No meter readings when moved in?

icklejulez

Hi,


Can anyone advise what will happen if I haven't got hold of the meter readings from when I moved into my rental property? We changed suppliers but we have mislaid the initial readings and have now been here 2 months. I don't want to be paying for someone else's gas and electric although the property had been empty for quite a long time and the electric and gas were off when we viewed?


Thanks

honeybean

When my daughter moved into her flat the agent also took reading as part of their check and she had to sign it.it might be worth asking your LA if you went through one,maybe they will have a copy.

icklejulez

I will try this, the agent was an individual who had just started up his own business. He was next to useless... He ignored most our messages, did no inventory and literally handed us the keys a month before we moved in. I don't hold much hope but its always worth a try! x

Joyful

This will be a third party dispute if you ever try to reject the bill. You may well be billed for when it was empty as you cannot confirm a reading.

Have you called the energy company to get an account opened? Take a reading now and call them. If the bill then seems really high they may ask you to monitor your readings and call them back, but if they then changed them and charged the landlord more, he could refuse this and you would be stuck with the bill to pay.

From what you say, make sure everything else is correct with your rental and that you have a gas safety certificate if you have a gas supply.

Oops Just realised you have changed suppliers.That muddies the waters if you have not given readings.

macman

How can you have changed suppliers if you haven't registered for an account? When you did that they would ask you for opening readings. Only then could you commence a switch.
It's not the agent or LL's job to do this. Your account, your bill.

icklejulez

They asked for a reading and I never got round to giving it them, they did however switch suppliers. I know it was my job but its in a meter cupboard with a triangular key that I have never been given so I had no access to it. I'm studying a degree, working full time and looking after 3 children whilst disputing ridiculous claims from my previous landlord so certain things have been missed! We've been paying monthly each month to the new energy company.