Can Landlord Dictate who Provides your Energy?

fivefingers

I have moved into a new place and have just been informed by the letting agent that the landlord 'insists' upon all of her tenants using Eon for the energy supply, thing is they are pretty much the most expensive. I have seen nothing of this in the tenancy agreement.

Can she insist on me using Eon? And why would she do this? ...i can only imagine she gets a commission or she cant be bothered to deal with different providers in the event of issues.

jimcoxell

If you have a tenancy that says you are responsible for the utilities during the tenancy it is none of your landlords business who you choose to use.

GDB2222

Most contracts I have seen require the tenant not to change energy providers. It's a PITA when the tenants leave if they have changed energy suppliers, as the LL wants to get the supply into the new tenant's name etc.

Mankysteve

Agreed with the above any anything in the tenancy agree to say otherwise would be unfair clause. What you can always do is switch back the month before your end.

Ignite

Take a look at this post https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/27624041#Comment_27624041 I've linked to the sections on unfair terms in contracts regarding this.

powned

PITA or not i really don't think thats a good enough reason for LL's to become dictators. If its not in the ops TA then it should be look at as the LL asking you if you would not mind going with her chosen energy supplier, of course you have every right to choose your own. It just doesnt surprise me anymore when i hear about all these shifty little tricks they get up to... :mad:

GDB2222 wrote: »

Most contracts I have seen require the tenant not to change energy providers. It's a PITA when the tenants leave if they have changed energy suppliers, as the LL wants to get the supply into the new tenant's name etc.

Mankysteve

Indeed if landlord want to decided for me who I pay the bills too then they can pay the bill.

GDB2222

powned wrote: »

PITA or not i really don't think thats a good enough reason for LL's to become dictators. If its not in the ops TA then it should be look at as the LL asking you if you would not mind going with her chosen energy supplier, of course you have every right to choose your own. It just doesnt surprise me anymore when i hear about all these shifty little tricks they get up to... :mad:

I tend to agree that it's not up to the LL to dictate what energy supplier the tenant uses. However, it's taken me the best part of a day tracing the new energy suppliers for the property after the tenants forgot to mention they'd changed it. All these tenancies involve a bit of give and take.

I don't know why you think that all LLs are up to !!!!!! little tricks. You've obviously had a bad experience.

franklee

GDB2222 wrote: »

I tend to agree that it's not up to the LL to dictate what energy supplier the tenant uses. However, it's taken me the best part of a day tracing the new energy suppliers for the property after the tenants forgot to mention they'd changed it. All these tenancies involve a bit of give and take.

That's no justification for the OP's LL to insist the next tenant uses an expensive supplier for the whole of their tenancy which could end up costing. Surely the solution is to insist the tenant notifies the landlord of any change of supplier and for the LL to ask to see a final bill is paid before deposit return so they can see the end supplier.

DawnW

Just a thought, but is it the LL or the LA who has cooked this up? I would have thought, if there were any kickbacks it would most likely be the LA who was doing it? But then I am off LAs at the moment because of the way one is behaving toward a friend of mine who is a tenant in one of the properties they manage. They are totally unregulated and think they can do and charge what they like. LLs don't seem to know or care what they are doing, and get ripped off just the same as the tenants.

Tenancy agreements I have seen (including the one for the house I rent out) state only that the tenant must inform the LL if they switch suppliers, not that they are not allowed to do it.

tbs624

It's both LAs and LLs who self-manage their properties who are giving this a go. A recent mailshot included with NLA paperwork included a specific firm who seek to tie all Ts in to one specific utility provider ( not giving name as free advert for them) - the "advantages" quoted for the LL/LA include the firm undertaking to notify all utility providers of change of tenants etc, and handle meter reading, plus offer a write-off of small bills accrued under a void period. The firm must be getting a kick-back from the utility providers because AFAIAA they are offering the set up free to the LLs/LAs. Yet other firms seem to be splitting any "commission" between themselves and the LL/LA.

You can see from MSE Martin's links on this site that utility switching companies are willing to offer cashback and bottles of wine to those individual households who switch suppliers: how much bigger must the kickback be if you can get even one LA to get all their Ts signed up in one fell swoop?


Ts (and those LLs who have a conscience) should be raising this one with their MPs - its blatantly wrong to restrict a Ts choice of utility provider when the contract for the utility supplies is between provider and the T, and is effectively nothing to do with the LL.

The problem is that the letters sent out by some LAs , even to Ts who have been living in a property for several years, are worded in such a way as to make a T believe that they have absolutely no option.

GDB2222 wrote: »

I tend to agree that it's not up to the LL to dictate what energy supplier the tenant uses. However, it's taken me the best part of a day tracing the new energy suppliers for the property after the tenants forgot to mention they'd changed it. All these tenancies involve a bit of give and take.

I don't know why you think that all LLs are up to !!!!!! little tricks. You've obviously had a bad experience.

And yet you are using your own "bad experience" to justify all Ts being restricted by the LL/LA.? You make a valid point about the fact that utility supplier info is needed for the next lot of Ts (or for the LL is there is a void) but if a LL and T aim for some mutual respect that really shouldn't be an issue.

LLs/LAs allowing the effective "milking" of Ts in this way does IMO come under the heading of "sh*tty tricks" as described by the previous poster.

There does need to be "give and take" as you say, but IMO a LL/LA stipulating a specific provider must be used is all about the LL/LA doing the "taking" and the T doing the "giving" as they will be tied to what will probably be a more expensive rate than they could find for themselves.

The utility companies battle to retain customers and so seem to have ramped up the targeting of specific groups, leading to the penalising of those who rent property. IMO it's an outrageous restrictive practice that needs stamping on before it becomes another of those " its standard procedure", as has happened with the phenomenal increase in admin/referencing fees charged to Ts

It is generally pretty straightforward to track down a supplier. Each UK property has a unique reference number, which will indicate the name of the utilities supplier. For gas suppliers this unique number is called a Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) and in the case of electricity suppliers it's a Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN).

For gas, call the national automated Meter Number Helpline on 0870 608 1524 to check your MPRN and the name of your registered supplier.

For electricity, call your local electricity distribution company (check Yellow Pages) and ask for their Meter Point Administration Service (MPAS), to find out your MPAN number and then the supplier.

I'll get off my soapbox now..