Can I Change Energy Suppliers (Gas & Electric) Without My Landlord’s Permission?

Why tenants may want to switch energy suppliers

In almost all cases it’s to benefit from cheaper rates, just like everyone else.

Switching energy providers is one of the best ways to make a significant saving on energy bills. According to Look After My Bills (LAMB), they have saved their customers £450 or average each year (average based on real savings by UK resident LAMB customers).

Although, saving money it’s always the primary driver for switching energy suppliers. I once had a tenant that switched purely out of principle, because they received terrible customer service from their current supplier. It had nothing to do with the prospect of saving money. However, as an added bonus, he probably did make a saving by switching, too (most people do).

Below are a couple of popular energy auto-switch services that will compare the market for the energy best tariffs. They’re all highly rated with great feedback:

Energy Switching Services
Perfect for tenants or anyone responsible for paying their energy bills.

Service	Rating	Features	Cost	Avg Saving
Switchd	Rating 3.7 TrustPilot Reviews	Features How 'Switchd' works Switch Process & Frequency Switchd keep checking to see if they can find you a better deal. In general, you'll get switched every 6-9 months. They will automatically switch you to the best deal, but they will let you know that this is going ahead. You then have 14 days to tell them if you are not happy with the switch for any reason and they'll put a stop to it. Market Coverage Switchd compare every supplier in the market. *Average Savings £408 is the average real savings made by UK resident Switchd customers. **Free or Paid Plan explained Choose between a free or a paid plan (£1.99 - £4.99 per month). Energy switching with their paid plan will save you an average of £108 more than their free plans (and apparently their free competitors, too). They don't charge you a penny until they've saved you at least £50. Exclusive discount code PIPLANDLORD to get 6 months half price on any of their paid plans.	Cost **Free	Average Saving *£408	Visit Website **Discount Code: PIPLANDLORD
MoneySuperMarket Energy	Rating 4.7 TrustPilot Reviews	Features How 'MoneySuperMarket Energy' works Switch Process & Frequency MoneySuperMarket Energy scours the energy market every month to search for savings for you. When a better deal is found for you, you will be notified by email, and then you can decide whether to switch or not. Market Coverage MoneySuperMarket works with over 50 energy suppliers including all of the big brands. *Average Savings £306 was saved by 30% of consumers that applied to switch via MoneySuperMarket, March-December 2020. Excludes NI, CI & IOM.	Cost Free	Average Saving *£306	Visit Website
Switchcraft	Rating 2.8 TrustPilot Reviews	Features How 'Switchcraft' works Switch Process & Frequency Switchcraft will normally switch you once a year. But if your supplier puts their prices up by more than 10%, they'll switch you again. They will email you before switching - and you can always say NO Market Coverage All suppliers that pay Switchcraft a commission for referrals. *Average Savings £268 is the average savings made by Switchcraft customers, which is a large selection of UK suppliers.	Cost Free	Average Saving *£268	Visit Website
Look After My Bills	Rating 4.4 TrustPilot Reviews	Features How 'Look After My Bills' (LAMB) works Switch Process & Frequency You'll get an email from Look After My Bills every time they are preparing to switch you. It will tell you who your new supplier is, the unit rate and standing charge of the new tariff and the amount you pay for your electricity and gas based on the readings you've provided them with. They'll only switch you if they find a deal that saves you at least £50/year vs your current tariff. Market Coverage All suppliers that pay LAMB a commission for referrals and those that don't have terrible customer service. *Average Savings £253 is the average real savings made by UK resident LAMB customers. 1 in 10 members save £400+ per year. P.s. Yes, in case you're wondering, these are the same folk that appeared on Dragon's Den and "got the best deal EVER" (YouTube clip).	Cost Free	Average Saving *£253	Visit Website

Are tenants allowed to switch energy suppliers?

If you pay your energy supplier directly for your gas or electricity then you have the right to switch suppliers. No permission required. DO IT!

In most cases, tenants directly pay the supplier in single-let properties. However, in HMO properties, it’s unlikely the case – usually the landlord will include the energy bills with the rent.

Can my landlord stop me from changing energy suppliers?

In short, not if pay your energy supplier directly.

It’s actually a common misconception by landlords – they believe they can stop their tenant’s from switching suppliers.

Should I notify my landlord that I’m switching energy suppliers?

To maintain a transparent and healthy relationship, I believe it’s always best to inform the landlord before switching, even if you don’t really have to.

I can’t imagine that any sensible landlord would have any issues with it (and even if they do, they can’t really do anything about it). Just explain that you’re switching to a cheaper supplier. If that manages to ruffle your landlord’s features, then so be it. They’re most likely unreasonable and have bigger issues to worry about.

What if my landlord pays my energy supplier

As said, in single-let situations, it’s very unusual for landlord’s to pay the suppliers directly. However, if your landlord does pay the energy company directly and then charges you, you do NOT have the right to switch supplier.

You’ll need to [kindly] ask permission from your landlord first if you want to switch. Again, from my experience, most landlords won’t have an issue with it, especially since it usually doesn’t cost anything to switch.

What if my tenancy agreement says I can’t switch energy suppliers?

There’s often clauses in tenancy agreements related to energy suppliers e.g. some clauses will stipulate the landlord’s preferred supplier.

According to Citizen’s Advice, “this won’t stop you from switching supplier” (but you should tell your landlord or letting agent anyways).

But they also mention that, if you do switch supplier, you may have to return the account to the original supplier at the end of your tenancy. This is an issue you should discuss directly with your landlord.

Are tenants allowed to change the physical meter (e.g. replacing a normal meter with a prepayment meter)?

I once had an [asshole] tenant that fell behind on their energy bills (plus every other bill under the sun), so he was forced to switch to a prepayment meter by his supplier. That meant the meter had to be physically changed to a unit that accepted the prepaid dongles (which need to be topped up).

From my perspective as the landlord, it wasn’t the most ideal situation because when they vacated, the new tenants didn’t want a prepayment meter. Generally, most people that are on top of their bills won’t want a prepaid meter, because, quite frankly, they can be a royal pain in the ass! You frequently need to get them topped up, and it’s not unusual to forget, which means the gas and electricity can unexpectedly stop working. Not ideal. You know the electricity will disappear at a crucial time, too.

It wasn’t long before the new tenants replaced the prepayment meter to a normal one.

I’m digressing here.

The point is, your landlord can’t stop you replacing a prepayment meter with a normal meter (or vice versa).

The only caveat is that because changing the meter will count as an ‘alteration’ to the property, you might have to put the original meter back at the end of your tenancy. Again, this is something you should discuss with your landlord – s/he might be happy retaining the meter you switched to.

However, if your landlord wants to you switch it back, you’ll have to pay any fee your energy supplier charges for changing the meters again. However, most suppliers don’t charge a fee for installing or removing meters if there’s a reasonable period between the switch. For example, if you switch to a prepaid meter and then 6 months later you want to switch back to a normal meter, there usually isn’t a fee.

As a final note, if you’re actually in the market to switch energy suppliers to make some wonderful savings, whether you’re a tenant or any thing else, I definitely recommend checking out uSwitch.com to see what’s on offer.