7 months on I'm still paying for my neighbour's electricity

Jmoo

Hi all,

You've probably seen some of my posts before about huge electricity bills and the possibility my neighbour (some 250 yards away from me) may be on the same electricity supply as me in this block of flats.

This has gone a long time and after swapping meters over to reduce my bills I discovered I was in fact sharing the same supply with someone else and that I'm paying the full costs. After many complaints to SSE and threatening the ombudsman to SSE and the letting agent someone came out to confirm this was the case, and for the last six months I've been advised the other tenant would be applying for a new meter which would be installed and their account would be set up, which is when the letting agent would arrange for the bill to be halved.

A bit of a !!!! take but I stuck with their word even though I'm barely in my flat, and so my expensive bill is no doubt because my neighbour has electricity and electrical heating on throughout the winter!

Anyway, I was assured last week that would be the end of it as the meter would be installed. It then turns out there were problems with the wiring so they needed UK Power Networks to come out the next day. They did, but other than poking the wiring around they didn't install the new meter. I spent hours then on the phone trying to find out what was happening to little response.

I chose to then go rogue and switch off my supply completely while I was away. This resulted in UK Power Networks coming out again, and switching my electricity back on just so the neighbour could continue using my supply!

Now I'm told it's unlikely a new meter will be put in because the wiring in the building is so old they would want other arrangements made (and further costs to the landlord) to ensure it met the latest standards.

So now I'm clueless what to do. I'm no further to getting money back, I think my neighbour may soon be moving away without paying up, and seven months later there's still no solution. I'm starting to think all I can do is move out.

lstar337

Jmoo wrote: »

I chose to then go rogue and switch off my supply completely while I was away.

Going rogue? You can do whatever you like with your side of the supply!

I would have got in my own electrician to cut off the neighbour the second I knew what was happening.

Jmoo wrote: »

This resulted in UK Power Networks coming out again, and switching my electricity back on just so the neighbour could continue using my supply!

They did what? :eek:

Jmoo wrote: »

Now I'm told it's unlikely a new meter will be put in because the wiring in the building is so old they would want other arrangements made (and further costs to the landlord) to ensure it met the latest standards.

So now I'm clueless what to do. I'm no further to getting money back, I think my neighbour may soon be moving away without paying up, and seven months later there's still no solution. I'm starting to think all I can do is move out.

I think you should be taking legal action. Find a solicitor and see what steps you can take to get appropriate compensation.

Jmoo

I've been told the landlord will send an electrician out now to assess the situation. Possibly another false hope.

Thebigin644

I would defiantly suggest taking this further. If indeed it is due to wires in poor condition this falls on your landlord. The Landlords and Tenants Act (1985) requires that the electrical installation in a rented property is safe when a tenancy begins and maintained in a safe condition throughout the tenancy. In addition the landlord must have all wiring checked every 5 years and at the change of tenancy.


So your landlord should have had the electrics checked by an electrician before you moved in. This would have hopefully prevented this situation.


I really hope you can get this sorted I know that trying to argue with an energy company is like smashing you head on a wall at times.

sheffield_lad

Thebigin644 wrote: »

I really hope you can get this sorted I know that trying to argue with an energy company is like smashing you head on a wall at times.

but if the issue is after the meter (which it sounds like), it is nothing to do with the energy company.

I would the landlord needs to be contacted and either helps you break down the split between the two properties or you tell him (via a Solicitor), that it is his bill and you await his breakdown of your side of it.

D_M_E

What did you do to turn off the power when you went away, and what did the power company do to turn it back on? How did they gain access to restore the supply?

If you have a fuse or trip box, try removing/tripping them then on a light and turn them on one by one until your light comes on then you know the last one is for the light, then turn the rest off, plug in something which has a standby light then turn on your trips until you find the one that lights your standby, now you know two fuses/trips, leave those two on and turn the rest off.

Next time the power company shows up, tell them that, as you are paying for the supply, you can turn off what you like and they should not make you pay for someone else's power, which is what they are proposing.

This is for the LL to sort out, not you - have you changed the locks to prevent access when you are out/away?

I also agree with other posters - you need to stop arguing with the LL and waiting for him to sort it out and go to court to recover your costs.

As far as the energy company is concerned, someone is using energy which is being recorded by a meter and that meter is yours, so they will come after you and only you for payment, no matter how much has been used.

MeterMan

turn it off again, the DNO don't have the power to turn on your electricity, only turn it off if a dangerous situation has occured.

If the LL isn't doing anything about it, I would be stubborn, sit near the consumer unit with the electric off.

When the DNO turn up again, inform them of the situation and that if they want to re-instate power to the other property then they need to install another cutout.

Check your contract agreement, if its not in there that you pay the neighbors electricity, then stop paying rent.

Jmoo

The trouble is that the electricity meter is in a communal cupboard with everyone elses. I can switch it off from this cupboard, but in theory anyone can go back in and turn it back on again. I have my own fuse board within my flat, but the wiring is in the cupboard away from my flat.

So it's quite easy for them to come along and turn it back on when I'm not nearby (usually during the day when I'm at work!)


The letting agent has been reasonable, and I appreciate they're having to deal with the LL and SSE, and they say they'll ask the tenant to pay back once it's resolved. But until then it's going on and on...

lstar337

Jmoo wrote: »

they say they'll ask the tenant to pay back once it's resolved. But until then it's going on and on...

Pay back what though? It's unmetered!

As you have already said, you have been frugal and no doubt (since they were clearly aware that they were getting free electric) they have been pi$$ing it away like nobodies business!

D_M_E

Is the cutoff one of those operated by a lever - if so, you can put a small lock on some of them to lock them in the OFF position and these locks can be bought for a quid in the pound shops.

Presence of a lock should stop power company from turning it on again.

Failing that, can you put a cheap lock on the meter cupboard to prevent access after you turn off the supply?

Nobody needs to know it's your lock.

Seems that neither the LA nor the LL want to rectify the situation so you have to aggravate the situation and keep turning off the power until something is done - after all, the power COULD be being cut off due to an unknown fault - that would be my excuse.

MeterMan

pay for an electrician to disconnect it.