British Gas got it wrong. Make them put it right.
An estimated bill that ignores your readings, a credit balance they won't refund, a smart meter that never worked, an engineer who charged and didn't fix. A county court claim is how you make British Gas answer for the money — with the right company named.
Said vs got
Who you're actually suing
British Gas is several companies. Your gas and electricity supply is usually with British Gas Trading Limited; boiler cover and repairs are sold by a different British Gas company named on your policy. The bill or the policy document names the one that owes you — and that is normally the defendant.
Disputes about bills, meter readings, direct debits and credit balances are usually with the supply company. A credit balance that is yours and not refunded is normally claimable as a debt; a bill for energy you can show you didn't use is a dispute a court can decide.
- Name on the form
- British Gas Trading Limited
- Company number
- 03078711
- Address for service
- Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 5GD
Boiler cover, annual services and one-off repairs are sold by a separate British Gas company. Its full name and registered office are on your policy or the repair invoice; a claim about a repair that was paid for and not done properly is against that company, under the Consumer Rights Act's rules for services.
All the British Gas companies share the Windsor address, so the name is what has to be right. Use the company on the bill or the policy, with its number, on the claim form.
Checked against Companies House on 2026-08-24. Registered details change — the wizard re-checks before anything is filed.
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights in a dispute with British Gas
In England and Wales your energy supply and any boiler cover are consumer contracts. Money held that is yours is claimable as a debt; a paid-for repair is a service governed by the Consumer Rights Act 2015; and the fairness of the small print is tested under the same Act.
ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.49A paid-for service must generally be performed with reasonable care and skill.
Where a consumer pays a trader for a service, section 49 usually implies a term that it will be performed with reasonable care and skill. A service that fails, is repeatedly not delivered as promised, or is carried out carelessly may be treated as a breach, depending on the facts.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.54If a service isn't done properly, the usual remedies are repeat performance or a price reduction.
Section 54 generally sets out the consumer's remedies where a service breaches the statutory terms: the right to require repeat performance, and, where that is impossible or not done in a reasonable time, the right to a price reduction. Courts may also consider damages for loss caused, depending on the circumstances.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗ActConsumer Rights Act 2015, s.62An unfair term in a consumer contract is generally not binding on the consumer.
Section 62 usually provides that a term is unfair if, contrary to good faith, it causes a significant imbalance in the parties' rights to the consumer's detriment. Caps on compensation, exit fees and one-sided small print may be examined against this test; courts typically look at how prominent the term was and whether the consumer had a real chance to see it.
Read it on legislation.gov.uk ↗Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to deliver what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A purchase or subscription is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — goods not delivered, a service not provided, money not refunded as agreed — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
A credit balance is your money. Where the account shows credit and the supplier has agreed it's due, holding it is a debt you can claim, plus interest.
Then the readings should show it. A bill built on estimates that ignores actual readings you gave is a dispute of fact a court can decide; your photos of the meter usually settle it.
A paid-for repair still has to be done with reasonable care and skill. If you paid and the fault wasn't fixed, the Consumer Rights Act's service rules apply whether or not the cover would have.
The standard is the law's, not theirs. Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill; if they weren't, the usual remedy is repeat performance or a price reduction.
Five things worth gathering now
Three steps, done for you
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask — starting with who the defendant is.
A formal demand
A letter before action to the right British Gas company at its Windsor registered office, with a deadline. Many disputes end here.
Court claim, prepared
If they will not engage: a small claim drafted, checked and filed. We do the paperwork; the decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
Can I take British Gas to small claims court?
Yes. For supply and billing disputes the defendant is usually British Gas Trading Limited, company number 03078711, Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD — checked on Companies House on the date shown above. For boiler cover or repairs, the defendant is the British Gas company named on your policy.
British Gas owes me a credit refund and won't pay. Can I claim it?
A credit balance that is yours and has been agreed as due is normally claimable as a debt, plus interest. The account statements and any promise of a refund date are the evidence.
I've been back-billed for a year of estimates. Do I have to pay?
That depends on the readings and on when the supplier had them. A bill that ignores actual readings you supplied is a dispute of fact a court can decide. Keep your meter photos and every reading you submitted.
Which British Gas company do I name?
The one on the document: British Gas Trading Limited (03078711) for your energy bill; the company on your HomeCare policy or repair invoice for boiler work. All share the Windsor address, so the name and number are what matter.
How much does it cost to sue British Gas?
The court fee depends on the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
British Gas holding your money?
Tell us what happened. We name the right British Gas company and prepare the claim for a fixed price.
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