Energy rebate/loan questions for student accommodation?

Energy rebate/loan questions for student accommodation?

10:53 AM, 10th February 2022, About 2 years ago 21

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OK so in October every house using electricity will get a £200 rebate (loan by stealth) then it has to be paid back over 5 years.

The information says that if someone shares and moves to a new property they don’t take a share of the £200 loan, they take all of it.

In a student house, one student generally registers for each bill, but they all acknowledge they use the items billed under joint liability. So under this scheme, the student whose me is on the bill takes the full debt with them and the others have no liability.

If two people’s names are on the bill and they go their separate ways, will each take a £200 debt with them? Thereby doubling the return to the government.

Chris


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Comments

Gromit

19:31 PM, 10th February 2022, About 2 years ago

The only way this can work is for the repayments be the liability of the person/entity that the £200 was given to. If they've moved and there's no forwarding address and rhe person cannot be traced then the debt will have to be written off.
It cannot be the assigned to the property or new occupants.
There's gojng to be all kinds of issues if people change suppliers/providers.
As usual the scheme has not been well thought through.

Rennie

15:40 PM, 11th February 2022, About 2 years ago

How can it be a loan when it is forced upon you? Am I missing something?

Denise G

15:42 PM, 11th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Bradley at 10/02/2022 - 13:27
Martin Lewis has the Chancellor's ear so ...

Jim

9:56 AM, 12th February 2022, About 2 years ago

As the main heading of this post stated student accommodation can I also mention about another anomaly that affects students. Properties council tax band A to D inclusive will receive a £200 council tax discount but students are exempt from paying council tax and so they will not receive this £200 discount and yet still have to pay the increased cost of gas & electricity. if the landlord for the property pays the bills for the property under an "All bills inclusive" package they still will not receive the benefit of the council tax reduction as student tenants occupy the property. Seems very unfair on the students as they are missing out. Tenants who are on an "All bills inclusive" package with the landlord will still have to pay for all of the energy increase as most of the packages have a fair usage policy which is expressed in £Pounds cost used and not Kilo watt hours energy used.

Luke P

10:01 AM, 12th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Jim S at 12/02/2022 - 09:56
There’s a possibility students will receive it, for they have a council tax bill, only it’s discounted to nil.

Yvonne Francis

12:42 PM, 12th February 2022, About 2 years ago

The way I see it, after looking at the post from Denise G, is that the loan is directly given on the energy bills, and not on an individual or a house. As a landlord with students I presume in October my tenants will benefit from this £200 but by April 2023 they will begin to pay it back at the rate of £40 each year. How they will levy this when that set of tenants have only four months left on their tenancy I just can't answer. I presume then the £40 per year will be added to the bills of the next set of tenants. I also presume the government is thinking our energy bills will go down so the extra £40 per year will not hurt too much. I guess one can only dream but I fear we will wake to a false dawn.

Rennie

17:23 PM, 14th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 12/02/2022 - 12:42
It would be fraud to offer an energy bill a loan. It must be offered to a "person" i.e. a legal fiction, a person who can be taken to court if they don't pay it back.

Yvonne Francis

15:19 PM, 15th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rennie at 14/02/2022 - 17:23
I don't quite get your meaning as I automatically presume energy bills are addressed to someone. My point is that the loan is not put on a person but the energy bill which is sent to properties.

The original post says 'If two people's name is on the bill, and they go their separate ways, will each take a £200 debt with them thereby doubling the return to the government'. I have eight names on my tenants accounts! If that was correct the government would have a field day. It clearly is not the case but what these two individuals will have is a £40 extra on their bills at any property they may move to. And anyone who in October 2022 are living, say with their parents, and not responsible for enery bills, will if they move into their own accommodation have the extra £40 per year for five years eventhough they did not receive the loan.

If you think that's unlawful, then perhaps you could contest it. I must say the whole thing looks riddled with potholes. Why they don't just leave people like me alone who are well custioned to take the price hike, and concentrate on helping those struggling, God only knows.

Ron H-W

18:00 PM, 15th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Probably best to think of it as a "discount", to be followed by 5 years of "surcharge".

Because a lot of people (myself included) have difficulty with extending the idea/definition of the word "loan" to cover what is actually envisaged.

Rennie

0:05 AM, 16th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 15/02/2022 - 15:19
I agree with everything you say. It is an abortion of an idea like all their other unthoughtout ideas. It is unlawful and illegal as you cannot make someone take a loan just because you want them to. It requires a contract. If you just "give" them the money that is ok but then how can you justify taking back something you freely gave and in some cases from someone you gave nothing to

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