at least). The deposit for the previous owner will be mailed to them in some ridiculous time frame like 4-8 weeks IIRC. So you pay your own deposit in cash at the office and the previous owner gets theirs in the mail (i.e. no paying the previous owner).

[JusMe]

I don't recall a specific deposit, but some of what I paid definitely could have been. I was alone there and everything was in Thai. As I mentioned, I signed so many papers in Thai that I doubt I'd ever get to see a first born if there was such a thing.

I did not need the previous owner or a representative of the company with me. I just loaded myself down with all the documents I had.

This was all at the electric company office, which for me, happened to be a 20 km trip into the provincial capital.

[topt]

Just moved into a house in Pattaya and my TGF went to pay the bill yesterday and transfer the name from the previous owner to herself. She was told that it could only be done at the main office and there would be a charge of 2,000 baht for all the paperwork needed. Is this what is referred to above as a "deposit" or is this something else? Seems a very high cost just for changing the name on the bill.

[thaihome]

For a rental, I don't think most people bother changing the name. Often it is owner's name anyway as they probably paid the meter deposit in first place.

TH

[topt]

Sorry I did not make that clear - she is now the owner

[hhgz]

"She was told that it could only be done at the main office and there would be a charge of 2,000 baht for all the paperwork needed."

When I bought my condo and had the name changed on the bills, I had to pay a 12K THB meter deposit, and reimburse the seller for his deposit. The change was done at the nearby, not "main", MEA office. Too, there was no charge for the paperwork. I think that your TGF is taking you for a ride.

[cmsally]

I went with the old owner to change names (main elec office wherever you are).

You pay a deposit of around 4k BT and need to keep the original paper in order to get you deposit back when you sell.

[topt]

" I think that your TGF is taking you for a ride"

Regularly and great fun

I went along with her last week to change both water and electricity bill names. The electricity bill name cost me 6,000 baht as apparently we have a three phase meter/supply. The cost apparently depended on the supply - in Pattaya means either 2k, 4k or 6k baht (unless they have larger ones) and had to be done at the main office. I did not get any feeling that a previous owner would be reimbursed unless he had actually gone along and asked for it. With hindsight had we known it was going to cost 6k I am not sure if we would have bothered.

In contrast the water bill change only cost 500 and odd baht and we even had my name added to it as well which the Electricty company said they could not do.