How long will power stay on after you move out?

playlister82

Bit of a strange question here. My mum is a social housing tenant and about to move to a new property in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, she jumped the gun a bit and already informed British Gas that she has moved. I am worried that British Gas will turn off the power in the place that she is still residing in, as she hasn't fully moved yet. The final moving date isn't confirmed.

I'm sure we can contact British Gas to rectify the mistake, but I am still slightly concerned that she may end up having a period without power before that can happen. I have no idea how long British Gas and other energy suppliers tend to take with these things.

Can anyone advise and (hopefully) put my mind at rest here?

GrumpyDil

They won't turn anything off. They will issue a final bill and letter welcoming the new occupant so good idea to get your mum to let them know she isn't moving on the date she gave. 

elsien

No one is going to be turning the power off, it doesn’t work like that.
All they will do is send out any bills after her supposed moving out date to “the occupier” If they don’t have the name of anyone new to send them to. 

Just phone and explain that she’s still there.

playlister82

elsien said:

No one is going to be turning the power off, it doesn’t work like that.
All they will do is send out any bills after her supposed moving out date to “the occupier” If they don’t have the name of anyone new to send them to. 

Just phone and explain that she’s still there.

Thanks this was what I suspected. Just out of curiosity if someone has moved out and the electricity presumably isn't being used, does it stay on indefinitely or do they switch off eventually? 

elsien

Electricity doesn’t just get switched off. It’s not being used, the standing charges are still building up. So the utility company will be sending letters requesting  contact about the building up debts for quite a long time. Eventually, they will escalate to court, normally to get a warrant for a prepayment meter to be put in. 

Rental properties tend not to be empty for that long and during any void periods the landlord is responsible for the bills. 

There isn’t a switch the provider  can just turn on and off at will. 

Gerry1

This irregular situation needs to rectified promptly.

Although it's no doubt innocent, it could be misconstrued as attempted fraud against British Gas or the Housing Association, if automatically flagged up by a billing routine or AI.

35har1old

playlister82 said:

Bit of a strange question here. My mum is a social housing tenant and about to move to a new property in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, she jumped the gun a bit and already informed British Gas that she has moved. I am worried that British Gas will turn off the power in the place that she is still residing in, as she hasn't fully moved yet. The final moving date isn't confirmed.

I'm sure we can contact British Gas to rectify the mistake, but I am still slightly concerned that she may end up having a period without power before that can happen. I have no idea how long British Gas and other energy suppliers tend to take with these things.

Can anyone advise and (hopefully) put my mind at rest here?

Did she give a final meter reading

35har1old

elsien said:

Electricity doesn’t just get switched off. It’s not being used, the standing charges are still building up. So the utility company will be sending letters requesting  contact about the building up debts for quite a long time. Eventually, they will escalate to court, normally to get a warrant for a prepayment meter to be put in. 

Rental properties tend not to be empty for that long and during any void periods the landlord is responsible for the bills. 

There isn’t a switch the provider  can just turn on and off at will. 

Depending on meter position the mains fuse could be pulled

elsien

Maybe, but there is  still  a very long process to get to that point.

Ildhund

35har1old said:

Depending on meter position the mains fuse could be pulled

Only by a qualified electrician duly authorized by the DNO. Anyone else trying it would ring alarm bells at the DNO's and supplier's control centres. Or are you suggesting that the supplier might send someone round to pull the main fuse?

Power isn't disconnected in the interim between occupants. Even if no-one's living there, it's often a time when workmen are busy with maintenance to prepare the property for its new residents, and they often need power tools and lights to be able to work. The tenant of a rented property is liable for all energy consumed until the day the keys are handed to someone else and a meter reading is taken and agreed with whoever takes over.

wrf12345

One property I bought had about two years worth of British Gas letters full of threats to turn off the power if someone did not inform them who the new owner was...