Could a landlord prevent a smart meter installation if mentioned in the contract?

MultiFuelBurner

ProDave said:

I don't want one personally, I don't want to eventually be forced onto a time of day tariff that charges a ridiculous amount to use my oven at dinner time etc.

I I am saying no whenever anyone says I need to have one.  They are being miss sold on the pretence that they somehow benefit the customer and your bills will go down.  They have so far got away with that ruse, by the small print in the advert that you could save money if you keep looking at the In home display and realise something is costing you a lot and deciding not to use that something.  BUT the In Home Display is NOT the "smart meter"  It would be possible to have such a device for a dumb meter and make the same choices.  So by pretending a smart meter will save you money, we will eventually be lumbered with a device that will charge you more just when you want to use it the most.  Nothing to do with any 5G scare mongering nonsense, we are just being buttered up for yet higher bills.

If a landlord is letting his former family home, and thinks one day he might want to move back to that home, I would say it is perfectly reasonable to say he does not want to be lumbered with such a device that is being miss sold to the public under false pretences.

So the turn down and save or national grid ESO DFS events earned some smart meter users £100-£500. Then add in the smart tariffs like Octopus tracker that don't make you miss your dinnertime as it's an all day rate. Over the past year those on it have had electricity at an average of less than 21p kWh for electricity and 5p (maybe lower someone correct me) for gas.

Winter is coming for those that don't want smart meters and sadly dragons don't exist to save you.

MultiFuelBurner

waqasahmed said:

So 

I saw some loony people talking about how smart meters are the devil, 5g is going to kill you etc..

Then there was a landlord who said they wouldn't allow their tenants to get it by putting a clause in. Ofgem however say the landlord can't unreasonably prevent tenants from doing that, so surely their clause would be unenforceable? I can't think of any legitimate non conspiracy theory reasons for saying that tenants aren't allowed to have a smart meter anyway tbh. I'm pretty sure conspiracy theory nonsense is definitely unreasonable too

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-smart-meter

Would a landlord then have any leg to stand on if their tenant did such a thing? Especially as by simply having a smart meter, you open yourself up to lots of different smart tariffs and the landlord / agency is effectively stopping you from choosing your own tariff?

So technically nothing a landlord can do to stop an energy supplier demanding a smart meter is fitted.

However, if this is someone you know then just warn them that now is not the time to aggravate a landlord. Rentals are in short supply in many areas and it's not easy to leave one property and find another.

littleboo

Why do people think that they get to determine the equipment their provider uses to meter the service

FreeBear

MultiFuelBurner said: Winter is coming for those that don't want smart meters and sadly dragons don't exist to save you.

Dragons do exist - I have two at work. But you're right, they won't save you. More likely to shove you out of a (fourth floor) window or stab you in the back.

And as for saving money, smart meters do. Mostly the energy companies as they no longer have to send someone round to read the meter. For the customer, they can be used to monitor consumption and nudge people in to cutting back and cutting down on vampire loads.

_Penny_Dreadful

MultiFuelBurner said:

waqasahmed said:

So 

I saw some loony people talking about how smart meters are the devil, 5g is going to kill you etc..

Then there was a landlord who said they wouldn't allow their tenants to get it by putting a clause in. Ofgem however say the landlord can't unreasonably prevent tenants from doing that, so surely their clause would be unenforceable? I can't think of any legitimate non conspiracy theory reasons for saying that tenants aren't allowed to have a smart meter anyway tbh. I'm pretty sure conspiracy theory nonsense is definitely unreasonable too

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-smart-meter

Would a landlord then have any leg to stand on if their tenant did such a thing? Especially as by simply having a smart meter, you open yourself up to lots of different smart tariffs and the landlord / agency is effectively stopping you from choosing your own tariff?

So technically nothing a landlord can do to stop an energy supplier demanding a smart meter is fitted.

However, if this is someone you know then just warn them that now is not the time to aggravate a landlord. Rentals are in short supply in many areas and it's not easy to leave one property and find another.

How many landlords or their agents check the meters during an inspection? Other than the wireless display that usually comes with a smart meter and can easily be hidden in a drawer I doubt many would even notice. 

anon_ymous

powergen_insider said:

waqasahmed said:

powergen_insider said:

An owner-occupier can't really refuse under most circumstances so I can't see the landlord being able to.

Sure but that's if the energy company says you must get a new one because your old one is faulty / too old or whatever

I'm talking about tenants asking for a smart meter themselves and then getting it. Surely the landlord still has no leg to stand on? 

Tell the landlord that the energy company says you need a new one?  Difficult for the LL to check and the supplier isn't likely to complain about help hitting their targets.

