Gas Meter mix up in new build flats

flightmode

I was hoping I could get some help/advice on my following situation.
I moved into a new build around 3 years ago, renting the flat we were given keys etc. as well as our allocated gas and electric meters by the estate agents/landlord.  The gas meter sits outside the building along with the others.  All the flats in the building are owned by their occupiers apart from mine and the flat next door, who both have tenants and renting.

The tenents next door moved out last year, and new tenants have moved in.  We never had any previous issues with our bills, but the new tenants next door recently discovered that their meter was actually ours, and my meter theirs.  The national grid has the meters allocated wrongly also, and I have asked an engineer to come out to confirm the mix so hopefully they can do the switch so we can start paying for our own bills/reading.

Hopefully the switch can happen and the meters can be corrected so we can start paying correctly.  The issue I have is that I am not in loss at all, unlike the other threads, I have not been at loss and have been paying my bills correctly with the meter I was allocated.
During this time there has been 2 tenents next door, as well the switching of energy suppliers.  In my opinion this is not the tenents fault, nor the landlords but actually the development company who allocated the meter to each flat.  The response the landlords recieved from the development company was just an apology and nothing more with them advising the landlords that the tenents sort it out. 

As next door is kicking up a fuss, the landlords have suggested that they work out the differences, and we sort it out between us which I am not really happy with.  I don't feel that I should be liable for the mix up, or the difference since I have been paying as I thought I should be for the last 3 years.  I have wasted alot of my time trying to chase the mix up on my end, I was initially happy to pay but due to the way things have proceeded, I am becoming more relunctant with the fault really lying with the development company an not us, the landlords or the energy suppliers.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or has any advice on how I should proceed? Much appreciated!

MWT

Do you know how much your new neighbours feel they have lost due to the meter confusion?

dogshome

This problem is not uncommon in flat blocks, even where each meter has a label indicating the Flat number it serves.

Check, with the co-operation of the neighbor, by turning off the Gas by the handle on each meter in turn. to see which flat loses it's Gas supply.

The "owner" of the meter  is your present gas supplier, ( It changes when you change supplier ), and your neighbors is owned by their supplier, and it is the suppliers who are responsible for resolving the problem.

WRITE a letter to your supplier heading it Complaint, post it by Royal Mail and get a FREE certificate of postage.

Include with it the meter numbers, (Photos would be best).

BILLING CREDIT / DEBIT ?

Very unlikely you and your neighbors would have used the same amount of gas over three years, so one has 'lost' and one has 'gained'

With the other flat having had changes of tenants, it's impossible to work out, but as you have been in occupation from the start it's possible - The dates of occupation of these new flats would be close together and both meters would have been reading zero, so if the present reading on the neighbors meter is lower than the one you have been paying for, you have a claim which can be quantified by the meter readings - If the neighbors reading is higher I suggest you keep quiet and see what happens   

flightmode

MWT said:

Do you know how much your new neighbours feel they have lost due to the meter confusion?

 I think they feel they have lost quite a bit, from my knowledge and readings shared earlier on in the year we definetly use our gas more than they use theirs, so they have been more bothered by it than myself.

flightmode

dogshome said:

This problem is not uncommon in flat blocks, even where each meter has a label indicating the Flat number it serves.

Check, with the co-operation of the neighbor, by turning off the Gas by the handle on each meter in turn. to see which flat loses it's Gas supply.

The "owner" of the meter  is your present gas supplier, ( It changes when you change supplier ), and your neighbors is owned by their supplier, and it is the suppliers who are responsible for resolving the problem.

WRITE a letter to your supplier heading it Complaint, post it by Royal Mail and get a FREE certificate of postage.

Include with it the meter numbers, (Photos would be best).

BILLING CREDIT / DEBIT ?

Very unlikely you and your neighbors would have used the same amount of gas over three years, so one has 'lost' and one has 'gained'

With the other flat having had changes of tenants, it's impossible to work out, but as you have been in occupation from the start it's possible - The dates of occupation of these new flats would be close together and both meters would have been reading zero, so if the present reading on the neighbors meter is lower than the one you have been paying for, you have a claim which can be quantified by the meter readings - If the neighbors reading is higher I suggest you keep quiet and see what happens   

Thanks yes, I have already spoke with the supplier and now in the midst of organising an engineer to come around to confirm then hopefully persue on switching the meters via the national grid.

My concern is the compensation which my neighbour is after, his landlord wants us to work it out between us but I fully don't trust this process as I have read that the energy supplier could coming knockingfor a payment themselves.  As I am not at a loss here in my opinion, and have paid my bills with the meter I was allocated (so done everything right) I am still trying to get the meters sorted but feel the loss the neighbour is after should be dealt with the landlord/development company rather than myself.

My thoughts are, if I knew I was spending too much on my bills then I would have been a bit more cautious with my energy usage, but due to me not knowing how was I ever supposed to optmise my usage to reduce the costs.

MWT

flightmode said:

My concern is the compensation which my neighbour is after, his landlord wants us to work it out between us but I fully don't trust this process as I have read that the energy supplier could coming knockingfor a payment themselves. 

I would stick to the position that you will talk to your energy supplier if needed and the neighbour can talk to their supplier, you should not try to work it out between you.

Talldave

You're no more responsible for their supplying billing for the wrong meter than you are for yours.  It's not your problem, it's theirs.  I don't think you should be under any obligation to provide any information to your neighbour/their landlord/anyone.  They've had 3 years during which they could have found and fixed the problem - they didn't, tough.

theoretica

So you need to encourage your neighbours to seek a refund/credit from the suppliers, not you.

rp1974

Leave this to the energy suppliers to sort out,not yours or the neighbours doing.Down to the neighbours to sort out to their requirements,your responsible for yourself only.Not the landlords business either,should be told to butt out.Feel for both parties here,however as in most cases when I hear or see the words "compensation" my sympathy towards the complainer evaporates rapidly. 

Talldave

Doing a simple meter test takes a few minutes and is the first thing I have done when moving into a property with communal meters outside the property. You need to do it for gas, electricity and water. Avoids problems like this going on for years.