Tenant wants install electric meter.

Penny2017

Our tenant wants to install Electric Ireland Meter. I have no experience of this apart from online reading. Is this a good idea and could I be left with any outstanding bill. It will be installed in their name.
Thank you.

astrofool

Is it a pay as you go meter? What is there right now? Are they just switching to Electric Ireland from another provider (which will also mean a 12 month contract with break clauses for the tenant).

Just make sure it's clear what happens when the tenancy ends, at which point the account may transfer into the landlords (your) name temporarily before a new tenant moves in, and to take meter readings at the end (taking photographs of the final reading to prevent ambiguity).

Outkast_IRE

There is no hassle with these meters. No extra charge for removal or anything like that.

The pre pay gas meters are another story though, bloody cost me over €100 to remove and it was a previous tenants.

Samuel T. Cogley

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

There is no hassle with these meters. No extra charge for removal or anything like that.

The pre pay gas meters are another story though, bloody cost me over €100 to remove and it was a previous tenants.

+1 Was not a happy chappy on the gas meter. The prepaid electric is bloody expensive though. If it's just them in the place, have at it. Pre-paid is a very Irish thing and businesses know how to exploit it.

crossmolinalad

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

+1 The prepaid electric is bloody expensive though. If it's just them in the place, have at it. Pre-paid is a very Irish thing and businesses know how to exploit it.

Had no costs on that
When I moved in the house were I live now there was a prepaid meter from electric Ireland and I called them to get rid of it
Got a code I had to put in the display and give tem the current reading and was prepaid off without any costs

MissShihTzu

I thought all meters installed belong to either Electric Ireland or Bord Gais. Are you sure it's not the supplier the tenant wants to change?

Samuel T. Cogley

crossmolinalad wrote: »

Had no costs on that
When I moved in the house were I live now there was a prepaid meter from electric Ireland and I called them to get rid of it
Got a code I had to put in the display and give tem the current reading and was prepaid off without any costs

+1 was in reference to the gas meter, there is a significant charge to get them changed out.

Victor

Penny2017 wrote: »

Our tenant wants to install Electric Ireland Meter.

Electric Ireland don't do meters. Electric Ireland just sell electricity. ESB Networks own the meters.

ESB Networks can install a pre-pay meter. The resident can they buy electricity from any supplier that has a pre-pay tariff.

It will be installed in their name.

Make sure everything is in their name. Then if they move out, you don't get stung. Make sure that when they move out that the metering suits you / future tenants.

MissShihTzu wrote: »

I thought all meters installed belong to either Electric Ireland or Bord Gais.

No. Electricity meters = ESB Networks (Electric Ireland and ESB Networks are separate companies, both owned by the ESB). Gas meters = Gas Networks Ireland (Ervia sold Bord Gáis Energy, but retains ownership of Gas Networks Ireland).

There are also instances where small locations are metered by the likes of Calor Gas, Dalkia or others.

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

The prepaid electric is bloody expensive though.

This depends on the supplier. I understand the Electric Ireland tariff isn't much different to their standard tariff.

Samuel T. Cogley

Victor wrote: »

This depends on teh supplier. I understand the Electric Ireland tariff isn't much different to their standard tariff.

That's my understanding aswell, but you wont be able to avail of many deals long-term or switching.

AmberGold

Had this issue a few years back, tenant wanted to install a PAYG meter, I agreed only to find out when she moved out there was a large bill outstanding which was a right headache to sort out. Bord Gais were trying to get me to settle the balance before re connection.

Anyway the new tenant moved and used the PAYG meter for a while only to discover they were paying a higher rate for Gas as allegedly BG hadn't switched the account over. I suspect they just continued to use the PAYG meter not bothering to set up a new account.

Long story short we decided to take it out only for the engineer to report it had been tampered with and they wanted €250 or so to install a new one. Previous tenant denied everything and I ended up paying the bill.

I rang BG requesting an engineers report or to see the tampered meter only to be told where to go.

Oddly enough BG weren't interested in establishing if there was a criminal aspect to this either.

Landlords a soft touch once again.

Be careful on this one...

na1

AmberGold wrote: »

Had this issue a few years back, tenant wanted to install a PAYG meter, I agreed only to find out when she moved out there was a large bill outstanding which was a right headache to sort out. 

How come the PREPAY meter can allow the outstanding bill?

Cuddlesworth

na1 wrote: »

How come the PREPAY meter can allow the outstanding bill?

Usually the pre-pay meter is installed when a huge debt is outstanding, a % charge is then added onto it to pay off the balance owed.

AmberGold

Yep a charity case, both for BG and myself. Tenant eventually received social housing and walked away from large debts.

Didn't even bother with the PTRB, don't need the pressure of this thing taking years to get to court and the hassle of dealing with an impotent state quango, never mind the issue of taking a skint tenant down the legal route.

na1

AmberGold wrote: »

Yep a charity case, both for BG and myself. Tenant eventually received social housing and walked away from large debts.
.

At the time the tenant asked for PAYG meter, did you know about the debt?

crossmolinalad

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Usually the pre-pay meter is installed when a huge debt is outstanding, a % charge is then added onto it to pay off the balance owed.

Not exactly true
Know a landlord who keeps his meters on his own name and his 3 houses have all prepay meters so the tenants have to top up the meter or have nothing
there are no debts on those addresses so they get their power for normal unit prizes
Tenant's wont get permission to take meters out

AmberGold

na1 wrote: »

At the time the tenant asked for PAYG meter, did you know about the debt?

No, I knew she was struggling on a lot of fronts thou so just felt at the time that this was a way for her to manage the situation. It won't happen again.

Cuddlesworth

AmberGold wrote: »

Yep a charity case, both for BG and myself. Tenant eventually received social housing and walked away from large debts.

Didn't even bother with the PTRB, don't need the pressure of this thing taking years to get to court and the hassle of dealing with an impotent state quango, never mind the issue of taking a skint tenant down the legal route.

Waste of money anyway. No wages to garnish, nothing to take usually. It goes nowhere.

Penny2017

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Much appreciated 😊