how to approach landlord suspected of using our electric...

Sadie23

G_M wrote: »

and not even a single slice of cake!

nope! if our usage is as close as our forecast with GB energy, then I think she might owe us about £500 :O

HouseBuyer77

If you're getting a sub-meter I assume they'll still be one bill for the flat + LL's bonus micro-flat?

That will mean you'll need to read the meter and get money off the LL to pay your bill. Which will be a pain.

Suggest to the LL that they either get a proper new meter installed (with seperate account and bill) or due to this incovenience and their high energy usage you deduct an average cost off the monthly rent and then once every 3/6 months you'll do a sub-meter read and work out the precise bill with the LL paying a bit more to make up or you paying back some.

Hopefully they'll balk at the latter option and take the former

You could also say that you will deduct say £150 off the rent. If the sub-meter indicates she's used more than £200 that month you'll turn off the power to avoid owing too much.

Placing the secondary consumer unit in your flat wasn't really a smart move (to make this work properly that should be moved to your LLs mini-flat and a proper new meter installed).

notbritishgas

You will be paying a daily standing charge so the LL should pay a portion of that, 50% ?

moneyistooshorttomention

Rain_Shadow wrote: »

Rent is not wasted money. It is the price of having a home in the same way that mortgage interest (the price of renting money) is.

:huh: But one gets something (ie a rather valuable possession and bit of security) for mortgage payments made. Bit by little bit - one gets to own that bit more of the house concerned. Money spent on rent achieves absolutely zilch.

I admit to being very puzzled as to why this isn't blindingly obvious....

Maybe it's the difference between someone that has grown up knowing (as incontrovertible fact) that "My parents own their own house and one day I will own my own house" and never expected to have to throw away rent money for more than a couple of years and someone who hasn't taken it for granted that "Of course I will own a house"???

In my own area - I think the going rate currently for a very very tatty basic one bedroom flat is around £600 per month currently?? It must grate one heck of a lot to any "home-owner" having to throw away £600 literally every single month and not get a darn thing for it - whereas paying that same £600 per month towards a mortgage translates into "Well - a bit of that is paying off house equity and the rest is a loan I had to take out - but it will be gone in x years time and then I own the lot".

I can't believe I'm having to explain something so basic that it's as obvious as "The sun will rise tomorrow - as per usual".

moneyistooshorttomention

Sadie23 wrote: »

Ladies and gents, LL has responded! We are getting a sub meter fitted, and she will call us later to discuss how to work out what is owed

Result!:j:beer::j:beer:

Mygawd that one has worked out easily. Pleased for you.:T

marksoton

You need to make sure this is sorted to your full satisfaction first time.

Personally i wouldn't take any further BS from this LL. She's clearly been trying it on.

StumpyPumpy

zebulon wrote: »

If it happens then you rely on the difference from your own meter new readings versus what reading used to be " Now my bill is £49 instead of £152 so you pay me the difference x months"

The issue with doing it this way is that it leaves you open to being accused of "fiddling" your own consumption by turning everything off for a few days while the measurement is made, in the same way the landlord could.

That is why I'd suggest going with the estimate by a neutral 3rd party (ie the electricity company) rather than any future figures taken when it is known that the usage is being scrutinised.

SP

Person_one

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

:huh: But one gets something (ie a rather valuable possession and bit of security) for mortgage payments made. Bit by little bit - one gets to own that bit more of the house concerned. Money spent on rent achieves absolutely zilch.

I admit to being very puzzled as to why this isn't blindingly obvious....

Maybe it's the difference between someone that has grown up knowing (as incontrovertible fact) that "My parents own their own house and one day I will own my own house" and never expected to have to throw away rent money for more than a couple of years and someone who hasn't taken it for granted that "Of course I will own a house"???

In my own area - I think the going rate currently for a very very tatty basic one bedroom flat is around £600 per month currently?? It must grate one heck of a lot to any "home-owner" having to throw away £600 literally every single month and not get a darn thing for it - whereas paying that same £600 per month towards a mortgage translates into "Well - a bit of that is paying off house equity and the rest is a loan I had to take out - but it will be gone in x years time and then I own the lot".

I can't believe I'm having to explain something so basic that it's as obvious as "The sun will rise tomorrow - as per usual".

Paying rent gets you a place to live, and also means that you don't have any responsibility for maintaining the fabric of your home, you don't have to worry about paying out if something goes wrong. It also means less commitment, and no worries about changes in house prices or negative equity, and that you can claim housing benefit if you should find yourself out of work.

I personally wouldn't want to rent, but I'd have thought it was 'blindingly obvious' that it does have some benefits and is a better option for some people.

Also, it wasn't 'incontrovertible fact' that you would own your own home one day, it was what you wanted and you were lucky to be in a position that you were able to do so, 'homeowner' status isn't genetic.

moneyistooshorttomention

I would argue that "homeowner status" is genetic actually - if there have been several generations of homeowner status in one's family = not going backwards on what has already been achieved. Though I do know that would be regarded as a "personal opinion" by some....

Housing benefit if out of work - that wasnt a problem personally when I was on the receiving end of "out of work" back in the 1980s. From what I can see = it would be a heck of a problem these days though by the time one has factored in "bedroom tax" for instance.

House prices/negative equity are a problem for some - but, personally, I'd take that as a problem compared to wondering whether I dared raise my voice to complain about a problem about my home if it was rented (ie in case my landlord/landlady decided to retaliate about complaints by throwing me out).

How is someone supposed to "get a Life together" and get on with making plans for the rest of that life if they don't have the security of knowing that their home is theirs regardless? That is a genuine question actually. In my own life I have had one HECK of a lot of pressure put on me to do what someone else/employers/the Government wanted and been able to resist it - because I owned my own home:D:D:D:D:D:D:D.

A price simply can't be put on that imo.

rosyw

Sadie23 wrote: »

Ladies and gents, LL has responded! We are getting a sub meter fitted, and she will call us later to discuss how to work out what is owed

Glad to see there is some progress - BUT - I would have thought that a proper, separate, metered supply is what is required to sort it out properly. Call me suspicious, but I'm now wondering if the storage room was always meant to be just that and not used for living accommodation, which would possibly explain the lack of separate supply? As previously mentioned, the standing charge will also need to be split, and you do need to check who is paying for lighting the communal areas, something is definitely not right with the set up as it is.