Moving home 30th September...

clarkestar

Hi Folks
We're moving home on 30th September (due to the cost of heating our current place, actually - our trendy but uninsulated flat in East London cost us an average of £450/month between Oct and April), which seems to be the most awkward time to move in terms of finding an energy provider. I don't really want to continue with Shell, but given that it's currently a locked down market does it make any sense to change provider? Does this mean i could change my provider and be paying the same rate per unit? So i could basically change to a provider such as Octopus who has more of a "green" slant to their energy provision...? I know these are very naive questions but i'm actually pretty confused as there are no deals on any of the switching sites, and many articles are saying that providers aren't taking on new customers. I don't really want to be sitting in the dark in the new flat because energy providers aren't taking on new customers. All thoughts, advice and explanations incredibly welcome. Many thanks 🙏 

The_Fat_Controller

You first have to register an account with the incumbent supplier at you new property whoever that may be, whoever is leaving can tell you that.

There is no other option.

You should ensure you go onto the new government cap rates.

Take meter readings on moving in and get the agent or leaving owner/tenant to agree to them, dated photographic evidence is useful.

Only once you have opened that account can you look to move suppliers, if anyone will take you on.

[Deleted User]

When you move into a new flat, your old contract with your old supplier ends.  It doesn't move with you.

There will already be a supplier for the new flat.  You are automatically their customer from the moment you move in.

QrizB

If your new home has an energy supply, it will already have a supplier. You should be able to find out who the supplier is from the seller / landlord / agent. When you move in you will automatically be their customer.

If you have credit meters (or smart prepayment meters), read the meters when you take over the property, contact the supplier and give them the readings. They will create an account for you. You will automatically be on their capped standard variable tariff.

If you have conventional prepayment meters, contact the supplier as above and request a new key / card for the meter. Try not to use the old key / card for longer than you need to as it might have the previous owner's / occupier's debt recorded on it and you'll end up paying some of that off whenever you top it up.

Froglet

My sister has just moved into a rented property which is supplied by utility warehouse.She has chosen to move to EDF who are happy to take her on,and are currently in the process of transferring her.

In her old place she was with Scottish power,who stated categorically they would not let her stay with them when she moves as they are not taking on new customers.If they choose to lose a good customer,so be it.

jbuchanangb

@froglet - your sister will stil have a week or so as the customer of Utility Warehouse, so I hope she has registered with them, provided meter readings etc. When I did something similar on moving house 4 years ago I had just 17 days with the incumbent supplier before the switch took place to supplier of my choice.

Froglet

jbuchanangb said:

@froglet - your sister will stil have a week or so as the customer of Utility Warehouse, so I hope she has registered with them, provided meter readings etc. When I did something similar on moving house 4 years ago I had just 17 days with the incumbent supplier before the switch took place to supplier of my choice.

Thanks,yes she has,the gas is on a smart meter,and has already been transferred as she arrranged the switch early August.But the electricity is unfortunately on  a prepayment meter because the previous tenant wasn't paying his bill.Until it gets switched she can't arrange to get a smart meter so is having to keep putting money on the key,but she's been told it's this coming week hopefully.

wild666

Froglet said:

jbuchanangb said:

@froglet - your sister will stil have a week or so as the customer of Utility Warehouse, so I hope she has registered with them, provided meter readings etc. When I did something similar on moving house 4 years ago I had just 17 days with the incumbent supplier before the switch took place to supplier of my choice.

Thanks,yes she has,the gas is on a smart meter,and has already been transferred as she arrranged the switch early August.But the electricity is unfortunately on  a prepayment meter because the previous tenant wasn't paying his bill.Until it gets switched she can't arrange to get a smart meter so is having to keep putting money on the key,but she's been told it's this coming week hopefully.

If there is any debt on the prepayment meter make sure it's wiped off before you use any electric as you will be paying for the debt of the previous tenant. The company should then be chasing the previous tenant for any debt on the meter. When I took over the ex's bungalow after her death EDF tried to make me pay for the debt she incurred around £4,000 just because the surname was the same EDF couldn't prove my name was still on the tenancy so they had to wipe the debt but it took a few months and they refused to change the meters to credit meters.

stewie_griffin

jbuchanangb said:

@froglet - your sister will stil have a week or so as the customer of Utility Warehouse, so I hope she has registered with them, provided meter readings etc. When I did something similar on moving house 4 years ago I had just 17 days with the incumbent supplier before the switch took place to supplier of my choice.

A switch only takes a couple of days now.

Froglet

wild666 said:

Froglet said:

jbuchanangb said:

@froglet - your sister will stil have a week or so as the customer of Utility Warehouse, so I hope she has registered with them, provided meter readings etc. When I did something similar on moving house 4 years ago I had just 17 days with the incumbent supplier before the switch took place to supplier of my choice.

Thanks,yes she has,the gas is on a smart meter,and has already been transferred as she arrranged the switch early August.But the electricity is unfortunately on  a prepayment meter because the previous tenant wasn't paying his bill.Until it gets switched she can't arrange to get a smart meter so is having to keep putting money on the key,but she's been told it's this coming week hopefully.

If there is any debt on the prepayment meter make sure it's wiped off before you use any electric as you will be paying for the debt of the previous tenant. The company should then be chasing the previous tenant for any debt on the meter. When I took over the ex's bungalow after her death EDF tried to make me pay for the debt she incurred around £4,000 just because the surname was the same EDF couldn't prove my name was still on the tenancy so they had to wipe the debt but it took a few months and they refused to change the meters to credit meters.

Thanks,No,no debt,the landlady, who is very good and amenable,actually put some credit on the meter for her before she moved in.EDF have all the details on the meter,so not sure why it's taking this long but she hasn't the worry of inheriting previous debt and any credit left when it's changed will be returned to her.

Froglet

stewie_griffin said:

jbuchanangb said:

@froglet - your sister will stil have a week or so as the customer of Utility Warehouse, so I hope she has registered with them, provided meter readings etc. When I did something similar on moving house 4 years ago I had just 17 days with the incumbent supplier before the switch took place to supplier of my choice.

A switch only takes a couple of days now.

Someone needs to tell EDF that then 😀