Gas and Electric meters

Orly_2

Hi all - I hope someone can help me!!

Me and my friend rent a flat which is a house split into an upstairs and downstais flat. The landlord lives in the other flat. Both flats have gas and electric meters.

I was told recently that our landlord can set the rate of our metres and actually make a profit off the meters.

Our electric consumption does seem to be rather high - so I was wondering if there is any truth in this. Also, the landlord often seems to recieve 'bills' in the post even though he has a metre too??? Confusing!!!!

Any info on this would be much appreciated. Cheers -

Orlypops

Emmsie21

I am assuming that it is a prepayment meter at the property - you charge a key or buy cards at a local outlet?

If this is so then, unless the landlord has been tampering with the meter, the rates will be set by your supplier(s). Even if this is the case you don't put cash into the meter so he wouldn't be able to make a profit from you. I know the company I work for does not generally refund any credit that may be showing on a customers account if they have a prepayment meter as you pay as you go and therefore should not build up a large credit. Therefore the lanlord won't be able to make a profit this way either.

I know some companies send out statements to customers on prepayment meters so you can keep track of how much you are putting in the meter, so if the landlord also has prepayment meters then maybe this is what the he is receiving.

The other posibility is that the supply for both flats goes through the same meter but landlord has installed coin meters for your property and he empties the meters every so often to pay the bills.

mute_posting

There is another case with card meters (private) that replaced coin meters - i.e. the landlord could sell the cards. So in answer to OP it is perfectly feasable that the LL may be "profiting".....

AFAIK, the LL can charge more than the unit rate they are paying for the energy in the first place, but something sticks in my mind (which could be totally wrong) that they can only charge extra to recover "reasonable" costs.

Perhaps someone else with mor knowledge can confirm and/or expand...

MP

Orly_2

Thanks guys, this enlightens me somewhat. Both mine and my landlords meter are the card type that it topped up at the local shop. So I guess we just use more electric than I was expecting....???

And I presume the letters we see are the statements that were mentioned.

Both the gas and electric suppliers are British Gas.

Orlypops

Premier_2

It's a little unclear what type of tenancy you have. Do you have an assured shorthold tenancy agreement, which by definition means you have the 'right to quiet enjoyment'. This basically means the landlord cannot walk in whenever he feels like it or set house rules e.g. lights out by 10pm

Or are you effectively lodging with the landlord in his own home, albeit you live upstairs and he lives downstairs.

I don't know the rules for lodgers, but as far as tenancy agreements go, a landlord cannot profit from sub-metering of gas or electricity

Electricity supply and service charges

Where electricity (or gas) is supplied to the tenants by a landlord’s submeter, the landlord may not profit from this 'resale'. The electricity/gas can only be charged for at the rate that the landlord pays, and the tenant can only be required to pay that which he in fact uses.

http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/tenancyissues

Who do you pay your electricity or gas bills to? If it is direct to the electricity/gas company then I see no way the landlord can interfere legally, and any interference would probably be spotted by an official meter reader.

If the landlord is issuing the bills and you are paying him, then if you can prove he is charging more than he himself is being charged, he is acting illegally.

Edit: just saw your later post. I think whoever gave you the (wrong) information may have had a bad experience pre Rigsby days, or perhaps lived in America where I believe landlords are allowed to set their own energy rates though sub-metering.