During the cold snap, I visited a couple and their child who rent one of my flats. They speak limited English and wanted to meet me face to face as they’d had a confusing letter from the water utility about a meter change. They’re often a bit embarrassed about bothering me: I aim to be patient and encourage open discussion. We resolved the water meter issue and then the husband prompted his wife to say something about the last gas bill they’d had which was very high. To my astonishment they had requested a prepayment gas meter as a result of the high bill. I explained this would make the gas much more expensive, something they hadn’t realised as they thought it would just make payments more manageable.
I looked at both energy bills and noticed that they were based on estimated readings. So we took actual readings there and then. The actual gas reading was much lower than the estimate. My tenants don’t speak enough English to be able to call the energy supplier, so I called there and then from my mobile. The gas supplier had a few words with my tenant and then allowed me to deal with the call. The estimated reading had produced a gas bill of £415, the actual reading meant the bill should be £76. The supplier hadn’t read the meter for ages, my tenant didn’t have the language skills or the confidence to challenge the bill and had thought the answer was to get a prepayment meter.
I had a look at their bills, made a note of their energy consumption and when I got back to the office found them a cheaper deal which will save them £110 per year on gas and electricity. I emailed them details in English and their own language using google translate. Like so many consumers they were unaware that online monthly direct debit tariffs can save loads on energy bills. It’s really quick with the switching websites and easy for landlords: we do this kind of stuff online all the time. I’ll need to help them a bit with the changover readings but it will make a difference to their monthly budget and I don’t want them to worry about keeping warm. Could you help any of your tenants reduce their energy costs in this way?
I’m a great advocate of the landlord as a kind of community worker. We are often in a position to make a bit of a difference for our tenants. You could see it just as good customer service, but it also makes sense for us as landlords as our tenants are likely to stay longer, continue to have a good relationship with us and take care of their homes and our properties. I want them to be comfortable too.
That same day I had an email from another couple who left one of my flats because of a change in family circumstances. I returned their deposit promptly after checkout and emailed them wishing them all the best. They replied “we would like to take this opportunity to wish you every success in the future and to thank you for being a delightful landlord.” I was really touched. I think it’s really important that we model good practice and take pride in fostering good tenant relations. It’s great to get positive feedback to reinforce this.
