Is it worth letting my flat out (Scotland)

[DoricPixie]

I finally received a refund from the letting agency for the check-out inventory that never happened. I also got some money from the deposit although not as much as I think I would have got if the check-out inspection had gone ahead. I sense another complaint to another letting agency coming on.

[DoricPixie]

The saga hasn't quite come to a close. I received a gas bill in from Scottish Power via the letting agency. The gas MPRN does not match the MPRN of the gas meter that supplies my property so that is something else for me to sort out. I strongly suspect the MPRN on the bill is for a neighbour's property even though I was very clear in my correspondence with the letting agency, before the tenant started, as to the gas MPRN and electricity MPAN for my property. Being a flat I was also very clear and reminded the letting agency several times about the flat's address which is very similar to the house next door and still the tenants almost cut off my neighbour's phone line and internet. I'm using Resolver to deal with Scottish Power as it worked when I had to deal with e.on last year.

Also received a quote for reupholstering the dining room chairs (gulp) but the good news is that it might be possible to repair the bath rather than replace it. It is proving difficult to coordinate someone coming to look at the bath from the other side of the world though.

I have the tenant's new address and I am slightly tempted to take her to court but realistically I think it will throwing good money after bad if I do that.

[theartfullodger]

Sigh! I've had issues over the years with SSE of a similar nature.... Good luck, never tried resolver, but hear good words about them..

This may help - I've found writing/emailing CEO - not with a complaint but a suggestion on how they can save time & money - often pays dividends... And usually their wonderful "world-beating" (In the Johnsonian sense) systems can't cope & always then write to me about my "complaint".
https://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=ceo-9566

Got a case of malt whisky & a signed letter from "Fred the shred" Goodwin from one exchange with RBoS.

Not court but FTT perhaps?? Does she have "history" there??
https://www.housingandpropertychambe...unal-decisions

Slàinte mhath!

[DoricPixie]

The Scottish Power gas bill mystery is solved. The tenants appear to have given Scottish Power the MPRN belonging to the ground floor's gas meter. Scottish Power have still not replied to me via Resolver and according to Resolver I can escalate my case to Customer Service Support (a second line of customer service at Scottish Power?) in 4 days time.

This possibly explains why the tenants had turned most of the radiators off (TRV set to zero). They were trying to reduce bills whilst paying for someone else's gas.

[baldelectrician]

This is why it is good to take photos of meters as the pictures will have the meter serial numbers in them

I have came across things like this when calling SP energy networks about a property- the meter serial number (almost) always lets them pinpoint the exact property.

[DoricPixie]

There were pictures of the meters in the inventory as well as the MPAN and MPRN I gave the letting agency since neither of those numbers are on the meters but utility companies want them when opening new accounts.

I can’t really work out where it has gone wrong. The previous tenant had changed the supply to eon. Then I had a lot of wrangling with eon once the tenancy ended in part to the letting agency furnishing a potential tenant with details about utility suppliers before referencing was complete which she failed on referencing. Those eon bills had the right MPAN and MPRN on them.

Then new tenants moved in and switched to Scottish Power. The right MPAN was used but the MPRN for the gas was wrong. However, after checking with eon they confirmed they are not supplying the property with gas so an account with the correct MPRN was closed and a new one with the wrong MPRN with Scottish Power opened which sounds odd. I don’t know if it’s the tenants or Scottish Power that have messed up. Not that it really matters, I just need Scottish Power to sort it out now.

[DoricPixie]

Finally got this sorted out with Scottish Power, only took 2 months and the ombudsman.

I also completed my UK tax return for 2021/22. My rental profit is less than half the mortgage interest paid plus there’s the damage to sort and pay for when I return so the answer to, “is it worth letting my flat out,” is a resounding NO!!!