The Government made much of its energy bills benefit payments in response to the
energy prices crisis. ---- This support comes through energy suppliers whichcredit customer accounts. People with pre-payment meters will have the benefitsapplied to their meter or through a voucher. ---- However renters, especiallythose who pay rent with energy bills included or as a service charge, includingrenters in houses of multiple occupation are likely to miss out on thesepayments. ---- It is down to the "discretion" of landlords whether this paymentwill be passed down to renters. Even if landlords control the account and rebilltheir tenants there is no requirement to pass the payment on. So the renter willbe at the mercy of the landlord. ---- This affects people on low incomes, youngpeople and people of colour the most. People between 25 to 34 years make up 35%of renters, the largest group.If the energy contract is in the landlord's name they are likely not to receivethe payments. In some cases, landlords pay for energy and then ‘resell' it totheir tenants. The landlord is only legally allowed to charge the tenant the sameprice they paid, but tenants can struggle to enforce their rights if they thinkthey're being overcharged .Some tenants are charged via "sub-meters" wherelandlords organise energy for the building, often through a business energysupply contract. As the price cap does not apply to these contracts, tenants cansee rapid price increases and miss out on support. People with prepay"sub-meters" are especially at risk, as they could be left without energy if theycannot afford to top up.One more reason why renters should get together and organise!https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2023/01/09/energy-bills-benefit-for-renters-a-non-starter/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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