No Electricity Meter

findingmyway_2

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping that someone on the forum might be able to point me in the right direction. I recently bought an ex - local authority flat in London. Stupidly, I felt a bit rushed and bullied through the buying process and so didn't have a proper survey done of the property.

I have been trying to get my electricity bill sorted out, but it has now come to our attention that we don't have a meter. Speaking the UK Power Networks, it appears that our property isn't registered and so they told us to contact a supplier and ask them to get a new meter fitted.

I have done this, apparently before they can do this, I need to apply for an NPAN number, which I did, but they refused to send it off to whoever supplies the NPAN numbers because the phase supply box is too old.

Returning to UKPN to ask them to fit a new phase supply box, I was told that this wasn't their responsibility, but whoever I pay service charges to, in my case the council. I got the council out to look at it, and they have said the box is fine, but even if it wasn't they don't install these.

I am at a loss as to what to do, and who I should be contacting, has anyone else has a similar experience, if so, how did you deal with it? I feel like I am running around in circles trying.

Thanks for reading

undaunted

Presumably the property has an electricity supply?


If so have you tried asking the last occupier / their solicitors who was billing it?


Seems more likely to me that the meter is there somewhere in the building than not. How old is the property, have they, for example been converted into flats from a larger property at some stage?

findingmyway_2

It's a purpose built block of flats. I have electricity coming through according to an electrician, but there is no meter in the property. My neighbours have a meter in their property, and I've had the council round, we checked external cupboards where a meter might have been, but none contained a meter.

The sale was a bankruptcy sale and no one has lived there for about 18 months. There were some old bills from Eon and British Gas, so I started with them, assuming they may some record of the property but according to both of them, my property was never listed with them as a customer.

JC_Derby

findingmyway wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping that someone on the forum might be able to point me in the right direction. I recently bought an ex - local authority flat in London. Stupidly, I felt a bit rushed and bullied through the buying process and so didn't have a proper survey done of the property.

I have been trying to get my electricity bill sorted out, but it has now come to our attention that we don't have a meter. Speaking the UK Power Networks, it appears that our property isn't registered and so they told us to contact a supplier and ask them to get a new meter fitted.

I have done this, apparently before they can do this, I need to apply for an NPAN number, which I did, but they refused to send it off to whoever supplies the NPAN numbers because the phase supply box is too old.

Returning to UKPN to ask them to fit a new phase supply box, I was told that this wasn't their responsibility, but whoever I pay service charges to, in my case the council. I got the council out to look at it, and they have said the box is fine, but even if it wasn't they don't install these.

I am at a loss as to what to do, and who I should be contacting, has anyone else has a similar experience, if so, how did you deal with it? I feel like I am running around in circles trying.

Thanks for reading

What do you mean by phase supply box?do you mean meter box?because if you don't then it's quite possible you are being spun a line. PLease can you clarify exactly what you mean by phase supply box...a picture would be best
If your property has ever had a metered supply their will be a unique MPAN number for that property.
Even if the meter has been removed that MPAN number would still be found by a search.
Your post sounds a little confused and possibly not being helped by the people you are dealing with, I don't think I can help with the MPAN issue as there is either one for the property or ukpn have to issue it, but I can help you by telling you the right things to say.
Need just a little bit more information

Alter_ego

findingmyway wrote: »

There were some old bills from Eon and British gas

Did you tell them this? Surely there is a reference No on the bills?

JC_Derby

findingmyway wrote: »

It's a purpose built block of flats. I have electricity coming through according to an electrician, but there is no meter in the property. My neighbours have a meter in their property, and I've had the council round, we checked external cupboards where a meter might have been, but none contained a meter.

The sale was a bankruptcy sale and no one has lived there for about 18 months. There were some old bills from Eon and British Gas, so I started with them, assuming they may some record of the property but according to both of them, my property was never listed with them as a customer.

If the property has had electricity bills then it was listed with them as a customer, can you upload the bills?

findingmyway_2

When I say phase supply box, this is what the electrician and UKPN have called it, when referring to the box that bring the electricity into the house, which then supposedly connects to a meter from an energy supplier.

Sorry, I should have been more clear about the bills from British Gas and EON, they aren't actually bills, they are just letters addressed to previous tenants saying payments were overdue, or that a notice to change something. The EON letter has an account number on there, that I have given to people I have spoken to but they say they have no record of it.

I'm not really sure how to upload pictures, as soon as I figure it out, I will upload a couple of the electrics.

JC_Derby

Ok, I think that by the phase supply box, they mean cut-out.
possibly looking something like the box on the right hand side of this picture





I can only assume its that, as its the sparkies responsibility to install a consumer unit.
As purpose built flats does the building have one incoming supply or many?
Either way it is the DNO - UKPN's responsibility to install/replace a cut out - unless the council maintain and run the distribution network WITHIN the purpose built flats. (that is a quite specific scenario).

I think I need to know exactly what the UKPN people said...sounding stranger and stranger to me.

findingmyway_2

The phase box looks similar to that, I spoke to UKPN, and when they said it wasn't their responsibility, I asked them to email me the response, so I could take that to the council, as the council is who I pay my service fees to. The following is the response from the UKPN

"As per our conversation, UK Power Networks will not be able to upgrade this phase box due to it being part of an internal distribution system that we do not maintain. Being this a large block of flats, getting this upgraded will be the responsibility of the Building Network Operator which will be the organisation that manages the building, in this case we believe it to be the local council.

I suggest to contact them and advise them of the situation and arrange their engineers to attend."

After this, I had the council out, and got told they weren't responsible for replacing the box. I also asked for written confirmation of this, to which I got the following response from the council:

"Homes for Haringey do not install power supply boxes, as this is the responsibility of your power supplier (EON). Please contact them for further advice."

JC_Derby

I would initially respond to UKPN (in a written format)and ask them to provide evidence that Homes for Haringey is the BNO (Building network operator) they must be able to provide evidence of that. I would also send Homes for Haringey a written response advising them what UKPN have advised you and also telling them that Eon are a supplier and cannot provide power boxes (if these means cut out as in above picture)

So at this point you need to find out who is responsible for the distribution network in the block of flats you live in. Despite what UKPN are saying they may be responsible for the services in those flats on the other hand they may be correct. Keep evidence of every email you send and phone call you make and try and get one point of contact within UKPN.
I would do the same for Homes for Haringey too
I would ideally ask for a representative of HfH to come and advise you whether or not they believe they are the building network operator for the block of flats, but you do need someone who understands what that is, if they don't they will be as lost as you are (not meant rudely) BNOs can be quite painful to discover who owns what. Also offer the same opportunity to UKPN.
perhaps you could push UKPN a little more...they are supposed to provide you with a quotation within certain guaranteed timescales, if they cannot do that, they are failing a guaranteed standard and should be making a payment to you.

http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/help-and-advice/documents/Our_Guaranteed_Standards_of_Performance.pdf

In lieu of them not providing a quote ask them to provide evidence of the BNOs ownership, if they cant do that, then IMHO its their responsibility to provide a quotation (it might not be cheap (there is no cost for them to provide a quotation)but they should do it).
Further to that I would be going back to EON and BG and asking for info about the letters you mentioned earlier.
Also speak to your new neighbours and ask them who they pay bills to and what the electrical set up is within the flats.

ChumpusRex

I suggest you write back to the council and ask who their BNO is as you have been advised to forward your query on to them.