Transferring electricity and gas bills to new tenant

Escapees

Does it make life easier if a new tenant stays with the current utilities provider and transfers bills to their name along with providing changeover meter readings, or can they just as easily open up an account with a different provider who has never dealt with them or the property before? Sorry for the long question!

Ashbx

Not sure you can transfer them over. When my boyfriend and I split and he moved out, all the bills were in his name. We tried to put my name instead but most of the providers told me that we would have to close the accounts and open new ones under my name.

Virgin Media was quite difficult and the only thing I could do without getting a new box and new contract etc was to add my name to the account. So the bills for this is still address to both of us even though my ex moved out 2 years ago.

So I think it would just be easier to open new accounts for the new tenants.

TT rainbows

I preferred to do my own picking. Saw some crazy rates been paid in some places. Would be annoyed if llord expected me to stay with their existing suppliers.

wordofwarning

Get the tenant to phone up a different provider with the MPRN and a meter number. The new utility will port the account.

It is a mess getting the likes of Electric Ireland to transfer names.

pwurple

If you do this, you have to phone all providers and verify accounts are in order at th3 end of a tenancy. I had a tenant who didn’t pay the electricity for 6 months.

When they went to leave was when i found out.... took it out of deposit, but was lucky to have caught it.

tuisginideach

pwurple wrote: »

If you do this, you have to phone all providers and verify accounts are in order at th3 end of a tenancy. I had a tenant who didn’t pay the electricity for 6 months.

When they went to leave was when i found out.... took it out of deposit, but was lucky to have caught it.

I thought the whole idea was that if this happened, the bill followed the tenant not the landlord so 'no skin off the landlord's nose'? Although if the supply is disconnected for failure to pay and the tenant hightails it, I presume it's the landlord who would have to pay the reconnection fee?

killanena

When I moved in to my flat the landlord had an electric Ireland account on his name and the day I got the keys he just called them up and gave the meter reading and asked to be billed and after that he passed the phone to me, I had to sign up for an account but I got all the benefits his account had like night saver etc. So yes I had to make an account but everything was sorted within a 10 minute phone call.

TT rainbows

It can be convenient to stay with the existing supplier its true or previous set-up. However calculate carefully what rate you will pay over a year or two. In some cases you will be paying several hundred euros more for this convenience. You might not have time to compare when you first move in but put it on a to do list. Checkout some comparison websites like bonkers.ie

K.Flyer

Escapees wrote: »

Does it make life easier if a new tenant stays with the current utilities provider and transfers bills to their name along with providing changeover meter readings, or can they just as easily open up an account with a different provider who has never dealt with them or the property before? Sorry for the long question!

You or the last tenant must close their accounts with their current energy provider for both services and provide their last meter readings.
When the new tenant is signing the new lease you should have both the gas and meter readings taken for that day, and if possible show both of the meters to them to verify. You will also need to provide them with both the GPRN for Gas and MPRN for Electric. These details will be on the bills.
They then contact whichever energy provider they wish to use, furnishing them with the current meter readings and GPRN & MPRN provided.