Can a meter reader insist on entering a property when only minors are home?

mrcow

Inspectorman wrote: »

Surely a polite "can you come back later, I'm just on the way out" would be a better response than shutting the door in their face? :undecided

I said that she couldn't come in and she got quite humpy/rude about it.

So I just shut the door.

I don't have to explain my comings and goings to anyone. Knocking on someone's door at that time of the morning is intrusive.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

mrcow wrote: »

I've shut the door in their faces before when they've knocked at 8.30am just as I'm leaving to get everyone to school.

mrcow wrote: »

I said that she couldn't come in and she got quite humpy/rude about it.

So I just shut the door.

I don't have to explain my comings and goings to anyone. Knocking on someone's door at that time of the morning is intrusive.

yes, must be annoying when your employer tells you to start work at 8am, when others are still in bed.

Everybody doesn't have a cushy 9-5 job in a nice cosy office.

Meter readers also work until 8 at night, so would it be intrusive if he/she called then when you are watching the soaps?

JimmyTheWig

chanz4 wrote: »

If a child is on site, and no adult I call the police out to attend. Inregards to rights of entry for the dno rights, they still have to obtain a warrant for internal meters although they can just dig up your service cable without.

I think there is some confusion on this thread about what happened.
A guy came out to read a meter.
_Surely_ this wouldn't merit police attendence or digging up a cable?
If no-one was in then the meter reader would have no choice but to carry on with the next house on the list.

This wasn't an emergency. There was no urgent need for the guy to do anything.

cr1mson

Every Xmas Eve I deny meter reader access to my house as my gas meter is in the under stairs cupboard which is where Santa keeps the presents!

Every year we have the same palava where I try and explain why they can access the electricity meter but not the gas one. This year I have a note by the door ready to hand to them!

[Deleted User]

cr1mson wrote: »

Every Xmas Eve I deny meter reader access to my house as my gas meter is in the under stairs cupboard which is where Santa keeps the presents!

Every year we have the same palava where I try and explain why they can access the electricity meter but not the gas one. This year I have a note by the door ready to hand to them!

At least make the meter readers xmas merry by giving him the reading, he l be happy at that. From my first jobs as meter reader (lowri beck,Y.E.B Meter Plus,. Accuread and now G4S ) each company has made it plain from the outset not to attempt to enter properties with only minors in. In the last few years its got even stricter, to include anyone regardless of age, if they dont want you in, we ve got to leave without any arguements or pushiness. They dont want us upsetting the suppliers or customers. That meter reader who came to the OPs house would definitetly get a warning ( or even the sack if hed reached his three warnings in a year limit ) I would like to add, we at G4S are strictly vetted

C_Mababejive

Why is it that every male in this country is deemed dangerous? I'm, heartily sick of it.

poet123

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Why is it that every male in this country is deemed dangerous? I'm, heartily sick of it.

So, if you had youngish kids alone in a house you would be happy for a random stranger to be admitted by one of them?

chanz4

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

I think there is some confusion on this thread about what happened.
A guy came out to read a meter.
_Surely_ this wouldn't merit police attendence or digging up a cable?
If no-one was in then the meter reader would have no choice but to carry on with the next house on the list.

This wasn't an emergency. There was no urgent need for the guy to do anything.

you need to read the previous posts, but I was also responding to

Originally Posted by undaunted
Nonsense! As you yourself quote "at all reasonable times". It is not reasonable to demand entry of a 14 year old child at all let alone when told their parents will be back in 30 mins.

Furthermore if they could in reality impose entry without warrant there would be no warrant procedure

mrcow

[Deleted User] wrote:

yes, must be annoying when your employer tells you to start work at 8am, when others are still in bed.

Everybody doesn't have a cushy 9-5 job in a nice cosy office.

Meter readers also work until 8 at night, so would it be intrusive if he/she called then when you are watching the soaps?

Anyone knocking on my door for non emergency entry to my home at 8pm won't be let in either. Especially if it's dark. Even more so if they are rude and/or humpy.

It's got nothing to do with the TV. Not sure where you're going with that one (unless you were trying to be funny?)

emslovesmickey

I'm very wary of letting people in in the evening anyway, especially given that around my way someone was trying to get into people's houses to rob them, and wearing an EDF jacket.

As for the child in question, yes he made a mistake but some 15 year olds do a lot worse. He is responsible enough to look after his brothers but was blind sided by an adult in authority.