Prepayment Meters
Debate between Lord Porter of Spalding and Lord Callanan(6 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lord Porter of Spalding (Con)
On the basis of that answer, can my noble friend confirm for the public at large, so that there is no doubt, that any tenant who has occupied a property that had a bad credit history before the tenant moved in should have been entitled to have that meter swapped to a normal meter—and that any customer who has been kept on a prepayment meter against their will on the basis of a previous tenant’s history should not have had to suffer that and should be due compensation?
Lord Callanan (Con)
I think I would agree with the noble Lord’s point: of course you are not responsible for the debt of a previous tenant. The only qualification I would make on that is that, if it is a tenant, the landlord owns the property, so the choice of meter would be subject to the permission of the landlord as well.
Lord Porter of Spalding (Con)
That is strictly not true. The tenants in rented property are responsible for their own gas, electricity and water supplies; the landlord is not.
Lord Callanan (Con)
I am happy to hear the noble Lord’s clarification. If I am wrong on that, I will certainly write to him about it.