My tenants installed a smart meter without my permission: can I change it?

I rented out my flat while I was looking after my elderly father. Without asking permission, the tenants installed smart meters in the flat and outside in the common area.

I don’t want smart meters in my house because I’ve read that they are not reliable.

The couple said they would change the meters to an older style meter, and my energy supplier charged £250 per smart meter plus VAT to do so.

However, after finishing the job, I saw the same meters. They had not been removed, but simply put into “dumb” mode, meaning they no longer automatically send readings to the supplier.

The tenant will not provide me with a receipt because he says the supplier did not give him one.

I am concerned about dumb meters and have also read that energy suppliers should not charge for “dumbing down” a smart meter.

Can you advise me if they should replace the meters to analogue, which is what I requested and my tenants said they would do?

This Is Money’s Angharad Carrick responds: Smart meters have become a controversial topic for many, with some homeowners reluctant to install them on their properties.

Some households have complained of inaccurate readings leading to higher bills and want to take readings themselves from traditional meters.

By the end of 2023, more than 34 million households had a smart meter installed and suppliers expect to install them in all homes by the end of 2025.

Can tenants install a smart meter?

For some tenants, a smart meter can be a great way to monitor their usage and help them budget. But is it a decision that is up to them?

You say that you don’t want smart meters in your rented home and that your tenants didn’t ask your permission to replace older meters.

I understand that it’s your house and you have some reservations about smart meters, but unfortunately, if tenants pay the energy bill, it’s their decision.

Ofgem says: ‘If you pay for gas or electricity in your rented property, you can choose to have a smart meter.’

On the other hand, if you had been paying the energy bill and adding that amount to your monthly rent, then you would have been able to decide whether to install a smart meter or not.

The regulations dictate that if the electricity bill is in your name, you can install a smart meter. This is because the meters are the property of the energy supplier, not the owner or tenant, despite being installed in the home or in the common area.

That said, it’s a good idea for tenants to let their landlord know if they plan to get a smart meter, which they didn’t do in their case.

If you set rules in your lease about how power is supplied to the property, including what type of meter can be installed, then you could have grounds to charge them or evict them for breaking the lease.

You haven’t clarified whether you did it.

However, even if there is a clause in the contract, energy regulator Ofgem says homeowners should not “unreasonably prevent” the installation of a smart meter.

Can a traditional energy meter be reinstalled?

Their tenants said they would have the meters removed, but in reality, they simply switched them from “smart” mode to “dumb” mode.

Unfortunately, once you switch from a traditional meter to a smart meter, it will be very difficult to switch back.

This is because non-smart meters are no longer being manufactured and suppliers say they have an obligation to install a smart meter if the old one is deemed unsafe.

Suppliers also often insist on installing a smart meter if the current one is reaching the end of its useful life, which can be between 15 and 20 years.

For households that insist they don’t want a smart meter, suppliers can switch it to “dumb” mode, which disables the smart functionality and won’t send its data to the supplier automatically.

However, it does not seem reasonable to charge a customer for switching modes, especially since this could be done manually.

I checked with several suppliers, including Octopus Energy and Scottish Power, to see if they charge for this and most say no.

In your case, your supplier may have charged tenants to remove their traditional meter, which can cost hundreds of pounds, but will not charge them to switch their new smart meter to dumb mode.

You may also be charged for moving the meter location, if the new smart device was in a different location than the old meter.

I would suggest you or the tenants contact the provider in question to request a breakdown of the charge.

Have you been charged for switching your smart meter to dumb mode? Get in touch with us at editor@thisismoney.co.uk