Energy Support Scheme - can anyone answer Q re: £1 coin meter situation / landlord?

Marcia_1

i privately rent a flat in a building divided into 4 flats. each flat has its own £1 coin meter. i never receive any documents from electricity supplier. i don't even know who the supplier is. the landlord's agent comes round 4 times per year to empty the meters. so it's impossible for me to contact the supplier. the £400 ESS would have gone to the landlord  because the supply is in his name. i didn't receive a penny in ESS from him. is that right? he keeps the £400 even though the 4 of us who live here in separate flats are supposed to be paying the bill. 

GingerTim

In that sort of arrangement the building is likely to be on a commercial tariff, in which case the landlord won't have received the £400 either.

Brie

Are you happy paying cash?  what happens if you don't have any coins on the weekend??  You might be able to find out the supplier using this:
Who is my gas and electric supplier? – British Gas

[Deleted User]

Brie said:

Are you happy paying cash?  what happens if you don't have any coins on the weekend??  You might be able to find out the supplier using this:
Who is my gas and electric supplier? – British Gas

How would that assist the OP? The supplier will not in anyway be responsible for the sub-meters that appear to be installed in the property.

QrizB

Marcia_1 said:

i privately rent a flat in a building divided into 4 flats. each flat has its own £1 coin meter. i never receive any documents from electricity supplier.

Your landlord is not allowed to make a profit from reselling electricity. What information are you given regarding your tariff and the settings on your coin meter?

Marcia_1 said:

the £400 ESS would have gone to the landlord  because the supply is in his name. i didn't receive a penny in ESS from him. is that right?

If your property is supplied on a domestic tariff, yes your landlord will have received the ESS payments. If on a commercial tariff, there will have been no ESS payments.

Marcia_1 said:

he keeps the £400 even though the 4 of us who live here in separate flats are supposed to be paying the bill. 

What does your tenancy agreement say regarding energy bills?

Has your landlord put up the cost of electricity at all in the past two years?

Brie

Dolor said:

Brie said:

Are you happy paying cash?  what happens if you don't have any coins on the weekend??  You might be able to find out the supplier using this:
Who is my gas and electric supplier? – British Gas

How would that assist the OP? The supplier will not in anyway be responsible for the sub-meters that appear to be installed in the property.

wouldn't knowing the supplier to a particular meter enable the OP to determine the tariff being used?  maybe there's a possibility of switching to a card or online payment?  maybe it isn't - but it's what popped into my head.  

Robin9

Brie said:

Dolor said:

Brie said:

Are you happy paying cash?  what happens if you don't have any coins on the weekend??  You might be able to find out the supplier using this:
Who is my gas and electric supplier? – British Gas

How would that assist the OP? The supplier will not in anyway be responsible for the sub-meters that appear to be installed in the property.

wouldn't knowing the supplier to a particular meter enable the OP to determine the tariff being used?  maybe there's a possibility of switching to a card or online payment?  maybe it isn't - but it's what popped into my head.  

Brie said:

Dolor said:

Brie said:

Are you happy paying cash?  what happens if you don't have any coins on the weekend??  You might be able to find out the supplier using this:
Who is my gas and electric supplier? – British Gas

How would that assist the OP? The supplier will not in anyway be responsible for the sub-meters that appear to be installed in the property.

wouldn't knowing the supplier to a particular meter enable the OP to determine the tariff being used?  maybe there's a possibility of switching to a card or online payment?  maybe it isn't - but it's what popped into my head.  

Knowing the supplier won't help to find the tariff - commercial and business tariffs are often subject to individual negotiation and are confidential. plus 20 % VAT.

The meters belong to the L/L - unless he wants to change them- I think the OP is stuck.

Spoonie_Turtle

You should have applied for the alternative funding, but you'd be extremely fortunate to find a local authority amenable to helping you out this late.
https://www.gov.uk/apply-energy-bill-support-if-not-automatic  I can't remember the date it closed, but certainly in the order of months rather than days/weeks.

[I don't say it to make you feel worse, just to give you the fact that that was the arrangement in your situation.]

Scot_39

According to tennant support groups the tennant is legally allowed to see a copy of the landlords bill and have the metering set-up explained in sufficient detail to see how it complies e.g. with the non profit on resale rules.

Whilst it is entirely possible in many cases to build extra costs into the meter rates associated e.g say in this case with say the 4 coin collection visits - many commercial administrators advise against it - I would guess to avoid falling foul of UK non profit charging - the so called 'maximum resale price' - and suggest such charges should be built into rent - not bills.

See

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/what-your-landlord-can-charge-for-energy/

But it's probably not an easy thing to do to challange a landlord in an insecure tennancy environment.

It could of course be the case that the landlord didn't qualify for any help - domestic (EBSS, EPG) or commercial that actually benefitted him more than the rates meters set at.  Given the rise in rates over last few years.  Even todays cap is still c60% higher than just over 16 months ago (the £1277 prior to Apr 1st 2022).