Students in a pickle over estimated bill

JGBourne

Need some advice;

We are three students living in a 3 bedroom rented flat. Just received an estimated bill from British Gas of £446 for 3 months (gas alone). We have been refused access to the meter (which is in the basement flat), contacted the current tenent and he said he wouldn't let us in to read the meter.

What do we do now, can't provide a reading but can't afford the ridiculously high estimated bill.

Any advice, thoughts would be more than appreciated.

n/b we rent through an agent who represents the landlord so we've no direct contact with him/her

timbo58

Contact the agent.
£446 is far too high IME, if you're all out all day and don't have the heating on all the time than around £100 per month would be the max I would have thought that would get to.

If that fails tell BG you have no access to the meter and they must attend to get a meter reading.

If the meter is in the basement flat then surely you 3 are not responsible for the whole of the bill in any case?

JGBourne

also we are very low usage, heating on only when very cold and for an hour / 2 hours max. also property was empty over christmas.

JGBourne

thank you. it's a seperate meter for our flat, it's just poorly positioned downstairs

Wywth

Get access to the meter. You need access for safety reasons. It's where the isolation valve is sited.

If all else fails, a locksmith will get you access ... but try more reasonable means first. But don't delay. Your life, and perhaps the lives of many around you, could depend on it!

Fire_Fox

You have no right to enter someone else's property, DO NOT get a locksmith unless you have an emergency and even then get the landlord to gain access if at all possible don't take the law into your own hands. Who is the landlord of the downstairs flat? Will the tenant photograph the meter for you whilst you stand at the door so you don't need access? Go down with a torch and a cheap disposable camera.

If no joy write to the letting agent AND your landlord (use address at which to serve notices on your tenancy agreement) and request they urgently gain access to the meter/ take a reading on your behalf as they will hopefully have done on previous occasions. You may wish to copy the letter to your energy supplier and make an offer of interim payment. Even if they do not agree a payment plan, pay anyway preferably set up a direct debit. Also ask that the supplier visits to read the meters, with ID they may have more luck gaining access than you.

Access may be achievable via the freeholder or managing agents for the building and then via the basement tenant's landlord so it may be quite convoluted, your landlord is contracted to the freeholder directly and to you directly (agents are just agents, they act on behalf of not independent of) which is why you need to write to the landlord.

JGBourne

Having talked to the guy who lives in the basement flat he says its just a pain for him to get a reading, it's in an awkward place by all accounts, so as all the gas meters are there in his property he wants to limit the amount of access given to the other flats; there are 4 flats. He's said he will give us a trang but only at the end of our tenancy. Suggested we pay estimated bills till then and claim the balance back when we leave.

Issue is £446 for three months is very expensive and we can't afford it. Agents have been less then helpful and basically have said the balls in our court.

We don't have any details for the land lord all correspondence has been thorough the estate agent. Can we oblidge British gas to take a reading? How often are they legally required to check?

In the interim do we have a leg to stand on. Can't afford to pay £446 already due, have been trying to get access to meter for months.

Wywth

Fire_Fox wrote: »

You have no right to enter someone else's property,....

As I understood the OP, the OP is a tenant and is supplied via their own meter.

They are legally entitled to access to such a meter. Indeed for saftey reasons, they should ensure access to their meter, or more particularly the islolation valve. As the account holder, they are also required to provide access to the supplier's meter on reasonable request.

Waiting until there is an emergency is not recommended - no locksmith in their right mind would enter a property, let alone start drilling locks if there was a gas escape.

As I earlier mentioned, more reasonable attempts should ideally first be tried to obtain the required access, but time is of the essence however access is to be obtained.

macman

When was the last agent reading? The supplier is only obliged to read the meter once every 2 years.
I'd ask the LL to get involved to insist that the tenants be given reasonable access to their own meters. There should be something in the STA, given that he's aware of the bodged-up metering arrangement. Basement tenant is being a complete a**e-it takes 2 minutes access to read a meter.

JGBourne

They had an estimated reading on our tenency agreement so i couldn't say.

Thanks for your all the replies btw. will draft an email to the agent saying we need access and will see where we go from there.

the other thing i don't understand is just how British Gas got the figure of £150 per month for a 3 bedroom flat... seems crazy

king312

First thing, you are students, the Landlord has to legally service your gas boiler with a gas saftey enginner every year.

Now, in regards to your dilemna, tell the landlord and make sure the bill is changed to your landlords name if he is awkward and get him to either
1. Tell you the readings every three months
2. Part pay your gas bills

Is there the possibility you might be able to smell gas and need the gas checked? Particularly to also check if the difficult tenant might have illegal gas siponing equipment attached! Hopfully this is not real but I've seen worse with neighbours siponing gas into their properties.

Also abroad children, stealing gas for cooking with condoms :rotfl: