Paying For Main AND Sub Meter!

Bambi89

Hi everyone,

I'm in desperate need of some help and advice!

I've been renting a property now since April 2014.

The property was once part of 3 others - Main 4 bed house with an office attached (now 1 bed flat) then a "barn" attached to that (now a 2 bed house that I rent) and then an annex (now a "studio").

The guy renting the studio moved in the same day I did. This is the only property not attached to the other 3.

My property (2 bed house/converted "barn") is electric only and has storage heaters. I'm with EON.

All electricity meters are inside the main 4 bed house (which is also rented out).

My monthly payments to EON are £125.00 (to cover any extra usage... Or so I thought!)

After so many months/nearly a year with one letting agency, the landlord swapped to using another. The only way this effected me was who I paid my rent to.

One day, I contacted the agency for a meter reading (day/night/total). When I gave the info to EON to find out the current status of my bill, I was shocked to find that the account was in arrears by £840!!!

I raised concern with the letting agency who were also baffled! After a few days, the guy looking into the issue found the problem.. I've been paying for the electricity supply to the annex too!!

Turns out, the annex is on a sub meter that the landlord had fitted to my meter!
I was never informed of this and it isn't in either of our contracts! When the meter readings were being supplied by both letting agencies, neither one advised me of this and only ever gave me readings for the main meter!!
I only found out about the sub meter in May 2015, over a year after moving in!!

EON were not aware of a sub meter either!

After research, it seems that, if this is how the landlord wants the properties set up (obviously so as not to incur a large cost himself by getting a separate meter fitted for the annex) then the main bill that is in my name, that I pay, SHOULD be going to him, so that he can split it and advise us both as to what we owe?
However! When telling him this, he has refused to go this route, advising that it isn't visable due to him living 90miles away!!

This now means that, I have to pay a monthly cost of £125.00, covering my bill and then annex, then every 3months, work out what the annex has used, confirm that cost with the agency so they can invoice the other tenant for them to then take their payment to the agency so that they can they pass onto me!! (Please, someone tell me this is as wrong as I believe it to be!)

Going back to the £840 arrears... After asking the landlord to move the account to his name and him refusing, his recovery was to ensure me that, if the tenant of the annex ever "did a bunk" that he would personally cover the cost himself. The tenant paid £400 and one months usage (45 days worth to be exact)... Then did a bunk! He left the place in a mess. The landlord assured me (and the agency!!) that, the deposit money from the other tenant would come to me as priority to cover the remaining arrears (I don't think he actually listened to how much was still outstanding!) after being told the costs of repair for the annex, he's now stating he doesn't believe it to be "his problem" to pay the arrears!!

Please, please, someone help!! :eek: :eek:

System

I'm sorry to hear that your landlord is a !!!!!!. He's obviously decided to create this complication for the sake of paying a few hundred to the distributor to fit a proper submain, and save on having to pay a standing charge on a second meter. What an absolute !!!!.

I can't help on the tenancy side of things, but I'd like to find out if the setup you've described is in breach of electrical safety regulations.

Do you know if it's just a secondary meter within the boundaires of the annex or is there a secondary consumer unit as well ? I would assume that there is some kind of isolation within the annex for maintenance etc, You need to find out the exact situation if you can so I can confirm if it'll be worth contacting the local authority if regulations are not up to scratch.

Bambi89

I'm unaware if it's against any regulations that I'm being made to pay the main bill an having to claw money back from the other tenant. Shouldn't the main bill be going to him so that he can distribute the usage costs?

I'm not sure on the setup, I don't even have access to my own meter. I do know though, that there is a sub meter attached to mine, but also, a 'copy' of this in the actual annex itself too... Is that of any help?

Thanks for your response and advice!!:)

Cardew

Clearly the sensible route is that the main bill should go to the landlord or the letting agents, and they apportion the cost between the two properties. Bear in mind that electricity via a sub-meter cannot be sold for a profit.


In fact in one sense it should work to your advantage in that the two properties only pay a single daily standing charge(which should also be split)


I don't think there is any need for a separate consumer unit, your unit will provide the protection.


Unfortunately IMO whilst conceding it is a stupid arrangement, I don't see anything illegal in the set-up. Clearly you have grounds for complaint that the situation was not made clear in the letting agreement; but it is difficult to see how you can get redress for the money you are owed, other than go to the small claims court. Taking that course usually makes the defendant settle out of court.


Personally I would write to the letting agent and formally pass the problem to them to sort out.

footyguy

Bambi89 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm in desperate need of some help and advice!

I've been renting a property now since April 2014.

The property was once part of 3 others - Main 4 bed house with an office attached (now 1 bed flat) then a "barn" attached to that (now a 2 bed house that I rent) and then an annex (now a "studio").

The guy renting the studio moved in the same day I did. This is the only property not attached to the other 3.

My property (2 bed house/converted "barn") is electric only and has storage heaters. I'm with EON.

All electricity meters are inside the main 4 bed house (which is also rented out).

My monthly payments to EON are £125.00 (to cover any extra usage... Or so I thought!)

After so many months/nearly a year with one letting agency, the landlord swapped to using another. The only way this effected me was who I paid my rent to.

One day, I contacted the agency for a meter reading (day/night/total). When I gave the info to EON to find out the current status of my bill, I was shocked to find that the account was in arrears by £840!!!

I raised concern with the letting agency who were also baffled! After a few days, the guy looking into the issue found the problem.. I've been paying for the electricity supply to the annex too!!

Turns out, the annex is on a sub meter that the landlord had fitted to my meter!
I was never informed of this and it isn't in either of our contracts! When the meter readings were being supplied by both letting agencies, neither one advised me of this and only ever gave me readings for the main meter!!
I only found out about the sub meter in May 2015, over a year after moving in!!

