Help with Management Company

ShrewsfanIC

So I live in a block of flats and the management company are saying that none of us can choose our energy supplier, and we all have to have the one they are contracted to. Of course, they are massively expensive.

Can they do this? Don’t we have the right to switch? I am an owner, not a tenant.

daveyjp

What does your lease say about utility supplies?

Robin9

Do you have a conventional metering arrangement or are you sub-metered ?

ShrewsfanIC

Sub metered I believe

Gerry1

If you pay the bill directly to the energy company then it seems you have the right to switch, even if you were a tenant. I imagine that any lease condition that prevented you from exercising this right would be deemed to be an Unfair Contract and hence unenforceable.

I'm assuming your supplies are independent, e.g. you don't pay a service charge that includes Constant Hot Water.

But I'm baffled about 'Sub metered, I believe'. Do you not have your own meters, the readings from which you can see on your bills?

daveyjp

If you are sub metered you can't change as you don't have a contract with a supplier, the landlord does.

However you could be asking for evidence the landlord has sought best value.

Gerry1

daveyjp wrote: »

If you are sub metered you can't change as you don't have a contract with a supplier, the landlord does.

However you could be asking for evidence the landlord has sought best value.

Vote for a No Deal Energexit !

ShrewsfanIC

I ask for a reading and the concierge provides it. Maybe then it is as suggested above that the contract is with the management company but this is where charges are hugely inflated and I can’t believe thats fair

Gerry1

Well, give us some hard facts and figures !

How do you pay your bills? What is your annual gas and electricity consumption in kWh? How much does this cost you? What does your lease say? Where is your boiler?

LouLouc

If you pay the utility through the management company in the service charge then yes I think they can do this but 2 points come to mind although not 100% sure without knowing lease details
- the costs must be reasonable. Is it?
- if they are in a contract with the energy supplier for longer than 12 months were you consulted?
The leasehold advisory website has helpful info on this. Worth a look

D_M_E

How do you know the concierge gives you the reading for the meter actually measuring the consumption for your flat?

What energy company's name, if any, is on the bill?

As you apparently have no access to the meter you cannot check the serial number on the bill against the one on the meter.