Moving home - what to do!

sammr85

Hi there we have just obtained tenancy of a 3 bed semi-detatched house which started today. The previous tenant has had key meters installed for both gas and electric. They look like they are southern electric. My OH is going to the house tonight to do some painting so I am going to get him to take meter readings, but my main question is should we contact southern electric to inform them that we have taken over the property or can I just change suppliers to get off the dreaded key meters?

Also which company would people recommend switching to? We currently live in a 2 bed flat in a tower block so do not pay for gas and our electric is on a key meter as I was a single parent when I moved in and couldnt afford to incur a large bill, so we do not know our usages for either so hard to use a comparison site.

I hope that made sense! TIA

Premier_2

You need to contact the existing supplier. As soon as you use their energy, they will be your deemed supplier. The sup[plier should arrange for you to get new key cards (otherwise you might be paying off a previous tenant's debt!)

You can arrange to switch suppliers, but that will take at least 28 days.

You don't need to change suppliers to have the pre-payment meters changed to credit meters - the existing supplier may agree to this.

If you don't know your expected consumption, the words fire & frying pan spring to mind if you attempt to switch supplier now in the hope of saving money.

You should also seek permission of the landlord if you want to change the type of meter - remember you have an obligation to return the property in the same condition as it was in when it was originally let (fair wear & tear excepted) ... and that includes the type of supply meter unless otherwise agreed.