A finance expert has explained reasons households can refuse a prepayment meter installation after Ofgem has asked all energy firms to stop fitting the devices.
It comes after The Times revealed that British Gas debt agents "broke in" to vulnerable customers' homes to fit meters.
An undercover investigation published Wednesday alleges that third party debt collectors acting on behalf of the supplier obtained court warrants to legally enter homes of customers in arrears. Once installed, households have to pay into the metre for gas and electricity.
Debt finance expert Scott Nelson at MoneyNerd has explained the certain circumstances you can refuse a prepayment meter installation and these range from illness and physical ability to whether you've been given a chance to repay your bills.
In 2018, Ofgem previously warned firms over using the tactic, as it is meant to be used as a last resort. It has now asked all energy suppliers to review their use of court warrants to enter customers' homes who are behind payments.
If faced with a debt collector - called sheriff officer in Scotland - there are legal rights that people have when it comes to letting them into your home. Now, one expert has also shared the circumstances where you can refuse a prepayment meter.
Six reasons you can refuse a prepayment meter
According to Mr Nelson, the top reasons that you may refuse a prepayment meter include:
1. You don't agree that you owe them money
Perhaps the debt on the account has been accrued by a previous tenant, or that the debt never existed in the first place.
If this is the case, you need to contact your supplier and explain the situation. You should also ask for proof of the debt you owe.
2. They haven't given you at least 28 days to repay your debt
If you do indeed owe a debt, they must give you at least 28 days to repay your debt before writing to you to say they want to move you over to prepayment.
3. They haven't offered you other ways to pay back debts on your account
If you do owe money to your energy supplier and they haven’t offered you a repayment plan or payments through your benefits, you can refuse to switch to a prepayment meter.
4. Not enough notice
Your energy supplier has already visited your property to install a prepayment metre without giving you notice of at least seven days for gas and seven days for electricity.
5. If you wouldn't be able to top up your prepayment meter
There are a few reasons why you wouldn't be able to:
- Your current metre is hard to reach
- You can't always get to the metre
- You would struggle to get to a shop to top up your metre
6. If you're disabled or have a chronic illness
Your energy supplier cannot make you move to a prepayment meter if you have an illness or disability that:
- Makes it hard for you to get to and read or use the metre
- Have an illness that affects your breathing
- Use any medical equipment that uses electricity such as a dialysis machine
Mr Nelson concluded: "If any of the above apply to you, contact your energy supplier and explain your circumstances. If they still try to move you to a prepayment meter, you can complain to the company to try and get them to change their mind."
The cost of living crisis paired with soaring energy bills has seen households across the UK struggle to stay on top of bills.
The Times report claims that employees of Avrato Financial Solutions forcefully entered homes of a mother with a physically disabled daughter, a single father with three young children as well as a woman with severe mental health problems.
On February 3, Scots charity South Seeds claimed that forcible prepayment installation is widespread across the country and that "so many vulnerable customers" are targeted.
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