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I'm a landlord. I've already told OVO my new tenants have moved in but I'm still being billed? Why?

  • 19 September 2022
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Tenants moved into my property on September 9th. I told OVO. My account still exists & I am obviously being billed for my tenants. What is going on?

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Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO 20 September 2022, 17:41

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You can’t make OVO bill the new tenants, but they should stop billing you.

Eon and EDF customer. Don't think smart meters are worth the expense.
Emmanuelle_OVO
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Updated on 31/08/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO

Hey @tricia47,

 

Sorry for the issues you’ve had.

 

To close your account all you need to do is to log into your Online Account, select the ‘moving home’ option and put in the date you ceased liability for the property. You will then get a final bill within 4 weeks. 

 

If the ‘home move’ hasn’t been processed yet, it will be backdated. You won’t have to pay for any usage after September the 9th. 

 

You don’t need your tenants to set up their new account, in order for your to be closed. Don’t forget to submit your final meter readings so the bill is accurate! We have a great guide for landlords that you might find helpful:

 

 

Here are some similar threads you might find useful:

 

 

Hope this helps.

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
Blastoise186
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Hello @Jane hr ,

Sorry to hear it’s been a bit tricky for you. I think the best thing to do is to contact OVO Support via https://help.ovoenergy.com or 0330 303 5063 and explain the situation. If you can have the paperwork ready - especially the court warrant/court order and any paperwork from the bailiffs and/or sheriffs, that will make things easier for you.

If you can satisfy OVO that the tenant has left the property permanently, you can get them to close down that account and set up a temporary landlord account to take control of the supply. This will also enable a future tenant to take on the supply via the usual routes.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you get stuck.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
J
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HI thanks for your response. Have you tried the number? I have and only seemed to get options for text to links, I couldn’t find an option to speak to anyone and no one on the live chat could help. I’ve now emailed details via the complaints email.

I have all the necessary paperwork and meter readings

Not sure why this isn’t a simple process

Regards

Jane

Blastoise186
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Ok. If you still don’t get anywhere soon, stop by this thread again - there might be more options.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
J
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Thank you. Not sure how this forum works but hope someone from OVO actually reads it!

Blastoise186
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OVO reads just about everything posted here. There’s two OVO staff on patrol every weekday and they literally spend pretty much all day reading all posts and comments left on the forum (when they’re not in meetings!).

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
Emmanuelle_OVO
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Hey @Jane hr,

 

Sorry for the issues you’ve had with your tenant,

 

You could also try contacting Support through web messenger or WhatsApp. Our phone lines do tend to be very busy on a Monday. 

 

You can set up your account through this link. You’ll only be charged from your opening readings and the date you became liable for the property. This FAQ may be helpful to you:

 

 

Hope this helps. 

Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
J
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Thank you Emmanuelle

I will look to set up an account. My concern is I doubt the tenant has informed you he has left and I don’t want any ongoing issues here,

regards Jane

Blastoise186
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You won’t need to worry there. OVO’s Collections Team will chase the previous tenant for that debt. You won’t owe a penny and nor will the next tenant. And opening your account should close the old one down.

If they do get in touch, keep that paperwork handy! It will satisfy the Collections Team that you’re not responsible for the debt and they’ll back off pretty quickly after that.

Hopefully your next tenant ends up being a lot easier to handle.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
J
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Hi OK thank you :).  Variable DD set up

J
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PS we will be selling- can’t go through this again!

Blastoise186
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That’s ok too. If that’s the case, here’s what I’d recommend doing. This should make things as smooth as possible between yourself and OVO.

  1. Set up a temporary landlord account for now, to move the previous tenant one out of the way
  2. Pay the bills in the meantime from the date the tenant moved out (that meter reading you took should help!)
  3. When you’re ready to sell and you know the property has been sold successfully, notify OVO that you’re moving out. You can do so either via MyOVO (which is the fastest way!) or getting in touch with Support. This will commence the closure of your temporary landlord account. The estate agent might offer to take on the supply while the house is on the market, so I’d recommend checking with them too, just in case
  4. Advise the new owner to sign up with OVO via https://switch.ovoenergy.com to create their own account

If you follow these steps correctly, everything should work out with OVO. If you fancy installing a Smart Meter while you’re still in control of the property (which is recommended!) you’ll be able to do that too via https://smart-booking.ovoenergy.com . However, I’ll let you decide whether to do that or not. If you’d rather not, that’s totally fine too.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
juliamc
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Not sure you’ve set up a variable dd as OVO doesn’t support them….?

Tim_OVO
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Perhaps it’s a variable plan (Simpler energy) with a Direct Debit… good to hear the account’s getting set up, @Jane hr !

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
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Hi you are right it wasn’t a variable DD and I spent another half hour or so on the web chat reducing my fixed estimated tariff of £209 to a manageable £15 per month for an unoccupied property.  So much for ease. I must be doing something wrong as apparently this enquiry was solved with a few links! I couldn’t find reference to a landlord account.  

Blastoise186
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No worries. I tend to refer to this as being a landlord account because it helps others looking for answers (and it’s good for SEO with Google, admittedly). As far as OVO sees things, they’re the same as regular accounts on the system but might have notes saying it’s a temporary account being managed by a landlord.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
T
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I am a Landlord and my tenants have just moved out. They previously held an account with OVO which they have now cancelled. I need to open an account with OVO in order to carry on paying the standing charges while the house is empty. Every time I go online to open an account it keeps asking me for an account number, which I obviously don’t have. So, how do I open an account without an account number?????

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If the house is empty, all you have to do is provide a final meter reading and give your name as the new occupier. They will contact you and give you an account number urging you to access it online. You are the new customer and it’s down to them to allocate a new account. I don’t see how they can charge you anything if you aren’t using their services.

In your position, I’d look for a different supplier. My experience with OVO has been so poor that I wouldn’t recommend them to anybody. I know it’s difficult to switch suppliers at the moment but that would be my intention.

Blastoise186
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You can’t just switch away without having an account and as a landlord, it’s actually recommended to leave the current supplier active.

@triss tristram please get in touch with OVO via the options at https://help.ovoenergy.com and they can sort you out. You’ll need to let them know the property is currently empty and that you’re the landlord.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
Tim_OVO
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It should now be possible to do a move in (I know you’re not actually moving in, but the process is the same) online: https://switch.ovoenergy.com/

 

Put in the address and it will pick up that we already supply the home and take you down the moving in journey. Any problems, @triss tristram let us know!

 

Full guide here: 

 

 

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
J
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Triss I feel your pain, anyone would think that unoccupied properties are a new thing. Took me a day to get it sorted, no one asked for meter readings. In the end I set up  new DD and finally got someone on the live chat to understand that a fixed DD of £290 per month was not appropriate and it should now be reduced to a manageable, realistic £15 per month. Its all very well people giving information but not sure if anyone actually tries it. Wish you well Jane 

R
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Hi, I am a landlord and my flat has been empty for a month. I took a meter reading when the tenant moved out and he notified OVO. I have new tenants moving in in March and I will take a meter reading on that date. What I don’t know is how to let OVO know I am responsible for the usage in the intervening weeks. There doesn’t seem to be any way to do this (or I haven’t been able to see it) I would appreciate some information or advice on this. Many thanks!

 

Blastoise186
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Hey @Reluctant !

Could you give OVO a call on 0330 303 5063 in the morning? Press # if you get asked for an account number. :)

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
R
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Thanks Blastoise I’m new to OVO, it was SSE I dealt with before and phoning them always reduced me to tears, hopefully OVO will be easier?

 

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