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Energy Management for Letting Agents and Tenants
Free Energy & Utility Management - FAQ’s
What do you do for us?
‘We open and close all utility accounts for tenants moving in and out of properties meaning only one form deals with ALL utilities – most letting agents will send a different letter to each of the suppliers so we cut down a clients paperwork instantly.’
Are you tied to one supplier?
‘We deal with every UK supplier so that we can remain impartial when giving advice to you and your tenants.’
Do you switch the energy supply?
‘Yes absolutely. The tenant is given the option of the cheapest available supplier or they can choose their supplier meaning the tenant is happy from the start of the tenancy. Tenants choosing the cheapest tariff have more money left at the end of the month for their rent which in turn helps the letting agent and the landlord. In today’s climate, it is very important to ensure that costs are kept as low as possible’
Some of my Landlords don’t want us to switch the energy supply.
‘Landlords sometimes insist that the supply is kept with one supplier which does the tenant no favours if the supplier is not competitively priced, with our service the tenant is given the option whilst keeping the letting agent and landlord fully in the loop regarding the supply to the property. Given the nature of our service, we find that landlords are happier for this service to be in place than the previous situation. In today’s financial environment, our clients find it extremely important that their tenants are given the very best chance to ensure that bills are kept to a minimum which combats fuel poverty and gives more chance of the monthly rental payments being kept.’
We don’t get involved with the Utilities at all, how can you help us?
‘Tenants sometimes leave properties without ever setting the utilities up in their name and if they have never paid a bill, this means that the landlord may be about to get a huge bill in their name without even knowing, sometimes ending up in a disconnection, or a CCJ. With our services, this is eliminated as we act for the letting agent to set up all utility accounts and close them down when a tenant leaves. Even if you do not currently get involved with the utilities, there’s a very high chance that at some point one of your landlords will have had to deal with an issue that they would normally expect the managing agent to sort out, our service ensures that your landlord has a back up in such circumstances without you having to get involved.’
How can tenants ensure that they are paying the best prices?
‘At the time of processing the info, we can be sure that the tenant has been set up with the best price available for the payment method that they have opted for. Tenants can also opt for a free monitoring service which keeps them informed every 6 months if there is a better tariff available, if the tenant ever decides to switch suppliers again, we keep the letting agent informed.’
We already have someone who deals with this, are you putting them out of a job?
‘Not at all, many of our clients previously dealt with the utilities themselves in some way, and did a great job, although a common factor amongst most of our clients was at some stage, they have all been stuck on the phone to suppliers trying to sort out tenant or property issues where suppliers haven’t followed their request etc, the great thing about our service is that we take care of everything and we don’t charge for it. Those people who used to be constantly working on energy issues find that their time is now freed up for more important and profitable tasks, helping to drive the business forward.’
Can you deal with Pre-Payment meters?
‘Yes, we can sort out pre-payment meters for you as part of the free service, your tenants can also deal directly with us (if you prefer) to get their meters reset and to have new payment cards/ keys sent out. In many cases we’ve also been able to have energy switched on the same day where meters have been in debt or if there have been no
cards or keys available.’
How busy is your call centre? I don’t want to swap a supplier’s queue for yours.
You will be appointed a dedicated account manager and you’ll have their direct number along with the customer query line which is always answered by a human so you’ll always be able to speak with one of two members of our team regardless of how busy we are. Our offices are all UK based and you will never be placed in a queue.
Can you deal with meter problems?
If you have any meter problems like disconnections or faulty meters, we will work on your behalf to reconnect and rectify any problems. We have a dedicated trouble shooting team to assist you with your queries.
Do you deal with all energy issues for us and our tenants?
If a tenant ever has a query about their energy, no matter what it is, we will deal with this for them, straight away, in some cases due to data protection, the tenant must speak directly with the provider and we will always advise the tenant of the best course of action without you having to get involved, info regarding any of your properties is always available to you.
How do I know that you have done what you say you are going to do?
We keep you in full control of all of your properties, giving you access to stats of everything that you have submitted which is saved for 100 days. You can download this info and save as an excel spreadsheet.
Do you cover other products such as broadband?
Yes, we can also help your tenants set up their broadband, phone and/or TV which earns your business £10 for every sale. This service is also impartial as we compare every provider. Other services include insurance for tenants & landlords, Energy Performance Certificates, commercial energy and much more. All other products provide an extra income to your business for sales generated from your leads.
Do you deal with empty/void properties?
When properties go empty – We will close down the tenant’s account and supply any forwarding addresses to all utilities. Where we have already set up the energy for the tenant previously, we can ensure that the property has been placed with a Zero standing charge tariff so that if there is no energy usage, there is no bill for the landlord.
