Communal power sockets in a block of flats - who pays ?

jazbop101

Hi Fellow Forumees

(For Context - this regards a block of flats where all the residents have their own PrePay

topup meter or PrePay SMETS1 Smart Meter)

My name is Big Jazz and i have a question that i hope someone can hep me with.

I manage bills and stuff for my brother who is sick, and i doing so, i have been trying to keep

track of the cost of electricity with everything that is going on at the moment with coost fo living etc.

While visitng my brother i noticed that one of his neighbours has a power extension cord hooked up to a live socket

which is inside the meter cupboard where all the residnts meters are. This means they are getting powwer without paying for it,

but what i want to know is.

1. Who pays for the electricity from that socket ?

2. Are there rules / regulations regarding this ?

3.Can this be passed on to all the other residents and so be taken from our meters ?

4. If so does the landlord have to declare this or tell you as part of law ?

Any help would be appreciated

thanks

BigJazz

newlywed

In our block, communal electricity (including hallway lighting) is split between the flats and added on the service charges.

it isn’t taken off our meter but added onto our housing association rent/service charges and we get a letter each April to say how much it is per year for each flat.

our landlord replaces the cupboard locks (where the communal sockets are) every now and again, but then the cleaners won’t hoover as they claim they can’t access the socket. Swings and roundabouts.

HampshireH

Yes it will be against the "rules" as it would be deemed a potential fire risk. 

The Freeholders fire risk assessment wouldn't deem it at all satisfactory.

Communal supply is usually paid for by the freeholder or managing agent and recharged back to residents in their service charge. Or if private landlord then potentially factored into the overall rent (though this would be a bit daft when costs rise and they clearly have unlocked sockets/supplies)

Report it and get it unplugged you have no idea what is plugged in the other end.

danco

I don't specifically know but I would expect (I live in a large block of flats)

1. Communal power is part of the service charge.

2. This is probably a breach of the lease. If you want to complain best to take a photo.

3. Unless the landlord is informed of the issue, the cost will be passed on through the service charge (not through the your electricity costs0/

Seems like theft to me.

It is always possible some special circumstance apply. For instance, if carpets were damaged by a leak from communal pipes and a humidifier were needed, it might be appropriate for it to be supplied from the communal electricity.

ChaunceyGardiner

My housing association block has a communal socket on each floor, adjacent to a flat door, each blanked over long ago. I’m guessing that the residents were feeding extension leads through their letterboxes from the moment the flats were first occupied.

wild666

jazbop101 said:

Hi Fellow Forumees

(For Context - this regards a block of flats where all the residents have their own PrePay

topup meter or PrePay SMETS1 Smart Meter)

My name is Big Jazz and i have a question that i hope someone can hep me with.

I manage bills and stuff for my brother who is sick, and i doing so, i have been trying to keep

track of the cost of electricity with everything that is going on at the moment with coost fo living etc.

While visitng my brother i noticed that one of his neighbours has a power extension cord hooked up to a live socket

which is inside the meter cupboard where all the residnts meters are. This means they are getting powwer without paying for it,

but what i want to know is.

1. Who pays for the electricity from that socket ?

2. Are there rules / regulations regarding this ?

3.Can this be passed on to all the other residents and so be taken from our meters ?

4. If so does the landlord have to declare this or tell you as part of law ?

Any help would be appreciated

thanks

BigJazz

The person doing this could be using one extension lead to their flat then running multiple other leads off it to power most if not all the other electrical appliances in their flat. A complaint will see this person possible evicted if they are living in social housing or slapped with a big bill for electricity if they own the place and possibly taken to court and prosecuted for theft.

Jonboy_1984

In the block I recently moved out the communal lights and sockets had their own meter in a separate, inaccessible cupboard. They were re-charged to everyone under the service charge budget.

Luckily there was only a single socket near the front door for the cleaners/building repairs, but occasionally tenants would use it if hoovering out their cars or similar. I would have reported any other regular use to the management company…

Bogof_OAP

In our block of six flats, (which are on 999 year leases and nobody knows who the freeholder is or where he/she is, but apparently that doesn't matter as there's no ground rent, and we run the place ourselves via a self-managed group with bank account... ), we all have our own meters in a cupboard in the communal hallway, and there's one for the "landlord's supply" as well, which is paid by direct debit out of our monthly maintenance charges which go into a central bank account.

If I found another occupier using the communal supply to power private usage I would certainly inform the rest of the management group and get it stopped.  I did hear that a few years ago someone used to plug their kettle into the socket in the hallway, but they have long gone.

It's hard enough getting the other residents to turn off the communal lights when they aren't using them.  We really need self-cancelling lights but £££ to install.

[Deleted User]

Bogof_OAP said:

It's hard enough getting the other residents to turn off the communal lights when they aren't using them.  We really need self-cancelling lights but £££ to install.

Hi,

shouldn't be too expensive, have you thought of Time Delay Push Button Switches, HERE.

Bogof_OAP

Oh that's interesting.  I will pass that on and see if we can afford an electrician to fit them!  Thank you.

Glum

Simple answer:

A person who dishonestly uses without due authority, or dishonestly causes to be wasted or diverted, any electricity shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.