Stupid Gas Company!!!

Your first mistake was putting the utility in your name (sorry). Now you are responsible for the gas, but it may be possible that if nothing was dated to the beginning of your occupancy that you do not owe the money for the previous 11 months.

If the prior tenant does not remove their name, or the company fails to do it, it is the landlord's responsibility - because you cannot represent the previous tenant and remove their name. This is because, if you could, any old person could call a utility company and remove anyone's name from their services.

If you have not received a bill in the last 11 months for services you used (even though you did not contract for them), at the very least, it is the responsibility of the utility company to put your name on the serice contract and retreive past due balance at a reasonable amount such as $10-$20 a month until paid. But I agree this is something you should speak to the landlord about. Legally, it is his responsibility to prepare the dwelling for occupancy and that includes freeing up all utility accounts so you can call and contract for them. And it is his responsibility to inform you which utilities you need and the names and numbers of the local companies who supply such service.