Hi, I move into a 1 bedroom flat Oct 2008. My tenancy started 4th Oct but I did not move in until the 17th Oct so the property was sitting empty and no electric was being used. I also went on holiday for 3 weeks between November and December so no eletric was being use other than the immersion heater and my fridge.

There is no gas supply to the flat only electric. The flat was previously used as office space then converted to residential. There are two storage heaters which are useless as there is no double glazing in the flat. Since I move in I had to call the landlord to replace 6 sockets which suddenly stopped working. That includes the switches for the storage heaters which look to be at least 10 years old.

As I mentioned there is an immersion heater. Last November the day before I was due to go on holiday the immersion heater switch and another socket stopped working. I contacted my landlord requesting for it to be fixed during the period I would be on holiday. I gave my best friend the keys who lives couple doors down requesting for her to let him in the flat to do the repairs. After repairing the immersion heater switch he claimed that it was because I was turning the it off and on that caused the fault in the switch and stated that it was not good to turn if off. He claimed that it is to remain on at all times. I never used an immersion heater before so I took his advice and kept if on bacause I didn't want to be blamed again if stopped working. The problem is that I always had boiling hot water and that made having a shower difficult. When I first signed up with Npower they informed me that they will be taking readings and I will be sent my bill quarterly. I was confident I my usage was low as I work full time, leave at 7am and don't get home until 8pm. I am also out most weekends as I have a part time job. I have been paying Npower by direct debit £60 monthly. I received an estimated bill was stated I was in credit by £185 but that was on an estimated reading. I called to ask whether they had done any readings. They claimed they could not access the meters. Partly my fault yes as I should have contacted them earlier to check on my account. I gave them the readings on the 27th May. I called Npower on the 28th to check if I owed anything. Thats when they told me I owed £839. I was shocked by this as I am hardly ever at home. I requested some advice and discuss my usage with Npower in detail. The only appliance kept on daily was my fridge and the immersion heater. the storage heaters have not been turned on since the end February and were only really used between mid November to end Feb. Npower informed me that the immersion heater was not to be kept on as it was heating the water over and over again.

I contacted my landlord to inform him that he request for it to be kept on was the fault. Due to my working hours whenver there were repairs to be done I always requested for my best friend to let him in. He tried to used that as the reason for my bill being so high suggesting that she lives there and stays there all day. I have always taken my keys back from her after repairs have been done and she wokrs full time herself and I live alone. I requested for him to cover 40% of the billed as my usage would not have been as high it is if he hadn't insisted for the immersion heater to be kept on. He claimed that the immersion heater is on a timer which I have proven that is not the case. The tenants in the flat below me are also complaing of extremely high electrec bills. They have complained of several electrical problems similiar to the issues I have experience in my time in the flat. I am thinking on witholding next month rent unless he agree to cover part of the bill. My tenancy ends 3rd Oct this year. Can anyone offer any advice. I am working two jobs as I enjoy living alone not because I want to waste my money on paying for high electric bills.

You DO NOT have to leave emersion heaters on 24/7 - he was telling you porkies

I suggest that you ask your suppliers for a meter check (should be free) plus (if possible) get an independant inspection of your complete wiring carried out - are you paying direct to the suppliers (ie "normal" rates ?)
If so then this MUST be wrong - I can't see how you are racking up such huge bills - even with the immersion heater (which has a cut out to stop the tank exploding - so will not be running 24/7 - just unnecessarily long......

Hi

The bill could be correct if the immersion heater has been switched on constantly. Once the temperature reaches a certain level, it will switch off, but the heater will keep on switching on/off keeping the water hot. From previous experience a typical immersion heater will take 60 to 90 minutes to provide a full tank of hot water. The water will keep at a reasonable temperature for a day, unless you have a bath. This is a very expensive way of getting hot water. My great aunt left her immersion on constantly and the quartely bills were very high. Also we found that her flat also paid for the electricity of a light in a communal area of the block of flats. It is worth turning off all your electrical items and then checking the meter to see if it is still showing usage. If the wiring to the flat has not been done correctly, you could be paying for other peoples electricity. Your neighbours might not realise this but could be enjoying cheaper bills. We had southern electricity check our aunts meter but this was found to be working ok. The engineer said it is very difficult to prove if a meter is faulty and would be fairly costly to have electrical system independently checked. The reason we had the meter checked was that had found that 1 outside light was costing about £20 a month. My aunt was not resident at the time, so we turned off the electric. We were not going to pay for the neighbours to have a lit communal area.

As you say the system look old, I wonder if it is in safe working order. You can find more information searching online about tenants rights. The following has been cut and pasted from one site.

The landlord is responsible to maintain installations for the supply of:

• Water

• Gas (servicing once a year by a registered CORGI gas fitter)

• Electricity

• Sanitation

• Space heating and heating water

This would include cisterns, radiators, boilers, heating ducts, water tanks, baths, sinks and all the pipes for gas and water as well as electrical sockets and wiring throughout the property.

I don't know what your current position is with regard to a shorthold tenancy agreement and whether your landlord is using a letting agent. I would get in touch with Citizens Advice who will confirm what your rights are. There are many laws which apply to tenanted accomodation and you may be able to request action from your landlord. An electrical system check and upgrade of water heating system would be a minimum. Your local council authority may also have powers even if it is a private landlord and not a council funded let.

Warning. Do not withold rent or take any action without getting advice first. Make sure you are on safe legal ground first, as some landlords I understand can be very difficult. They don't like having to spend money fixing properties.

Good luck

Huckster