Tenants can shop around

Renters have been warned they face paying over the odds for their energy supplier due to a combination of unlawful contracts and low awareness of their rights.

Just 31 per cent of private rented tenants realise they have the right to change their energy supplier. A similar proportion believe it’s harder for tenants to switch supplier than it is for homeowners, survey results show. The research was published by uSwitch in the week that SSE revealed it is to raise electricity and gas prices by 9 per cent in October.

One in ten tenants has been barred illegally by their landlord from switching supplier, including 3 per cent whose contract won’t allow it and 7 per cent that have been told by their landlord that they can’t switch, uSwitch found. While landlords can request to be kept informed of switching intentions, they are not allowed to prevent a tenant from making the switch.