The tale of the Eon key meter

jetsetterjoe

chris1973 wrote: »

Actually most STA's mention that the property must be returned in exactly the same condition as it was let, and with exactly the same fixtures and fittings, and this could probably form a very strong argument in the event of a deposit dispute hearing.

Sometimes LL's fit prepayment meters for a reason, perhaps they have had a bad tenant who has fled town leaving them with 3 months worth of unpaid rent and a £5000 electricity bill for their 'growing' activities

There is nothing worse than being a new tenant and getting the Baliff's knocking on your door chasing up an unpaid energy debt left by the previous tenant. Yes, you are not liable for it, but it takes a lot of effort and sending a load of paperwork off in order to convince the Energy Company that the person no longer lives there and you are a new tenant, and we all know how efficient energy companies are in communication skills, just by reading this forum!. Often the LL doesn't want the hassle of it either, and so will fit a prepayment meter to lessen the risks of a debt during a tenancy occuring.

I would say, that given the large number of 'I've just had a £xxxx bill from....' appearing on this forum that its a good idea, as its clear that a growing number of people simply don't bother to read their meter, monitor their energy usage or their DD payments all of which is a dangerous mistake to make with a credit meter.

For this reason its a good idea and a basic courtesy to check with your LL that the meter has not been purposefully fitted by them, because of the behaviour of other tenants, as changing it without his / her permission may leave you having to pay to have it changed back again at the end of your tenancy, or risk losing part of your deposit when the LL / Letting Agent discover you've changed it on their walk around.

Thank you kindly for this.

A very useful bit of info that could potentially save me a lot of problems in the future!

I think we've decided to stick with the key meter for the time being and see how we get on with it, as it has been suggested that there is no price difference. If for any reason we need to change it, we'll consult the LL.

Thanks again!

t0rt0ise

There's a huge price difference between a prepayment meter and the cheapest tariffs. Why people say there's no difference I have no idea.

jetsetterjoe

t0rt0ise wrote: »

There's a huge price difference between a prepayment meter and the cheapest tariffs. Why people say there's no difference I have no idea.

That's good to know!

Do you think you could give me a little more information regarding this, as I really don't want to be paying more =S

Thanks!

Chouette

chris1973 wrote: »

Actually most STA's mention that the property must be returned in exactly the same condition as it was let, and with exactly the same fixtures and fittings, and this could probably form a very strong argument in the event of a deposit dispute hearing.

For this reason its a good idea and a basic courtesy to check with your LL that the meter has not been purposefully fitted by them, because of the behaviour of other tenants, as changing it without his / her permission may leave you having to pay to have it changed back again at the end of your tenancy, or risk losing part of your deposit when the LL / Letting Agent discover you've changed it on their walk around.

Oddly enough I checked mine, and the Tenancy Agreement specifically forbids me to allow a prepayment meter to be installed... which is interesting, as there was one when I moved in!

I'm having it changed to credit without bothering to ask the LL (who wouldn't care anyway, so long as I restore it), as I'm happy to pay to have it returned when I move out, but I can't work out if I need to confess and ask permission to restore the meter to prepayment when I do or risk being in breech of my contract :rotfl: