Commercial shared electricity

Julez120

I’m looking for help, I work for a charity shop, we rent a shop unit from a landlord. It is Often flooded From broken drain pipes internally, had rising damp but is in a good spot and large.  He pays the water bill after final reminders which also feeds 2 flats and 2 shops but This bill is in our name. Apparently Unable to change. Electric paid by us and in our name. 

Problem is Our electric meter Feeds the shop next door with a separate large on off switch in our office For them. (we don’t have a Total on off switch for us, I have to flip fuse box switches to turn our electric off in floods ( The flats Electric was taken off after we put in a sub meter for the flats and kept billing landlord for their usage) in the past 5 years the Old shop owners next door would pay on time they have a sub meter Counter put in by landlord. Last year the shop next door closed and a new business moved in, they asked me to turn on the electric ( we have the on off switch in our shop) I explained the set up. After 1st bill they said our rate was too high, We gave them copies of our bills and spreadsheet,  It is a high rate but we are tied in. 2nd month the same, they were using bar heaters tv etc. We had meetings again Told them to monitor their own usage. We got electrician to test The line To prove their reading was just theirs, they had paid 2 bills but since Jan refused to pay any more. Our solicitors say it will cost over £1000.00 to take them to court. We are a Charity They now owe about £900 and winter is coming, landlord just says whoever doesn’t like it can leave (we have a safe 3 years left in our lease). It’s so unfair why should our charity funds pay for another businesses electric. Any help please. 

Talldave

Switch them off until they pay what's owed?

rp1974

You may not like this,but really think you have answered your own question.Tell them your pulling the plug,maybe give them a week or two to sort this,if they dont pay swich them off.You meant well but should never have allowed this to happen for this length of time,the shop supply is only their responsibility and their problem,not yours.Regarding your landlord,get in writing that you can leave the premises without penalty,they shouldnt be lining their pockets like the thieves in the shop at someone elses expense.Hope you didnt pay for the electrician to test their supply,I suspect that you did.Good intentions and naivety arent doing you and especially the charity any good,whats happening is theft.

MWT

Given past behaviour I'd also ask them for a security deposit equal to at least one months power use, otherwise I'm sure you know how this is going to end...

Do check your lease for any obligations regarding supply of electricity to the other shop before you cut them off...

JC_Derby

Tough but ultimately you are going to have to tell them to apply for their own service to be installed...which they won’t want to pay for...or you will turn their supply off if they continue not to pay their bill.
this is a problem of your land lords creating. If he had anything about him he would resolve this... an easy option is the tenant next door pays for the new electricity service and gets that amount removed from their rent.

Julez120

Thankyou, we did get a quote for our own electric supply but was £4.000 we wanted the landlord to share this cost but he wouldn’t. I did turn all the electric off in lockdown but was asked to turn there’s on again by HO. Someone advised my H.O that I couldn’t turn off the electric as it would be ceasing a supply to a business, or something like that Hmf. Thanks anyway  

Robin9

Then let HO fight the battle