EON were not aware of a sub meter either!

After research, it seems that, if this is how the landlord wants the properties set up (obviously so as not to incur a large cost himself by getting a separate meter fitted for the annex) then the main bill that is in my name, that I pay, SHOULD be going to him, so that he can split it and advise us both as to what we owe?
However! When telling him this, he has refused to go this route, advising that it isn't visable due to him living 90miles away!!

This now means that, I have to pay a monthly cost of £125.00, covering my bill and then annex, then every 3months, work out what the annex has used, confirm that cost with the agency so they can invoice the other tenant for them to then take their payment to the agency so that they can they pass onto me!! (Please, someone tell me this is as wrong as I believe it to be!)

Going back to the £840 arrears... After asking the landlord to move the account to his name and him refusing, his recovery was to ensure me that, if the tenant of the annex ever "did a bunk" that he would personally cover the cost himself. The tenant paid £400 and one months usage (45 days worth to be exact)... Then did a bunk! He left the place in a mess. The landlord assured me (and the agency!!) that, the deposit money from the other tenant would come to me as priority to cover the remaining arrears (I don't think he actually listened to how much was still outstanding!) after being told the costs of repair for the annex, he's now stating he doesn't believe it to be "his problem" to pay the arrears!!

Please, please, someone help!! :eek: :eek:

I'm not sure if it's me today, but this is another thread I'm not sure I fully understand.

As I understand you (which must be wrong) you live in part of a converted property the whole of which is supplied via one main meter (and there is at least one private sub-meter which is why the supplier is unaware of this)

In a rather strange set-up, you as the tenant are responsible for the main supply with the supplier and are expected to recover the landlords usage/cost from him.

This is rather an odd situation and something you may wish to bring to the attention of the local council private sector rental officer or ask more about on the rental board here, but I will deal with the energy situation as that is the board you have posted on.

When you created a new account in your name at the start of the tenancy agreement, then there should have been no arrears on your account - the supplier would need to chase the previous account holder for any debts that account holder accrued.

If you hadn't set up an account in your own name, then I'm confused as to how it is in your name today. Anyway, with your tenancy agreement (and hopefully the agreed recorded meter reading at the time) then that may be able to be sorted out retrospectively with the supplier.

Unfortunately it is true that as the account holder, you are responsible to the supplier for all energy accurately recorded as going through that meter whilst you are the account holder.

Bambi89

I live in one section of a converted propert, in total, there are 4 that are being rented out, mine being one of them. 3 of the properties (including my own) have their own main meters, however, the annex is supplied through a sub meter which is attached to mine. All three main meters and the sub meter (attached to mine) are all in the main 4bed house so I have to contact the letting agency to get my meter usage.

When I first moved in, I set up the account in my name, but as stated, was never advised of the sub meter.

The arrears were not already on the account, it's what has been accrued by the other tenant with the sub meter as well as my own usage, however, sub meter readings were never being taken for the annex for the period of tenancy as the agency never provided them. The only readings I have is from 15/5/2015 (when the new agency first found out about the sub meter) and then 29/6/2015 as a bill was getting ready to be produced.

It's a complicated matter, and it's something the agency, myself and the landlord are all aware of, however, it's just going in circles at the minute.

As far as I'm lead to believe by the current agency, they're trying to prove it was the previous agency's fault. The landlord has refused out right to have the energy account in his name since I discovered it should be a split bill.

He did say on plenty of occasions that I shouldn't worry as he'll ensure I'm not left with the charges, however, now that push has come to shove, he's not happy to pay! I believe he is going to try and claim from the previous agency before paying a penny, until then, I'm left where I started and no better off.

footyguy

Bambi89 wrote: »

I live in one section of a converted propert, in total, there are 4 that are being rented out, mine being one of them. 3 of the properties (including my own) have their own main meters, however, the annex is supplied through a sub meter which is attached to mine. All three main meters and the sub meter (attached to mine) are all in the main 4bed house so I have to contact the letting agency to get my meter usage.

When I first moved in, I set up the account in my name, but as stated, was never advised of the sub meter.

The arrears were not already on the account, it's what has been accrued by the other tenant with the sub meter as well as my own usage, however, sub meter readings were never being taken for the annex for the period of tenancy as the agency never provided them. The only readings I have is from 15/5/2015 (when the new agency first found out about the sub meter) and then 29/6/2015 as a bill was getting ready to be produced.

It's a complicated matter, and it's something the agency, myself and the landlord are all aware of, however, it's just going in circles at the minute.

As far as I'm lead to believe by the current agency, they're trying to prove it was the previous agency's fault. The landlord has refused out right to have the energy account in his name since I discovered it should be a split bill.

He did say on plenty of occasions that I shouldn't worry as he'll ensure I'm not left with the charges, however, now that push has come to shove, he's not happy to pay! I believe he is going to try and claim from the previous agency before paying a penny, until then, I'm left where I started and no better off.

So when you moved in, there was a tenant in the "annex" where the main meter is located, and they accumulated the debt whilst you were the account holder?
As I said, you are responsible to the supplier for all the energy correctly recorded by the meter whilst you are the account holder.


As you are expected to be the account holder, demand access to the meter. It is your responsibility to allow the supplier access to the meter on request, not anyone elses.

Remember the agent works for the landlord and takes instructions from him.

As the landlord has done things on the cheap, I think the only reasonable action he could take would be for him to be the account holder and then apportion the bill accordingly (as he will be aware of the sub meter).
The downside of this is that you would not have any choice in the landlords choice of supplier/tariff ... but presumably the other occupant of the "annex" has no choice who you currently choose either.



As I said, speak to the council or post on the tenancy board for more help about the tenancy.