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Almost one in 10 landlords do not allow tenants to switch energy providers

Thousands of tenants are being told by their landlord that they are not allowed to switch energy providers with a view to reducing their bills, according to a new survey.

The study from auto-energy switching service Migrate found that 9% of tenants have been told by their landlord or letting agent that they do not have the right to switch energy provider, enabling them to move to a cheaper deal.

Another tenth of tenants claimed that their landlord or letting agent had told them they were not allowed to have a smart meter installed.

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Legally, tenants are permitted to dictate the energy supplier for the property as long as they pay the bills.

However, tenants should check their tenancy agreement to see if it stipulates a ‘preferred supplier’, in which case it is best practice that your tenants inform you, as the landlord, or the letting agent before switching.

It is believed that around 11 million households are currently on their supplier’s standard variable tariff. These are the most costly deals around, and the ones that are affected by the price rises suppliers announce periodically when their wholesale costs increase.

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Poll: Have you ever told any of your tenants that they do not have the right to switch energy provider?

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    I don't mind them switching suppliers, i just wish they would tell me though when they do.

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    Shouldn't the requirement to inform landlords when they switch suppliers be written into tenancy agreements?
    (Maybe the fact that tenants do not always inform landlords is why some landlords in the end do not allow them to switch. I know from experience that it can be very difficult to find out which company is the supplier if the tenants had not informed the landlord of their switch.)

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