Landlords watch your letting agents!

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Guest101 wrote: »

I called BG only to find that the letting agent had switched it without my permission, when we are paying rent and living here for another month. I had to call "spark energy" to tell them that it was an erroneous transfer and they had to switch it back for free. Look at the company they are lumbering the next poor tenants with!
- The suggestion there is British Gas took instruction from the Letting Agent to authorise a change of provider.

No - I can only assume you've never changed energy supplier/worked for an energy firm.

Spark took instruction from the Letting Agent, not BG. Spark then sent a switch request (via ecoes and xoserve, the register for elec and gas respectively) to BG. At no point would BG have discussed any account information with anyone. It would have been a bog standard switch request.

BG have done nothing wrong here.

Guest101

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

No - I can only assume you've never changed energy supplier/worked for an energy firm.

Spark took instruction from the Letting Agent, not BG. Spark then sent a switch request (via ecoes and xoserve, the register for elec and gas respectively) to BG. At no point would BG have discussed any account information with anyone. It would have been a bog standard switch request.

BG have done nothing wrong here.

Funnily enough I'm in (what i suspect to be) the majority of people who havent worked for an energy supplier.

The way it was written suggested that BG took instruction from a 3rd party. I stand corrected. Report the LEtting agent for DPA breaches etc.

Anyone with connections to Centrica, i apologise profusely.

halfabee

Guest101 wrote: »

If you were the person paying the utility bill, it is your account. So you can do whatever you like with it.

The LL and LA are nothing to do with it.

If the supplier wouldnt change it back, you should've gone to the ombudsman (and the ICO for DPA breaches)

I was told by the ombudsman that this is commonplace, and they actually namedropped BE as an agent who does this as standard. A LL can sign a special agreement that allows the agent full control. It is control of a type that means nobody but the LL is allowed to do a normal switch afterwards (unless tenancy changes - I think - it was a while ago), nor is anyone allowed to appeal it.

I assume there is some reason for it, to protect LLs, I don't know.

Guest101

halfabee wrote: »

I was told by the ombudsman that this is commonplace, and they actually namedropped BE as an agent who does this as standard. A LL can sign a special agreement that allows the agent full control. It is control of a type that means nobody but the LL is allowed to do a normal switch afterwards (unless tenancy changes - I think - it was a while ago), nor is anyone allowed to appeal it.

I assume there is some reason for it, to protect LLs, I don't know.

Here you go:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy-supply/problems-switching-energy-suppliers/can-you-switch-gas-or-electricity-supplier-if-you-re-a-tenant/

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/aug/23/tenants-barred-changing-energy-suppliers

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem.../tenancyrightsfactsheetenglishweb.pdf

(3rd link from the ombudsman themselves)

I can tell you now, the LL has no say at all on utilities. He or she does not have the legal power to do what you're saying.