Landlord asking for meter readings

Max1221

Hi, I've just had an email from my letting agent stating that the landlord has been sent a large energy bill from a previous supplier for my property and they would like meter readings to establish average usage.

This seems rather odd to me, how will my usage indicate what a previous occupier of the property has used? Concerned this may be something untoward or the agent may be being dishonest.

footyguy

Max1221 wrote: »

Hi, I've just had an email from my letting agent stating that the landlord has been sent a large energy bill from a previous supplier for my property and they would like meter readings to establish average usage.

This seems rather odd to me, how will my usage indicate what a previous occupier of the property has used? Concerned this may be something untoward or the agent may be being dishonest.

Who is the account holder? If it is you, politely decline the request of the landlord/agent.

Hopefully you provided the supplier with the start meter reading when you opened the account (assuning you did open an account in your name), and it would be even better if that was also recorded and agreed on your ingoing inventory/statement of condition.
Either way, you can provide the landlord/agent with that reading (and the date it applies to)

Of course, if the landlord is the account holder, you should provide a current meter reading (or agree for the landlord/agent to come round and obtain it themself)
Presumably the landlord is the account holder if the landlord has just received a large bill. :cool:

Max1221

Yeah it isn't my account, the letting agent are saying its a previous supplier. Not had much experience living on my own so wanted to check, and it seemed odd for them to effectively be asking to monitor my energy usage.

Cardew

Max1221 wrote: »

Yeah it isn't my account, the letting agent are saying its a previous supplier. Not had much experience living on my own so wanted to check, and it seemed odd for them to effectively be asking to monitor my energy usage.

Welcome to the forum.

You seem a little paranoid if I may say so.

If it is his account then he has every right to know the meter readings.

Firstly the readings on the large bill might be incorrect.

Secondly if he is paying the bills(unusual) he would like to know how much you are using.

bxboards

I don't see how the current occupier providing readings in any way is helpful for gauging 'average' usage.

Someone sitting in a all day with a fan heater going 24/7 is going to use a lot more than a tenant who is out at work all day. There really is no such thing as average usage in the context of a tenanted property.

If the large bill pre-dates this current tenancy, I too would be questioning this.

System

Yet another plug for smart meters..I think I will quote this comment every time we get a question like this.Endless expensive arguments and problems like this..all cured by a better meter

CashStrapped

House_Martin wrote: »

Yet another plug for smart meters..I think I will quote this comment every time we get a question like this.Endless expensive arguments and problems like this..all cured by a better meter

It would not necessarily help as the current smart meter may not support/work with their current supplier. Until a smart meter is available that supports every supplier, you may still be in this situation depending on your supplier.

System

House_Martin wrote: »

Yet another plug for smart meters..I think I will quote this comment every time we get a question like this.Endless expensive arguments and problems like this..all cured by a better meter

Wow - so these state-of-the-art devices have the ability to travel back in time! This was a post about an old bill. Is SmartEnergy GB now paying meter readers to plug these devices given their advertising is clearly targeted at 5 year olds?

System

OK, for the benefit of such petty remarks from Hengus etc..IF thats ..IF we had a complete smart grid, like Italy, then the above posters complaint would not be valid,,so no more silly "wows " and stupid comments please.You re going to get a lot of this from me so the anti smart mob alliance better get used to it. You re like a bunch of "remoaners " still harping on about Brexit.Smarts are coming big time, why can t you all except the future superior devices with good grace . They are absolutely pouring in throughout the UKs population nowadays and the miniscule amount of forum moaning will not change them.Eventually the whole country will have the superior devices. I m an insider looking at meters all day every day and smarts are fast becoming the most common meter at least for BG..All operating fine, in smart mode, and everyone likes them. Reading the stuff on here is laughable from some of you lot, you re getting more and more rabid in the ridiculous anti smart fight you can t win.
Most people out there do not change supplier and even if the new smart becomes dumb if they move away ( that will be rare ) the majority will stay with the devil they know, so please stop giving out duff advice, it could be years and years before anyone sees a SMETS2 so advice against a SMETS1 is denying them a much superior fit and forget meter.

badmemory

Nice to know it is us that is rabid.

Andy_WSM

House_Martin wrote: »

so advice against a SMETS1 is denying them a much superior fit and forget meter.

It's not "fit & forget", it's "fit & replace" which is what irks most people on the forum. This is a money saving site and the insitence on rolling out fundamentaly flawed SMETS1 meters and replacing them again a couple of years down the line at a cost of £millions is ludicrous AND WE ARE PAYING FOR IT.