Student tenants - Switching gas supplier, fixed contract?

Chris4

Hi,

We're going to change to a cheaper gas supplier soon - npower Sign Online 20 plan is the one uSwitch recommends is cheapest.

We're students and will be leaving the property in July 2011.

npower Sign Online 20 plan t&t says:

• Cancellation fee of £20 per fuel if contract terminated before 31st December 2011

Would we be "cancelling" it when we move out? Or could be simply let them know we're moving out of the property in July, pay what we owe up to then, and let it carry on to the next tenant? ... How does it work? ... Or would we need a plan which doesn't have this kind of contract?

Thanks!

Pincher

Yes. £20x2 in July; but you have more to lose than that.

Nobody will want to do the direct debit from their own bank account, so you don't get the Direct Debit discount.
At 6% on £500 = £30.

The sharers will want quarterly bills, in arears, so they can slip away just before the last bill. Assuming the bills will be 1st March and 1st June, don't be surprised to find that they moved out over a weekend in May while you are away.

Get deposits, and only return it when they move out, having worked out what they owe by reading the meter that day. Fortunately, the last bill is in summer, so it won't be a lot.

This is why you should consider PrePayment meter.

macman

A house move will generally release you from paying an ETC. The incoming tenants will have to start a new account, not take over yours. But remember that whoever is named on the account is jointly and severally liable for the bill-not a quarter or fifth share or whatever.
Lots of students on here faced with paying the whole bill arrears for their (former) flatmates.

donaldtramp

This is why you should consider PrePayment meter.

Most landlords have clauses that say no pre-payment meters are to be fitted to their properties. You don't want to go changing things like that.

Pincher

donaldtramp wrote: »

Most landlords have clauses that say no pre-payment meters are to be fitted to their properties. You don't want to go changing things like that.

If the landlord keeps renting to students, he's going to find the supplier forcibly changed the meter one of these days.
I don't have such a clause, but then I don't rent to students.

Chris4

Pincher wrote: »

Yes. £20x2 in July; but you have more to lose than that.

Nobody will want to do the direct debit from their own bank account, so you don't get the Direct Debit discount.
At 6% on £500 = £30.

The sharers will want quarterly bills, in arears, so they can slip away just before the last bill. Assuming the bills will be 1st March and 1st June, don't be surprised to find that they moved out over a weekend in May while you are away.

Get deposits, and only return it when they move out, having worked out what they owe by reading the meter that day. Fortunately, the last bill is in summer, so it won't be a lot.

There's no problems with the other house sharers... they're my friends, not randomers - so no problems paying Direct Debit. The electric is a pre-pay metre, so just gas we're looking at.

Pincher wrote: »

This is why you should consider PrePayment meter.

We don't even have our own gas metre at the moment, so not possible to change. Our gas comes through the landlords' shop below who "doesn't use gas". Yeah, dodgy stuff, but that's for a whole new thread. I'm in the process of getting it sorted, firstly changing to residential rate so we're not charged the high business rate it was on before(!) - then getting a separate metre fitted. Sorting it through the universities Welfare Centre and the lettings agency... it's getting there.

So... Just go for a gas plan which doesn't have a fixed contract, yeah? So we're not charged for when we leave in July...

t0rt0ise

Chris4 wrote: »

So... Just go for a gas plan which doesn't have a fixed contract, yeah? So we're not charged for when we leave in July...

Not necessarily. As Macman said above, you don't usually get charged the release fee if you move house. It's only charged if you stay there and change suppliers.

Chris4

Ok, I'll confirm with npower when we sign up. Thanks!

charlie792

I did contact NPower about this last week as I had been told on here moving would void the charges but Npower insisted to me this was not true and I would have to pay them regardless

Chris4

Thanks for the heads up, charlie792. When I ask I'll try and get a written confirmation or something to prove my case if anything happens.