Thankfully, I'm no longer renting but that's a fair point 

anon_ymous

la531983 said:

Keep_pedalling said:

powergen_insider said:

waqasahmed said:

powergen_insider said:

An owner-occupier can't really refuse under most circumstances so I can't see the landlord being able to.

Sure but that's if the energy company says you must get a new one because your old one is faulty / too old or whatever

I'm talking about tenants asking for a smart meter themselves and then getting it. Surely the landlord still has no leg to stand on? 

Tell the landlord that the energy company says you need a new one?  Difficult for the LL to check and the supplier isn't likely to complain about help hitting their targets.

And don’t tell them until it has been done, in fact I would not tell them at all.

And a deposit can't be held back if he finds out once you have gone. 

Surely in the case of a loony landlord, that's the first thing they'd check?

I imagine they can't enforce it though? 

anon_ymous

MultiFuelBurner said:

waqasahmed said:

So 

I saw some loony people talking about how smart meters are the devil, 5g is going to kill you etc..

Then there was a landlord who said they wouldn't allow their tenants to get it by putting a clause in. Ofgem however say the landlord can't unreasonably prevent tenants from doing that, so surely their clause would be unenforceable? I can't think of any legitimate non conspiracy theory reasons for saying that tenants aren't allowed to have a smart meter anyway tbh. I'm pretty sure conspiracy theory nonsense is definitely unreasonable too

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-smart-meter

Would a landlord then have any leg to stand on if their tenant did such a thing? Especially as by simply having a smart meter, you open yourself up to lots of different smart tariffs and the landlord / agency is effectively stopping you from choosing your own tariff?

So technically nothing a landlord can do to stop an energy supplier demanding a smart meter is fitted.

However, if this is someone you know then just warn them that now is not the time to aggravate a landlord. Rentals are in short supply in many areas and it's not easy to leave one property and find another.

Tbf it's something I read online. Thankfully not related to someone I know 

Even Pro Dave's post doesn't suggest a genuine reason as to why a tenant can't have such a meter 

anon_ymous

_Penny_Dreadful said:

MultiFuelBurner said:

waqasahmed said:

So 

I saw some loony people talking about how smart meters are the devil, 5g is going to kill you etc..

Then there was a landlord who said they wouldn't allow their tenants to get it by putting a clause in. Ofgem however say the landlord can't unreasonably prevent tenants from doing that, so surely their clause would be unenforceable? I can't think of any legitimate non conspiracy theory reasons for saying that tenants aren't allowed to have a smart meter anyway tbh. I'm pretty sure conspiracy theory nonsense is definitely unreasonable too

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-smart-meter

Would a landlord then have any leg to stand on if their tenant did such a thing? Especially as by simply having a smart meter, you open yourself up to lots of different smart tariffs and the landlord / agency is effectively stopping you from choosing your own tariff?

So technically nothing a landlord can do to stop an energy supplier demanding a smart meter is fitted.

However, if this is someone you know then just warn them that now is not the time to aggravate a landlord. Rentals are in short supply in many areas and it's not easy to leave one property and find another.

How many landlords or their agents check the meters during an inspection? Other than the wireless display that usually comes with a smart meter and can easily be hidden in a drawer I doubt many would even notice. 

I guess if said loony landlord takes issue with the meter, the tenant could just hide the IHD

anon_ymous

ProDave said:

I don't want one personally, I don't want to eventually be forced onto a time of day tariff that charges a ridiculous amount to use my oven at dinner time etc.

I I am saying no whenever anyone says I need to have one.  They are being miss sold on the pretence that they somehow benefit the customer and your bills will go down.  They have so far got away with that ruse, by the small print in the advert that you could save money if you keep looking at the In home display and realise something is costing you a lot and deciding not to use that something.  BUT the In Home Display is NOT the "smart meter"  It would be possible to have such a device for a dumb meter and make the same choices.  So by pretending a smart meter will save you money, we will eventually be lumbered with a device that will charge you more just when you want to use it the most.  Nothing to do with any 5G scare mongering nonsense, we are just being buttered up for yet higher bills.

If a landlord is letting his former family home, and thinks one day he might want to move back to that home, I would say it is perfectly reasonable to say he does not want to be lumbered with such a device that is being miss sold to the public under false pretences.

Still not legitimately imo 

Nobody had said they'll automatically lead to reduced bills, however it enables you to get smart tariffs including tracker which doesn't limit you to a TOU tariff 

Equally, the more data that's available, the more the grid is able to react and it means we could dial down demand from fossil fuels 

It also allows energy companies to pass on negative pricing events to you ie: via octopus tracker. Equally, there are free days for people in the east of England 

There's the winter saving events too. If anything tbh I'd expect to see electricity prices collapse especially if Tony Seba's predictions continue to come true