Warm Home Discount

Deborah_51

My mother has lived in her LL's annexe for the past few years. She's 80, receives HB & council tax support. The gas bill is in her name, but the electricity bill is given to her by the landlord, on a word document. Sometimes they don't bother with a breakdown, just send a statement & demand payment. The LL insists there is a separate meter for the annexe (meter is located on his property), but it's not in her name. Having just realised that she would otherwise be eligible for the warm home discount, is there anything I can do? I feel like she is losing out on much needed support. Thank you

TimeLord1

You can contact the Metering Point Administration Service (MPAS)—usually reachable via your local electricity network operator—to identify who currently supplies the meter for her address/annexe.

Once you identify the supplier, you can explain that your mother is the tenant responsible for the bills and request to set up the account in her name.

If the annexe is not legally registered as a separate domestic dwelling (e.g., it shares the same supply point or is treated as a sub-metered extension of the main house), the supplier may be unable to open a separate account

Newcad

You can contact the Metering Point Administration Service (MPAS)—usually
reachable via your local electricity network operator—to identify who
currently supplies the meter for her address/annexe.

Not always, it is quite common for there to be a "sub-meter" that is the property of the landlord and is not registered with the Distribution Network Operator. Only the landlords main meter is registered.

Such sub-meters are commonly used in HMO's to register what each tenant uses in their own rooms, but can also be used in other types of rentals eg. annexes to the main building.

https://metroprepaid.co.uk/about/blog/how-does-an-electric-sub-meter-work/

The LL insists there is a separate meter for the annexe (meter is located on his property), but it's not in her name.

That does indeed sound like a landlords sub-meter.
Which would also explain why the bill given is on a Word document and not an actual account bill from an energy supplier.

The landlord only gets one bill for the main meter and works out what the tenant has used by the readings on the sub meter.

Note that that usually works out cheaper for the tenant as there is only one daily standing charge, for the registered meter, and not an SC for each meter.
So the tenant has no standing charge to pay, which at the current Ofgem price cap of 57.19 pence a day can save the tenant £208.75 a year - which is much more that the £150 WHD.
Also note that it is illegal for landlords to charge a tenant more than the electricity supplied has cost them, many landlords undercharge their tenants for electricity to make sure that they do not break that law.

Unfortunately though in such cases as the electricity account is in the landlords name and not the tenants name then the tenant does not have an account with an electricity supplier and so does not qualify for WHD, but see the comment about standing charges above.

However at the age of 80 she should automatically get the pensioners Winter Fuel Allowance at the enhanced rate for over 75's.

TimeLord1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82108034#Comment_82108034

Since the landlord is "reselling" electricity to her, they are legally obligated to provide a clear breakdown of the usage and costs. Demanding payment via a Word document without a breakdown is improper.

she can ask the landlord for copies of the (original) bills from the energy supplier to verify that they are not adding a "hidden" profit margin. That's what I think is fair.