If we have not previously dealt with the property, we will still ensure that the accounts are closed down and placed in the correct name until such time as the property is let again. NOTE: Some Pre-Pay meters currently incur a daily standing charge.
Is there an interruption of supply when you switch suppliers?
No, the only change is the gas or electricity company who bills for the energy used. It usually takes between 4 & 8 weeks to switch energy suppliers. The tenant is billed for their energy by the current supplier from the day they move into the property to the day that the lower priced or preferred energy supplier takes over, the tenant will then be billed by the new energy supplier. It is not possible for two energy suppliers to bill for the same unit of energy. Money Angels and Energylinx administer the whole process of switching energy suppliers, all the tenant needs to do is relax and wait for everything to fall into place.
Who are Energylinx?
Energylinx are the UK’s No1 energy price comparison service. They own and operate the UK’s only energy comparison service which has the ability to transfer energy supplies to all available tariffs from every UK energy supplier.
How is this a free service & how do you get paid?
Coming from a lettings background we know that if we can make our services free then letting agents and housing associations are more likely to use the energy and utility management service. We take a small fee when we switch or transfer energy suppliers over to another energy provider, we do not have any future plans to incur a charge for our services - ever.
Am I tied in with Money Angels?
Yes, but only for 28 days at a time, we ask all of our clients to agree to a 28 day rolling contract meaning that regardless of when you singed up with us, you can always give us 28 days notice to quit. We feel that this gives us the drive to always provide a quality and efficient service giving you the confidence appoint us to manage the energy supplies for you properties without being tied down for long periods of time.
Do you deal with meter readings?
Yes, we will provide the current energy & utility suppliers with opening and closing readings, if you have not been able to get a reading, then your tenant can supply this to us after completing and sending the form, however we can still provide our services even if we are not given the readings. If this is the case, the current suppliers would still be given the move in date however they would estimate the opening or closing readings.
Can I earn from your services? I am aware of other companies who pay commission.
Yes. All of our other services such as Energy, Broadband, Insurance, Commercial Energy and many more all pay revenues to your business for successful sales. We are aware that there are other companies who also pay a commission for energy switching only and we would like to explain the difference between our service and those which pay a commission for energy switching. Firstly our service is a complete Energy & Utility Management service for the whole duration of the tenancy, and for when the property is empty. We are not aware of any other company in the UK who can provide the same service.
Some other energy switching services for letting agents are tied to one supplier, our service is open to all suppliers which means your tenant is given a choice rather than being forced to go with a supplier who may not be the most competitively priced. Some of these services even charge an upfront fee to use the services, we do not charge a penny – and never will.
If a tenant is forced to go with a supplier who is not amongst the best priced options, their cash flow situation may be adversely affected which in turn could affect their ability to pay the rent. With fuel poverty becoming more and more common, we feel that it is important that tenants are offered the best deal for their energy.
Many of our clients feel that we add so much more than a sole commission to their monthly bottom line due to the fact that we save them so many hours where they would previously be contacting suppliers, dealing with tenant’s utility queries, pre payment meter issues and disconnections etc. It’s not only the time saved which is important; it’s what you can do with that extra time to drive your business forward - PLUS OF COURSE WE WILL STILL PAY YOU A COMMISSION ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS
How can I come on board?
Go to our website – www.money-angels.com and click on the ‘Come on Board’ link. Follow the simple steps and you will be able to start straight away or call 0845 621 0248
Do I have to do this for every tenant?
The service does always work at its best for those of our clients who package our service as part and parcel of their tenancy signing process; however we do not insist on the tenant completing the form. Having said this, many of our clients do insist that the form is completed by the tenant as part and parcel of the tenancy signing process.
We have been presented with situations in the past where a tenant has declined our service at the point of signing the tenancy and then been disconnected due to the previous tenant not paying their bills and the current tenant not setting up their account properly, at this point the tenant called us to help and had to take up our services after all.
A great deal of time and effort could have been saved if the tenant had completed the form in the first place. Tenants can still choose their supplier if they don’t want to be set up with the cheapest supplier.
Can our tenants choose a ‘green’ supplier or a fixed price tariff?
Yes, there is a comments box on the form to record any special requests, we can accommodate both.
I’ve heard that you are going to offer a free lettings software, is this true?
Yes, we are currently developing bespoke lettings software which can assist you in running your business, this software is currently in the development stage and we will be launching this free software to all of our Energy & Utility Management customers as soon as it becomes ready. Please see our website for specifications. The software will be a FULL management software.
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