Toronto man received 2 years' worth of electricity bills at once

A Scarborough man says he received two years' worth of hydro bills at the same time, after the company had previously told him his building covered his utilities.

Dann Verner, 47, has lived in his current apartment for more than two years.

When he moved in, in August 2012, he called EnerCare, the third-party "sub-metering" company that deals with his building.

Verner told CBC News that EnerCare told him at that time that his building’s management company would cover his bills.

Fast-forward to this past May, when Verner said he received 23 bills at the same time, each with a $20 late fee. Together, those bills and fees totalled nearly $3,000.

"I was devastated, I was – I literally sat down and cried with that one," said Verner, who is disabled and lives on a fixed income.

He received help from a provincial disability support program with those particular obligations.

In a statement, EnerCare said it had no record of Verner ever contacting its offices.

The company said it didn't start billing him until May, as that's when the property management company sent an agreement Verner had signed before he moved into his building.

Monterey Park, the company that operates Verner’s building, told CBC News that its policy is to immediately forward a new tenant’s information to a service provider.

The company said it will have to check its records to find out why it took so long for Verner to start getting bills.