Think I am being over-charged for electricity in rented accomodation

apronedsamurai

Hi.
Have moved into a bedsit where I insert a £1 in the coin meter and I am given credit/electricity. It would seem that the rate is 0.26.00 p/kWh (0.26 p/kWh).
Can anyone please help me convert this into the value per £1 etc? thanks

Believe this works at 26p per kWh, meaning I get 4 units per £1?

footyguy

apronedsamurai wrote: »

Hi.
Have moved into a bedsit where I insert a £1 in the coin meter and I am given credit/electricity. It would seem that the rate is 0.26.00 p/kWh (0.26 p/kWh).
Can anyone please help me convert this into the value per £1 etc? thanks

Believe this works at 26p per kWh, meaning I get 4 units per £1?

That's correct.

What makes you think you are being overcharged?
You need to pay what it costs the landlord. It may be quite expensive as perhaps the landlord is being charged on a commercial tariff (although presumably on a domestic rate of VAT), and will indlude all costs, not just the the unit price.

You need to get to find out what the landlord costs actually are (and perhaps the total consumption through the suppliers meter) before you can say whether or not you are being overcharged.
A unlicenced reseller of electricity (which is presumably what your landlord is) is not permitted to profit from the resale of that electricity (but neither is he expected to make a loss)

Unfortunately, as you do not pay the supplier, you have no choice over which supplier nor tariff the landlord is on.

apronedsamurai

Because the national average is circa 12.7p. Because I have been in other rented accommodation and the price was around this figure. Because the landlord is in arrears to Scottish Power for 24,000. Because a person from Ofgem, a HMO licensing board, and an electrician have all identified that is far in excess of what I should be paying.

Because I have a law degree and am aware that the resell of electricity and or gas cannot generate a profit. Because when I raised this issue with the handyman who manages the property, his response was evasive, defensive and hostile.

Because despite it being a HMO property, there is no copy of the license and the required signatories anywhere, which must be kept in a plainly visible, publicly accessible area.

Because if this a pre-payment meter, then the whole raison d'etre behind them is that tenants do not accumulate sizeable debt and then leave the landlord footing the bill. In which case then, either the landlord has been remiss in the collection of monies from tenants, or has delibrately racked up such a sizeable amount of arrears (24,000 definitely qualifies in my book) by non-payment.

All of the above reasons show either woeful mismanagement or a concerted attempt to engage in usurious conduct.

footyguy

apronedsamurai wrote: »

Because the national average is circa 12.7p. ...

(a) You wish
(b) is irrelevent (for the reasons I provided above)

apronedsamurai wrote: »

Because I have been in other rented accomodation and the price was around this figure. Because the landlord is in arrears to Scottish Power for 24,000. Because a person from Ofgem, a HMO licensing board, and an electrician have all identified that is far in excess of what I should be paying.

Because I have a law degree and am aware that the resell of electricity and or gas cannot generate a profit. Because when I raised this issue with the handyman who manages the property, his response was evasive, defensive and hostile.

Because despite it being a HMO property, there is no copy of the license and the required signatories anywhere, which must be kept in a plainly visible, publicly accessible area.

:rotfl:

Good luck! :cool:

(Give notice and move if so unhappy)

apronedsamurai

Actually, that was derived from the Energy Savings Trust. Even then, the highest specified rate of energy provided is 17p, which is still substantially less than the 26p I am being charged. So despite your rather patronisingly dismissive comment, it is not so much a case of "I wish" as it is a case of "interpreting figures from experts in the field."

I am thrilled that my distress and concern from such a manifestly sketchy situation causes you such amusement.

And the word is "irrelevant."

trickytree1963

There might be an element for a Daily Standing charge? Are you saying landlord owes £24000? He could accumulate that debt by taking all those £1s off his tenants and not paying SP?

I take it you have contacted your Local Authority Rogue Landlords or HMO Licensing team?

apronedsamurai

Yes, he owes £24,000 to the power company, and they are sending debt collection agents to gain access to the property for non-payment of the arrears. I did notice that there was a value of 0.100 on the meter for something like daily standing etc.

Well, he could have accumulated that debt, but to not only accumulate that debt but then permit it to be left unpaid for so long that it is then referred to a debt collection agency, who are using statutory powers to gain access to the property does seem a tad...negligent.

I have contacted the HMO department of my local council as well.

Scottish Power were FASCINATED to hear from me. The Revenue Protection officers will be out in full force

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever I should be paying via a coin for the meter. Therefore, it can only be a scam of some description (the person from Scottish Power, not mines).