"Just Move In" or "Look After My Bills"?

AllTheGearNoIdeaAllTheTime

We are due to become tenants from the 31st July with a private landlord where all issues and correspondence are handled through the estate agent.

They have told us that their partner "Just Move In" will be in contact with us shortly to help us set up all bills as well as offering the best deals on the market. However I have heard good things about "Look After My Bills" and I'm wondering whether I should tell them to leave it and I'll handle it myself? 
Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with the 2 companies above? At a bit of a loss, very new to this..
Any help is lots of help!
Thanks

matelodave

I've not heard any good things about "Just Move in" or "Look After My Bills" so I would avoid them at all costs. Most of these firms get a kick back from the landlord or letting agent (Spark Energy is another one) and you as the tenant end up paying inflated bills to cover the commission.
.
Do it yourself, it's not difficult and you can get on a tariff that suits you rather than the landlord.

Just remember the day you get the keys - you are responsible for the gas watter and leccy bills, so read the meters before you do anything else. Take photos and then open an account with the existing supplier giving them your opening readings. If you do not do this you could end up paying for the previous tenants or the landlords energy and water. If its a pre-pay or key meter, do not use the existing key - get you own account. Do not let anyone else read the meter for you and make sure that the meter is really the one for your flat.

It really is important that you do it when you move in and do it yourself, dont rely on someone else .- there are hundreds if not thousand on this forum who haven't done it properly and it's cost them a lot of money, time and stress to sort out.

Once you have set up your account with the existing energy company then you are free to change to another.

Robin9

Neither - do it yourself , you will keep control and it will be cheaper. Your L/L makes a profit. They will not be the best deals.
When you move in, read the meters, contact the existing supplier and go to comparison sites. Describe your flat and its type of heating to us.
Always read the meters yourself - NEVER, NEVER rely on your |L/L , caretaker , agent. Read them every month - look at your bills every month.

Talldave

No, no, no, no, no!! Never allow letting agents or their backhander-giving recommended partners to get involved in anything to do with utilities. 

Make sure you read and photograph meters YOURSELF at check-in. Electric and gas should be easy, water can be more complicated if it's not clear where the meter is. It might be worth calling the local water supplier the day before check in to ask if the property has a meter, if it has you can stand your ground on check in day in asking to see it.

Gerry1

Did the estate agent ask for your permission to give your personal information their third party chums seeking to monetise you?

Krackr

Gerry1 said:

Did the estate agent ask for your permission to give your personal information their third party chums seeking to monetise you?

Neither 'Look After My Bills', nor 'Just Move In' directly charge tenants any money for providing their services to them.

I would suspect all rental agreements allow for disclosure of tenant's details to selected service providers of the landlord and/or agent where applicable, else how would they arrange things like where maintenance is required (especially that needs access to inside the property), gas safety certificates, debt collection services should the rent not be paid, etc.

AllTheGearNoIdeaAllTheTime

Thanks all, so it's a hard pass on using third party 'move in helpers' should this not be set up before we check-in though, is it possible to do so even thought we wont have the keys yet? 

MWT

Krackr said:

Neither 'Look After My Bills', nor 'Just Move In' directly charge tenants any money for providing their services to them.

So they are purely charitable organisations with only the best of possible intentions for their customers and no interest in making money for themselves...? ... no, I didn't think so...

The cheapest deal for the OP will not be found by using an unnecessary intermediary when all the information and help they require can be found here for free...

Krackr

MWT said:

Krackr said:

Neither 'Look After My Bills', nor 'Just Move In' directly charge tenants any money for providing their services to them.

So they are purely charitable organisations with only the best of possible intentions for their customers and no interest in making money for themselves...? ... no, I didn't think so...

No, I don't think so either.
Nor, is the maintenance man, the gas fitter or even the debt collector.

matelodave

When you do it yourself you'll learn how it a ll works, you'll understand what your energy consumption and costs are and you'll have control over your costs. When you relinquish it to a third party( who generally don't actually do this out of benevolenc)e someone ends up paying - usually the customer. You also end up losing control and can find it very difficult to extricate yourself from a poor deal.
There have been several posts on this forum where the intermediary has put someone on a poor deal and it's cost the customer exit fees to escape.
Do it yourself and and do it properly and it will put you in good stead for the rest of your life. Sorting out your own bills is a life skill that's well worth learning - just trawl through all the tales of woe on many of the other threads for people who haven't bothered to sort themselves out and are then blaming others for the stress and ginormous bills that they've racked up.

macman

Students are often hoodwinked into using these kind of services: then at the end of the tenancy they find that readings are wrong, DD's were set too low, and the supplier is now pursuing them for hundreds of pounds in debt. Don't go near them: they pay the agent or LL a bung to solicit for them, as you have found.
All you have to do on day one is to read the meter, contact the existing supplier (with whom you are now in a deemed contract), open an account and submit your opening reads. Once that's done, you can commence a switch to your preferred supplier, which will take around 5 weeks.
There's nothing you need to do before moving in. Same applies to the water authority and council tax: just get in touch on day one, or soon after.
Unless you want to pay Just Move In a generous £290 to do it for you...