Pre-Payment Eletricity Meter with Debt that isnt ours! HELP!...

Addz

My GF and I have just bought a repossessed house that is all electric and was running on Economy 7 with Storage Heaters on a Pre-Payment Meter.

The Pre-Payment Meter is in Emergancy Credit Debt of £156. Since the house was a repo, all the electrics had been switched off when we purchased.

What do we need to do to make sure we are not charged for the previous owners debt?

We are also unsure on whom the Electricty provider was originally, is there an easy way to find this out?

Any advice would be most appriciated!

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi

The supplier will reset the meter when they send you a new prepayment device, this will be either a plastic key or a card that fits in the meter.

If you know who your supplier is now you will need to ensure they send you a new device, make sure you advise them that there is a debt set on the meter and that it is from the previous occupier.

Your new supplier will be able to tell you who the previous supplier was, just ask them and they will find out.

Ensure you give the supplier the correct details regarding when you moved in and the meter readings from the date you took responsibility, this will ensure your account is set up correctly.

filmnoir

You need to identify the local distributor in the area.
Taken from Consumer Focus:
"You can find out who your supplier is by calling the local distribution company. If you have recently moved into a new property but are unsure who supplies it with electricity you will need to contact your local distribution company.
They should confirm the registered supplier and provide you with a contact number for the company by checking your address details and meter serial number on their records. It is also useful for consumers to take a note of their properties MPAN registration supply number for future reference.
Distribution companies keep records of who supplies electricity to every home in their area. If you need to speak to the Meter Point Administration Service (MPAS) you should provide details of your full address, including postcode. The meter serial number is normally located on a sticker attached to the meter.
The phone numbers for the distribution companies are below and are usually open normal 'office hours'.

Area Company Telephone

Eastern England EDF Energy 0870 196 3082
East and West Midlands Central Networks 0845 603 0618
London EDF Energy 0845 600 0102
North Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire Sp Power Systems 0845 270 9101
and North Shropshire
North East England and CE Electric UK 0845 601 3268
Yorkshire
North West United Utilities 0870 751 0093
North Scotland SSE Power Distribution 0870 900 9690
South Scotland SP Power Systems 0845 270 9101
South East England (Kent & EDF Energy 0845 601 5467
parts of Sussex and Surrey)
Southern England SSE Power Distribution 0870 905 0806
South Wales Western Power Distribution 0845 601 5972
South West England Western Power Distribution 0845 601 5972"

They will have an MPAS (Meter Point Administration Service) who will identify your property, MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) and registered supplier.

Call the supplier with the date you moved in and read from the prepayment meter. Ask them to reset the meter and debt. They will either send someone out, do it over the phone or send a key/card which will reset it.

Id suggest also thinking of moving to a credit meter to get a better price.

CloudedPearl

Once you have found out who the electricity supplier is, using the MPAS number listed in the post above, contact them as soon as possible to advise that you are the new tenant/owner of the property and request that they reset the meter. This will either done by arranging an meter reader visit for a token meter or by issuing a new key for a key meter - this will clear the previous tenant debt and start the meter from scratch for you (they may ask for proof of tenancy before this can be arranged, particularly if the last tenant had a poor credit history).

If you wish to have the prepayment meter removed, you will likely be asked for a security deposit for this to be arranged. However, if the supplier is also the supplier from your previous address, they will likely take into account your payment history with them and remove the prepayment meter without requesting a security deposit. Alternatively, you could arrange to switch supplier at your new address to your previous supplier and, again, your payment history with them should be sufficient for you to have the prepayment meter removed without paying a security deposit.