Two MPRN for one household

Tosh2345

Hi everyone

I have a question re MPRNs,

I moved into my property almost 12 months ago, after moving in I switched from BG to our new supplier. At the time my new supplier asked me to confirm my MPRN and GSM which I did.

Then last month I got a bill from BG for a relatively small amount. When I phoned to query the bill, after a lengthy conversation, that my address has two MPRNs registered to it, one with a slightly different postcode, after double checking my meter we left it that BG would investigate the issue.

Then I got another phonecall saying there was nothing they could do and I had to call National Grid to check my MPRN, which I did and they had no records. So I doubled checked with my new supplier and all the details there are correct in regards to them being the supplier for the MPRN registered to my address, which corresponds with the meter in the box shown on plans for the building. They did said on their records that there was confusion around MPRNs with another flat in my building, a flat which has been intermittently empty since we moved in, BG also said that they can't find an MPRN at all for that flat, so this along with the small amount leads me to believe the bill is for this flat.

Now my question is really around my obligations in this instance, I've already spent 2 hrs in the past 2 days sorting it out but BG are still no closer to sorting it out, I run my own business so don't really want to waste anymore time sorting out something which I don't see as my responsibility or my problem. My plan is to speak to my neighbours to find out if they've registered for gas and if not give them the bill asking them to sort it out. But if they don't do so, will I be liable for the bill?

Can I leave it at that and carry on, and hope between them they figure it out, or is it up to me to keep jumping through the various hoops involved to sort it out?

[Deleted User]

Was it a new build 12 months ago ? I see it all the time, as a meter reader, when theres always mess ups somewhere with meters and mpans. Its the fault of the builder and the man in the hard hat whos job is to log all meters and register them with Ngrid/Suppliers.
Personally I d just do a kettle on/off test to locate my meter and get that serial number of that meter off to the supplier and get the correct mpan for that meter and ignore any other meters. They re not your problem.
Its not really British Gas` s responsibility to sort out builders mess ups neither, its the builder/developer whos at fault and they wont help you now. Your legal obligation is to pay for the energy you use and use the correct meter for your property wherever its located. When you have got that correct please can you label it properly to indicate your address so meter readers dont come along and also mess it up, because they certainly will.I have addresses in flats I visit what has nt got sorted in ten years because the tenants wont sort it themselves

Tosh2345

Thanks for your reply, it's great to hear from an expert!

Yeah you guessed it its a new build and as a double whammy it's a new postcode. Incidently this is our Gas supply I'm talking about and not Electric, they also managed to screw up our electric meter with a different flat but we managed to sort that out between us.

After I posted my post I think I've worked out what has happened, I think they put the wrong card in our meterbox so when I gave the number to our new supplier it was switched from the other flat to our address. So hence why ours has two and the other flat has none.

Which has confused me even more, does that mean the MPRNs have to be switch back or now that my meter is associated with the other number it's just left as that? Does it mean the bill is mine or that BG are just billing for a number they have on their system and the other flat is liable for it? Argghh this feels doing algebra!

I'll do a burn test to be sure the meter in the box is mine

[Deleted User]

Not sure on that one , supplier will know. I thought each meter is alloted its own MPR right from day one and its prob best to stick with that if thats the case. you have to do the suppliers job for them in cases like this because in the flats that I know with these mess ups, its only the occupiers themselves can figure out whos meter is who s by , as you say, a simple on off burn test. Just label the meter as yours clearly because the meter readers only go on serial numbers when searching through exterior groups of boxes and if thats messed up, the bills wrong and someones happy when they should nt be.Check that the 13 digit meter serial matches the one on your bill, and of couse that its yours. People do go on for years with these sorts of mess ups and end up moving out either paying too much or little, or none at all.

chanz4

If new build likely to be under the IGT database and not thr grids