When you move into a new rented property..

nicegirl

Hello

I moved into a new rented property yesterday. When we collected the keys on Friday we asked the letting agent who the current electricity supplier was. They said that they didn't know and that we are welcome to choose our own supplier. (We already have a meter reading.)

However, some advice I read on the Citizens Advice Bureau suggested that at least initially we need to inform the current supplier that we've moved in and provide a meter reading. It gave instructions of how to find this out and I've found out that Scottish Power currently supply the property. (I don't know anything about Scottish Power so have no idea if they are any good.)

My questions is, do I need to inform Scottish Power or can I just pick my own supplier and give them the meter reading?

Thank you.

martin2345uk

I believe you need to tell SP that you are there and from what date you are responsible for the supply. Yes you should be free to choose someone else but it can take a while to go through and for that period you will be SP's customer, so give them a call (if you can get through to the swines )

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Yes, you are a SP customer the moment you consumed energy at the property.

You can switch away if you like, and at the very least should get the best deal you can using a comp site. If you leave, SP will bill you for what you owe. If you don't provide a meter reading now, they'll estimate.

There are tales of woe on here of people who haven't given their supplier a reading when they move in, and a few months down the line get a huge bill for consumption they haven't used. There is very little that can be done - how can it be disproved if no meter reading was taken?

macman

As above, you are in a deemed contract from day one, so you can't switch away from SP until you open an account with them and submit your opening reads. A switch will then take 4-5 weeks.
The letting agent is clueless, as is common.

nicegirl

Great, thanks everyone!

I can confirm that the letting agent is indeed useless, which is why I was doing my research. I'll give SP a ring later!

matelodave

Make sure you read the meter correctly and record the readings just in case something goes wrong down the line (a photo would help). If your meter has a serial number then record that as well and ensure that it's the same number that SP has in it's records.
Don't delay get it done as soon as possible. Do the same for your water meter as well otherwise you could end up paying for someone else's consumption.
You should be put onto a standard tariff with no early termination fees to allow you to have a look on some of the comparison sites to see if you can get a good deal.

Bubblebath

nicegirl wrote: »

Great, thanks everyone!

I can confirm that the letting agent is indeed useless, ...

Obviously, otherwise they would have signed you up with Spark Energy. :cool: