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http://www.landlords.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/expert-advice-gas-and-electricity-management-your-
rental-property
15.6 Utilities strategy water: Since the Flood and Water Management
Act 2010 water landlords of let properties are at risk because if a
tenant leaves and does not pay a bill the landlord becomes
responsible. The key is to have good data when determining the
deposit return. Arguably this is easier when the landlord is in
control with a private meter reading company, not a municipal
water authority. For this reason the Check-Out Inventories in
Ringley’s Quick Inventory connect via API to the ‘move out’ process
on Planet Rent.

15.7 Planet Rent provides for utility management in the ‘Welcome &
Utilities’ area by auto sending tenants details at the beginning and
collects them from Quick Inventory at the end of a tenancy along
with records of tenant’s phone numbers, emails and forwarding
addresses. Sharing of information is crucial in ensuing the risk of
unpaid water bills is defrayed away from the landlord.

15.8 Bulk water meters: this is now not permitted by most Local
Authorities but can still be found in the new build service charge
sector. Installing a bulk water meter avoids individual unit grid
connection charges, then typically to comply with planning or
building regulations calibrated meters are installed behind the
bulk meter. One advantage is that bulk standing charges are cheaper than the sum of standing charges
for all individual units; the disadvantage being that unless the meters are offered for adoption to a
meter reading company they cannot be read by Managing Agents who are not insured to read and
charge out calibrated equipment, leaving meters unread whilst billing continues based on unit size or
service charge percentage basis. Mostly the strategy will depend on the Local Authority each
development falls under.

If as Client wishes to pursue the ‘bulk meter’ option but desires to charge residents on an actual usage
policy a cost analysis of direct grid utility connections vs meter reading company adoption charges
needs to be carried out. As an example to calibrate, adopt and read bulk meters Energy First charge
£104 per bulk meter + Vat, and £9 per unit meter to calibrate it. And site visits at £75 and individual
unit billing costs on average £30 per unit.
Set up charge say 5 bulk meters @ £104 + 466 units @ £9 = £4,714
Site visit & meter reading charges = £75 + (466 x £30) = £14,055 per annum

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15.9 Gas: The 2014 Heat Metering regulations, effective 31 December 2015 state that all sites with a
communal service supplying kWhs (heating/hot water/cooling) to a number of flats/units within a

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