Can Landlord change energy supplier?

elsien

You wouldn’t be getting an interruption to your services anyway, it just means the bill changes names. 

However if you know that you won’t be out on the stated date, it just says to tell them that so they can change the switch date accordingly.
Badly worded, with a hint of “interrupted services” which just isn’t true, but nothing worth worrying about. 

I do think you need to be careful about reading more into things than may be there. Understandable, given the background, but not always helpful to your stress levels. 

dimbo61

Send an email back to the letting agents informing them that you will be changing the Gas, Electric and broadband providers at the LA office.
Ask for the names and addresses of all the staff so you can also change their providers as well.
Seriously ring them up or email and ask which LA redress scheme they belong to as you consider this harrassment.
See what response you get

doodling

Hi,

roaduser3189 said:

"Please note,  your landlord has requested that the energy supply at the property be switched to a new supplier once you have left the property . The supply will therefore be switched the day after you vacate on 29/12/2021. Once a switch is in progress it cannot be stopped. If the date you are leaving the property changes for any reason, please advise us at the earliest possible opportunity so we can manage the switch date and ensure that you do not experience any interruption to your services" 

I'd write back along the lines of:

Thank you for your letter.

As you will be aware, there is currently no tenancy end date agreed and it is therefore premature for the landlord to be interfering in the provision of utilities to the property

It is unclear why the landlord wishes to take responsibility for the payment of utilities whilst we may still be present in the property but we would, if presented with an opportunity, resist such a change.  In the event that the landlord makes such a change then we would naturally arrange for the utility arrangements to be reverted back to our current suppliers. In any event we would require that any party other than our current suppliers demonstrate that the costs of any utility provision are the same as, or less than our current suppliers before we made any payments in respect of those utilities.

We would also draw your attention to the provisions of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977; interfering in our arrangements with our utility suppliers may be considered harassment under the act.

There is the risk that the above will wind up your landlord / agent so you  need to bear that in mind...

aoleks

Quite a lot of wrong advice here…

Assuming you’re not planning to stay beyond the “eviction” date just to annoy the landlord, it is very normal for a landlord to change suppliers. This is simply to guarantee a non standing charge tarrif.

Imagine your house being empty for months, while you sell, yet you’re billed hundreds for using 0 energy.

Why would you want that?

MaryNB

aoleks said:

Quite a lot of wrong advice here…

Assuming you’re not planning to stay beyond the “eviction” date just to annoy the landlord, it is very normal for a landlord to change suppliers. This is simply to guarantee a non standing charge tarrif.

Imagine your house being empty for months, while you sell, yet you’re billed hundreds for using 0 energy.

Why would you want that? 

There is no reason for the letting agent to send a letter about the landlord changing suppliers after the tenancy, other than an attempt to remind the tenants that they are expecting the property back on the 29th of December.  The letter has obviously caused confusion because it has led OP to believe that the landlord will be requesting the change on the 30th regardless. The LL cannot change the supplier at the end of the S21 notice if the tenant is still at the property. The tenant is still legally allowed to remain at the property beyond the 29th, and still entitled to use the supplier of their choice as the current billpayers.

The comment from the LA about interrupted services is a load of nonsense. People don't experience an interruption of supply when moving into or out of properties, setting up accounts or switching suppliers. Something would have to go seriously wrong for that to happen, or a bill goes unpaid for a significant amount of time. 

What the landlord does with the property after the tenancy ends has nothing to do with the current tenants. All the tenants have to do is close the account and send final meter readings to the supplier on the last day of their tenancy. The landlord switching isn't their problem. It is standard to set up a new account the day you get control of a property. The LL doesn't need to do it in advance. 

doodling

Hi,

aoleks said:

Quite a lot of wrong advice here…

Assuming you’re not planning to stay beyond the “eviction” date just to annoy the landlord, it is very normal for a landlord to change suppliers. This is simply to guarantee a non standing charge tarrif.

Imagine your house being empty for months, while you sell, yet you’re billed hundreds for using 0 energy.

Why would you want that?

Alternatively, imagine that you're living somewhere and someone else decides to change your electricity supplier without your consent - why would you want that?

I do agree that the OP needs to work out when they are planning to leave the property and act accordingly.  I can see three options:

1. they are planning to leave before the 29/12.
2. they know when they are leaving after the 29/12
3. they don't know when they are leaving.

I admit that my response was based on (3), if either of the other two options are being taken then a different letter (i.e. Notice, in accordance with the tenancy) is appropriate.

martindow

If the LL changes suppliers, would they not then be liable for the bills from that date forward?  If so this could be advantageous for the T if they do not leave on that date.

MaryNB

martindow said:

If the LL changes suppliers, would they not then be liable for the bills from that date forward?  If so this could be advantageous for the T if they do not leave on that date.

Only the account holder can change supplier. The energy company should not initiate the change without the account holder's permission. The only way this could happen is if the landlord gets the meter readings, closes the tenant's account and then opens one in his own name, and then switches. I can't recall the checks that are done when closing an account but I do remember being able to do it when a housemate left without closing their account, refused to sort it out, and I had to close it before opening one in my name. 

If the landlord does manage to get the account in their name I wouldn't say they are automatically liable for the bills. Landlords often keep the bills in their names and then charge the tenants.  Unless bills are included in the rent, a tenancy agreement will state the tenants are liable for utilities, it's just a case of whether they pay the supplier directly or reimburse the landlord. I wouldn't take the chance if I was the tenant. The may think the landlord is liable, then they find out they still have to pay and they have to pay the tariff of the landlord's supplier which may be higher than their own.