Letting Agent botched meter reading - are we gonna get shafted?

Big Chris · 12 Dec 2011 at 12:33

Moved into a new flat on Sept 1st, Agent took an eleccy meter reading 31st Aug and said they'd pass on all details to supplier who'd be in touch with bills etc.

3 months later nothing from supplier and no bills, so figured I better phone and do it myself to avoid a huge bill for months of eleccy. So I take the reading from the meter and it's LOWER than the one the Agency provided, suggesting they read it wrong on 31/08.

I've spoken to them and they're trying to suggest that the meters might be labelled wrong (4 flats in the building) and to get the serail no. from the supplier. I don't see how this could be the case since the other tenants would've noticed long before now if the meters were labelled wrong. So it looks like they messed up... what happens now? Supplier said they'd have to average the bills out or something along those lines, does this mean we'll end up getting shafted?

londonbairn · 12 Dec 2011 at 12:40

Did you take a reading on Day 1 as well? Won't the supplier have the closing reading from the previous occupier?

It's always best to take pictures of the meter as the first thing you do when you move in. I had a similiar issue, only it was the previous owner who decided to give them lower readings, took a while to fix but ended up sending them pictures etc.

tlrBeta · 12 Dec 2011 at 13:00

rafster said:
Did you take a reading on Day 1 as well? Won't the supplier have the closing reading from the previous occupier?

It's always best to take pictures of the meter as the first thing you do when you move in. I had a similiar issue, only it was the previous owner who decided to give them lower readings, took a while to fix but ended up sending them pictures etc.

The first point is true, they should have this recorded somewhere. Also the second point is a good idea as evidence.

Personally, I would kick up a massive fuss, refusing to budge or agree on any sort of averaging. This is there issue, not yours...so just make sure you tell them that.

Ahleckz · 12 Dec 2011 at 13:00

In every case I've known of, it is up to you to take meter readings and sort out the supplier yourself. I trust you took dated photographs?

Someone · 12 Dec 2011 at 13:14

Will the landlord not have paid the amount due to the utility provider based on the reading taken by the estate agent meaning that the balance for the property is currently in credit? If they messed up and have paid the utility provider already you could try just paying for anything used after the meter gets to their reading rather that having to try to work out what the reading was when you moved in.

As others have mentioned it is your responsibility to take a meter reading the day you move in to make sure what the agent has taken is correct as they could have taken a lower reading & you could be paying for gas / electric you have not used.

Abraham · 12 Dec 2011 at 13:25

It sounds like you may not have direct access to take the meter readings, but you should have got some for yourself from whoever can read them.
I've had numerous iffy bills while I lived in flats owing to the wrong meter being read, but they should average out.

Big Chris · 12 Dec 2011 at 13:39

They visited the flat the day before we moved in and took a reading, with a photo. However, you can't make out the reading in the photo (it's an older dial meter). Their 'Welcome to your new home' pack told us that all meter readings had been taken care of and not to worry, and to await contact from energy suppliers.

It's only when nothing came for eleccy that we realised something was up so took our own reading, which we now realise is lower than the one taken 3 months ago by the Agent.

Big Chris · 12 Dec 2011 at 13:49

Now that I think about it, there was a bill for the previous tenant when we moved in which we dropped into the Letting Agent, so I assume this was up until the point they left/we moved in, so surely we can just pay for anything after that up until the meter reading I took recently?

londonbairn · 12 Dec 2011 at 15:54

Most suppliers will do some sort of a "sense check" on switchover to a new occupier to see if it is in line (ie you have not magically put in 1000 KWH more than what it is)

Who is the supplier? Just speak to them about it and say it should be set to the closing balance, and say it is not your fault that the opening balance is incorrect, as you did not submit it, and they should have picked up a discrepency.

If they don't play ball then complain, complaints departments of many of the energy suppliers are actually really decent and sort things out.

The other thing is that they *may* have actually adjusted the guys closing balance up, hence the bill (i.e. they believed the agent and then adjusted the previous occupier). This is what happened to me when their system kept rejecting my opening balance as apparently it was too low compared to the "fake" closing balance.