Reconnection of Electricity

[IHateBritishGas]

If there was immediate or existing risk of fire would you have been happy to learn the house caught fire while the DNO were getting in contact with you to ask permission to make the property safe ( from electrical fire )

What damage had the tenant done to the supply ? Had someone reported smoke coming out of the meter box ? Being a housing association property did the meter have a tamper alarm that alerted the DNO ?

There and then if there was an immediate danger then I understand the supply should have been cut off, that I have no problem with. But what I do want top know is if they had forewarning, why not contact us? When the supply was removed why not contact us?

I have been asking the question what damage was done only to told that is between them and the tenant who caused the damage. Data protection and all that, so I am unable to question the circumstances. Its frustrating because there could have been pther options, but they do not want to see that, much better to sit back until someone coughs up the money to put it right.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I hope this has all been suitably cathartic for you, because that's all it could ever be.

Sadly it matters not how many posts you make on the subject, after each one the situation will still be that you have a choice between:

1) Paying the fee

2) Owning a property with no electricity supply.

 

[IHateBritishGas]

Unfortunatley ban-all-sheds you are right, it still does not seem right in anyway though. Ulitmately I am unable to question them, so who can? What is stopping them from removing the supply to the next property?

Who watches the Watchmen?

 

[dhutch]

Who watches the Watchmen?

There are no watchmen that need watching here,.

The first reply answered the question.

the way i see it ...
you [as owner and landlord] failed to maintain a safe instillation so you have been cut off the onus is on you to recover the money from the tenant

Housing or not, you own and letting a property and that comes with responsibilty and risk as well as all the good side.

I also find your username inapproprate, a lot of forums would have removed you for that alone.


Daniel

 

[IHateBritishGas]

No watchmen need watching? I am trying to find out why the supply was removed, to see if some other course of action could be taken, or whether or not action was required in the first place!

I am expected to pay costs but am not allowed to question what lies behind them! I am taking their word for it that there was damage and cannot find out what had happened?

And as for the first reply, no one can watch their tenants 24/7, we cannot be held liable for the criminal activities of our tenants, I am not even sure their was any criminal activity because I cannot get an explanation of why or what was done!

As for username innappropriate? Seriously?

 

[dhutch]

As for username innappropriate? Seriously?

If this where on the forum I run (not a small afair) we would have asked you to change it and removed you if you did not, yes.


Daniel

 

[bernardgreen]

I have been asking the question what damage was done only to told that is between them and the tenant who caused the damage.

If damage is caused to property then the OWNER of that property is the only person who has a definate right to be informed about the damage. Other interested people such as the tenant may need to be told but the OWNER has to be told.

The exception that might be applicable here is that the damage was done to the property of the DNO and not to the property of the housoing association.

And as others have said your "name" is not the best and if it reflects on the way you are discussing this matter with British Gas then likel any good will that was there will have been destroyed by you.

 

[Mrdjc]

Just to be annoying, I'm going to say I completly agree with Ihatebritishgas on the matter.

But BAS has summed it up beautifully.

Contact the tenant, tell him he has to put it right back to the state it was in before he moved in, and before the last check. Using the DNO. Give him X weeks to deliver, and if he doesnt, you serve him the bill + legal costs.

Pay the fee, and chase the tenant who damaged the property, with the bill. (Get legal advise before reconnecting it though that he knows he will be about to be served with a bill for it.)

Life isn't fair... and its people like that who make every day living more expensive for everyone..

 

[westie101]

Data protection and all that

Which is no doubt one of the reasons they didn't contact your HA (I'm sure it's a valid reason for withholding information your HA uses all the time)
Does the HA have an address for the (ex)tenant, would you release it to the DNO? If you haven't got an address what makes you think anyone else does?

If there has been any theft of electricity involved there is a procedure that is followed.

Installation of a pre-payment meter
if it continues
Disconnection by removal of main fuse.
If supply is illegally reconnected
Removal of main fuse and additional anti-theft equipment installed
If supply is illegally reconnected, this is getting into the grounds of dangerous activity, I've actually seen one property illegally reconnected using a claw hammer jammed into the cut-out in place of a main fuse, this hammer was easily accessible and live. Oh and there was a 3 year old in the property and the hammer was stolen!!
Disconnection of supply externally to the property (though often other chances are given before this last action)

You ask about criminal offences, illegal abstraction of Electricity is a criminal offence! Though it is rare that the police are asked to be involved.

What is stopping them from removing the supply to the next property?

What is stopping an HA from evicting tenants?

Who watches the Watchmen?

The Electricity Regulator

The Department of Energy

It's all governed by The Electricity Act & the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity and Regulations.
Other documents include the Distribution Code.

A simple Google would have turned these up and there may be a reference to them on the DNO website!

And as a matter of interest had the DNO involved the HA, what would you have done to stop the activity of the tenant before he possibly killed or injured himself or others?

 

[IHateBritishGas]

We the HA have the forwarding address for the former tenant as do British Gas as they are chasing outstanding payments of gas, whether or not the DNO has the address on their records I cannot say for sure but both ourselves and British Gas can provide that information should they wish it.

If we were aware of any tampering, and the procedure as Westie101 outlined was followed then at any point if we were informed of such tampering, eviction proceedings could have begun.

As it was, at the last yearly inspection, whilst the tenant was there, no problems were found, and the tenant gave up tenancy before the next yearly inspection was due.

 

[bernardgreen]

and the tenant gave up tenancy before the next yearly inspection was due.

The letting agency I use for the house I let out make an inspection visit as soon as possible when the tenant gives notice to end the tenancy and they then inspect the day before the tenant moves out. Any problems and the deposit is not returned until the problems are sorted.

I accept that tenants of a housing association property may not be able to lodge a deposit in which case other measures and processes should be put in place to protect the property from abusive tenants.

 

[IHateBritishGas]

Unfortunately, more often than not, and on this occasion, keys are handed in without any notice.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

whether or not the DNO has the address on their records I cannot say for sure but both ourselves and British Gas can provide that information should they wish it.

You might want to run that idea past your lawyers.

 

[Lectrician]

I find these days with rentals, the tenants are more than happy to just up sticks and leave with no notice (handing keys in is luxury!), they seem to not worry about the return of their deposit (which was probably paid by the government one way or another anyway). More often than not, the properties are in one hell of a state and require thousands spending to put right.

Incidently, I think things must work differently depending on areas and depending on the situation, but the last disconnection we had was reconnected FOC by the DNO, and and we reverted to the original supplier prior to the tenant. This was an overhead supply which was obviously far easier to re-connect.

 

[wingcoax]

I had a regular customer who owned several flats in town, she contacted me and asked if i would fit two new meters as the DNO had removed them. It turned out that the tenants had done a runner after jumping the meters. The DNO wanted £400 each to refit. I had to tell her that not only was it highly illegal but immoral as well. She ended up paying.