Meter box dispute

Alnat1

Paint a nice big yellow smiley face on your meter box door. You never go there to see it but it'll annoy the grumpy folk next door (only kidding, just say that meter readers have a right to access them and the meters don't actually belong to you)

jake_tortoise

Yep 24 hours notice (which we haven’t needed to do the whole 2 years we have been there) they were constantly knocking and asking if we have had any progress with getting them moved at the beginning and making my wife anxious to the point of her parking her car else where so that they didn’t know she was at home, we haven’t heard anything for a year and thought they were finally over the fact that our meter boxes are legally aloud to be there but GTC have rung again to say they are coming out to see where they can be moved by our neighbours ringing them! We are the point of going down the route of harassment but wanted to make sure first that we are well in our rights to not get our meters moved. Especially as not everyone has that money at hand for an expense like that. 

MattMattMattUK

Does your meter box project over the boundary line, or is it that there is no route to access without walking on their property?

jake_tortoise said:

We are the point of going down the route of harassment but wanted to make sure first that we are well in our rights to not get our meters moved. Especially as not everyone has that money at hand for an expense like that. 

If your meter box projects onto their land then they have a right to demand it is moved, it would only be harassment if the meter box was entirely on your property. The fact that you might not have the money available is irrelevant. 

MWT

Do check for any easements, as they are typically included to allow access for services and potential encroachment over property lines, especially if it is a meter box that is on the side of the property but not actually touching the ground.  

FreeBear

jake_tortoise said: but GTC have rung again to say they are coming out to see where they can be moved by our neighbours ringing them!

Tell GTC that as it is the neighbour initiating the survey, they should be the ones being billed for any/all work. Once they find out how much it is likely to cost them, they might get the hint and shut up.

Reed_Richards

I looked-up GTC and they describe themselves thus:

We are the chosen utility partner for housebuilders and developers across the UK, delivering leading multi-utility infrastructure solutions to all types of new-build developments.

So they were the subcontractor to your housebuilder who sited the meter boxes badly, presumably.    If they contravened some law or building regulation then it is surely up to them to put this right at their own expense, however much that is.  But if they are within the regulations then it comes down to what you can negotiate.

Robin9

@jake_tortoise  when you download your deed s do the same for your neighbour.  They might have the same issue re meter  access as they have with you.  Might be a few £'s well spent.

Bendo

Reed_Richards said:

I looked-up GTC and they describe themselves thus:

We are the chosen utility partner for housebuilders and developers across the UK, delivering leading multi-utility infrastructure solutions to all types of new-build developments.

So they were the subcontractor to your housebuilder who sited the meter boxes badly, presumably.    If they contravened some law or building regulation then it is surely up to them to put this right at their own expense, however much that is.  But if they are within the regulations then it comes down to what you can negotiate.

I'd have thought they put it where they were told to and where the developer expected it to be.

If it's a new build,  surely take it to with the developer.

MeteredOut

MattMattMattUK said:

Does your meter box project over the boundary line, or is it that there is no route to access without walking on their property?

jake_tortoise said:

We are the point of going down the route of harassment but wanted to make sure first that we are well in our rights to not get our meters moved. Especially as not everyone has that money at hand for an expense like that. 

If your meter box projects onto their land then they have a right to demand it is moved, it would only be harassment if the meter box was entirely on your property. The fact that you might not have the money available is irrelevant. 

I believe this it the most pertinent point.

If the meter box is wholly on your property, they cannot force you to move it. And since you've never had to access it, their complaint has no merit.

One thought: if/when the meter box door is open, would it encroach their property. I doubt that changes anything, but I always like to think about what arguments might be raised.

A picture with annotations marking out the boundary would help.

Most of all, don't be bullied into doing something you don't want to do. Just be polite and tell them they can arrange to have it moved at their cost if they so wish.

vic_sf49

Was your house built after they moved into theirs? 

Otherwise I'd be asking "if the meter boxes were an issue, why did you buy the house?".

It'd help if builders stopped doing that sort of meter placement, also properties with little / no parking at all, shared drives, easements over bits of driveways, and many other things that lead to grievances.

Although sometimes, there's also pain in the rear-end neighbours, like here.