Moving home don't really understand switching suppliers. Help please.

Yant0s

Basically I moved into a rented property/owned by my family in may 2022.  

It's been a stop gap until a tenant in a property I own moves out. 

The property I'm currently in now is supplied by octopus energy.   When I informed them that I moved in and made an account I didn't pick a tariff and I assume I've been put on a SVT.  

IT SAYS 

Occupier Flexible Octopus

Electric :- 28.29p kwh  (47.88p surcharge)

Gas:- 7.47 kwk  (27.22p surcharge)

I've been paying some  cheapish energy prices here.   It has a smart meter and been paying by direct debit every month. 

I'm due to move into my property on the 27/08/22.  The property is supplied by SSE. 

My tenent has a smart meter.    She recently informed my she was on a prepared / pay as you go meter. 

She switched to this without my knowledge.

I was looking in my Octopus account to inform them I was moving on the 27/08/2022. 

In the process it said I could take octopus with me and I will stay on exactly the same contract / tariff?

I clicked yes.  So the switch is in progress but I have a 14 day cooling off period.  

Ideally I would like to keep paying the prices I'm currently paying.  This all seems too good to be true? 

Advise please?    What's the catch?  

Go ahead?  

[Deleted User]

Hi,

don't know about taking your Octopus tariff with you, do they know you are on a pre pay meter at new address, that might be a problem.

Also, you will automatically be a customer of SSE when you move in, so take meter readings and contact them, then you can initiate a switch.

Don't use the key from previous tenant, there might be debt on the meter.

[Deleted User]

Switching when you are not in the property or responsible for it may result in a number of problems for both you and your tenant. The tenant needs to provide the supplier with a moving out meter reading. 

You should contact the deemed supplier when you move in and provide it with a meter reading and your details. You are then free to switch to Octopus or any other supplier if they will have you. The deemed supplier can raise charges for any energy used until the transfer goes through.

You do realise that Octopus’ Flexible tariff is not fixed and that it will increase significantly in October.

PS: the tenant had every right to switch suppliers. The prepayment meter might have been fitted by the supplier which, in certain circumstances, it has the right to do.

pochase

The current tariff with Octopus is just the SVT, SSE will have the same prices (if your new home is not in a different part of the country).

As it is a smart meter it is technically no problem to switch it to a credit meter. This can be done remote.

More of an issue seems to be to get suppliers to switch you to credit meter, some just refuse so without credit checks or you being with them for some time. Did you make Octopus aware that the property is currently on prepaid? Are they prepared to accept you and move you to credit?

Yant0s

pochase said:

The current tariff with Octopus is just the SVT, SSE will have the same prices (if your new home is not in a different part of the country).

As it is a smart meter it is technically no problem to switch it to a credit meter. This can be done remote.

More of an issue seems to be to get suppliers to switch you to credit meter, some just refuse so without credit checks or you being with them for some time. Did you make Octopus aware that the property is currently on prepaid? Are they prepared to accept you and move you to credit?

Phoned octopus today to discuss all this.  

Told them the current supplier was SSE and the current tenant was on a pay as you go smart meter. 

I was told it needed to be a credit meter for me to be able to switch.  

The women on the phone basically cancelled my switch there and then and advised me to try get the meter switched to a credit meter.  

If I'm able to do that phone octopus and they will be able to reactivate the process of changing the supplier to octopus. 

So it looks like taking octopus with me is going to be no easy task.  

Yant0s

I'm guessing I'm going to have to just go with SSE (the current supplier of the property I'm moving too). 

Never been on a pay as you go meter.   

Ideally I don't want to be on it.  Advise on switching day?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

> take meter readings, and pics,

> contact SSE with readings, don't be talked into taking a fixed rate, ask about meter change,

> don't use old key, might be debt on meter.

Settle in then search for a switch, though might be difficult.