x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
Graham Awards

TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Landlord anger over agent switching energy supplier without consent

A tenant has received what has been described as a “grovelling” apology from the Connells lettings agency after it switched her energy supplier without her - or her two landlords’ - agreement.

The row first blew up some five weeks ago when local media in Ipswich covered the case of landlords Richard Woolf and Jane White, who were angry that William H Brown - who they hired on a let-only basis - used what the pair called “underhand” tactics to administer their tenant’s energy account.

In December, one of the landlords found what was described as an "uncomfortable clause" buried deep in the contract, stating that Sequence UK Limited, owned by the Connells Group and trading as William H Brown, "may pass" a tenant's personal details to OVO Energy (also trading as SSE) so electricity and gas could be provided by them, and Sequence UK could administer the tenant’s account on their behalf. 

Advertisement

When the agency did this, the tenant received what were described as “expensive” new energy bills.

The Ipswich Star cites The Property Ombudsman as saying this change could not happen without the landlord’s consent and should always involve an “opt in” rather than “opt out” approach. The landlords were unaware of the change and did not give consent.

At that time - early December - a spokeswoman for William H Brown told the Ipswich Star that the transfer of utilities had been an “administrative error”, where the landlord’s request not to have the energy supplier transferred wasn’t acted upon. 

Now it appears that the agency has compensated the tenant to the tune of £500 and the renter has received an email from a William H Brown staff member admitting there was “no lawful basis” to send her data to another energy company, and that the saga had “highlighted a training issue” within the Ipswich branch office because the “opt out” process was not actioned. 

The tenant is quoted as saying: “I’m lucky because I have had time on my hands to deal with this, but what if I didn’t, and what if I didn’t have a landlord that had my back and made sure to read every word of the 67-page contract?

“It makes me sick that estate agents are exploiting vulnerable renters and hitting them with extortionate bills just so they can make a bit of commission.” 

Landlord Today has asked Connells for its comment on the issue.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

  • icon

    William H Brown employees are generally young wet behind the ears boys and girls that like to think that they know the lot yet know nothing, terrible company.

  • icon

    Not really surprised at this. My local W H Brown advertises properties saying they are exempt from EPCs as they are under 10 years old!. The explanation came for the Branch Manager and was passed off as a training issue. Trouble is they are some 10 years out of date so what has happened to the training in that period. They are supposed to be "professional". In my dictionary professional means expensive and cr@p!!

  • icon

    I also used Fox & Sons ( Connells ) in Plymouth for one of my properties. I noted that they too have changed the energy supplier without either notifying me ar asking for my consent. I had better find out what the tenants bills look like to see if they are excessive! I wonder if that will be put down to a "training" issue?

  • George Dawes

    I’d be even more angry if they fitted smart meters without my permission

    icon

    I have had that several times but they have all stopped being "smart" as soon as the energy supplier changed.

    Yet another government funded con paid for by the tax payer or energy consumers and only benefiting the meter suppliers!

     
  • icon

    This just (29-may-2022) happened to me in Peterborough with William H Brown, we got Aimee Venters dealing with us, and he is not helping us at all, extremely frustating. Just opened a Police report in the fraud division.

    icon

    Hiya, I was wondering if you had any luck with the fraud dept with the police or not as this is still common practice at all of the connells group Estate agencies.

     
  • icon

    Our lettings agency, Fulfordsin Paignton, changed our supplier without informing us to OVO then gave my wives email address for to set up an account. They now say they can't change it back, we have to do it ourselves. We were still on a fixed rate from Octopus Energy. They have offered us £150 compensation which I think is not enough.

icon

Please login to comment

MovePal MovePal MovePal
sign up