Landlord's Meter Information

Metro Prepaid’s help desk is available 24 hours a day to assist landlords with their meter queries on 020 3020 1144

Metro Prepaid’s help desk is available 24 hours a day to offer technical support to landlords with on 020 3020 1144

A landlord’s electric meter from the electricity company records the total utility consumption of the whole property. The sub meter only records a portion of the consumption for a specific area i.e. room, apartment, flat etc. 

Submetering involves the installation of Metro Prepaid electric sub meters that can measure energy usage after it passes through the landlord meter. Submetering offers the ability to monitor energy usage for individual tenants to account for their actual energy usage. The sub meter relies on the main supply landlord meter for electricity, if the main supply is disconnected or out of credit, the sub meter will not work.

• Easy control of bills
• Reduced administration and risk
• Cheaper meters and faster installation
• Option to set your tariff so that tenants pay the Metro Prepaid 10% (Metro Code value) service fee
• Improved cash flow, water used through the meter paid back to owner
• Consumption reporting available
• Metro Prepaid sub meters do not replace the landlord’s meter but make the energy distribution convenient in your property.

Yes, speak to our help desk on 087 354 5566 about making provision for this in the tariff.

Speak to our help desk on 087 354 5566 about including this in your tariff, tariffs can be adjusted from time to time to recover the actual usage.

The sub meter has been designed to be resistant to tampering but tenants may devise ways to by-pass the sub-meter.

Landlords should manage their risk by monitoring usage against amounts collected and conduct site inspections where required.

Note on tampering in general:

• tampering typically involves the bridging of the live-in and live out wires
• ALL meters (including older-style card & kWh credit meters) are potentially vulnerable to this practice
• the incidence of tampering is generally low
• Landlords should mitigate temper risk by active  monitoring 

The landlord must set the tariff to reflect what he pays to the energy provider on the property. Many landlords choose to average any standing charges from their supplier into the tariff - this makes it easier for tenants to manage and budget.

The Electricity Act of 1989 and amendments and other legislation is enforced by the regulator (EEMA) via OFGEM state that No one should charge more for electricity than regulations allow.

Metro Prepaid recommends that Landlords of residential properties charge their tenants only the tariff charged to them by the Energy Provider and cover the cost of service fees in the rent.

Landlords who are unsure of their position under the regulations should request independent legal advice.

Metro Prepaid will only block meters that are connected illegally e.g. by-passing the council meter.

Yes, call our help desk on 087 354 5566 if you need support with a sectional title installation.

Metro Prepaid is a leading prepaid service provider and has built a reputation for integrity and reliability. Metro Prepaid pays the landlord during the 1st week of every month (for the preceding month's collection) as agreed in the Terms of Service. 

Metro Prepaid does not pay the energy provider bill. We only collect the payments from the tenants for their usage and pay this money to the landlord so that they pay their account with the energy supplier.

As fixture the sub meter will transfer to the new landlord unless the parties agree otherwise. The new landlord must contact our helpdesk on 020 3020 1144 immediately after transfer to arrange the transfer of the prepaid sub-meter to their name.

The Service fee consists of an Admin Fee (payable to Metro Prepaid) and a Merchant Fee (payable to the Merchant)

The administration fee is Metro Prepaid’s fee, for the service of collecting electricity payments from tenants on behalf of landlords.

It is often paid by the landlord, but may also be paid by the Tenant in some cases.

Metro prepaid services and costs including the generating of Metro Codes, bank charges, administration and collection fees.

Depending on the landlord’s instructions, the fee can either be deducted from the amount recovered for the landlord or it can be deducted from the Metro Code purchased by the tenant.
Please read the terms and conditions, for more information on relevant regulation.

If your Metro Prepaid sub meter is stolen please report the theft to the police and inform our help desk of the meter number so that we can block the meter.
The stolen sub meter will not be able to be used, while blocked.

Yes, please contact the Metro Prepaid help desk and ask to zero the credit quoting your meter number.

The battery keypad can’t be replaced. The keypad must be returned. There is no charge to swap a keypad.

A Landlord can install a sub meter on their private property without any approval, the sub meter must be installed correctly according to local regulations.

The landlord's electrician will be able to install the sub meter without running new cables to the  property and using much of the current electric infrastructure. If the landlord’s property already has each section on it’s own electric circuit then installation of the sub meters is quite simple. 

Ask a trusted local electrician to install the sub meter for you, sub meters are available from electricity wholesalers across the UK. Call us on 020 3120 1144 for registration and to activate the meter.

This depends on the usage, but it is expected to last an average of 8 years for water meters.

Metro Prepaid means your tenant can control and measure their own electricity consumption simply. They can pay online or with a card on Metroprepaid.co.uk or with cash at any Paypoint outlet including most major supermarkets or Barclays deposit machines.Direct your tenants to the Metro Prepaid About Us page and the Tenant FAQs

There is a one-year warranty for the landlord on the sub meter which starts on the date of first registration with the Metro Prepaid Help Desk. Removing factory seals to open the meter and access its inner workings render the warranty invalid. The seals on the clear plastic terminal cover may be removed and replaced by an electrician authorised by the property owner when fitting or checking a sub meter.

Metro Prepaid’s UK distribution office, is located in Tims Boat Yard on the river Thames, in London. Our call centre operates 24x7x365 servicing landlords with meter queries across the UK.  

There are a number of reasons why the energy bill may differ from the amount collected:

1. The wrong tariff may have been set on our system - this is easily amended
2. Metro Prepaid collects on a pre-paid basis but energy companies bill on a post-paid basis, if for example, tenants have purchased more credit than they used in a particular month then the amount received from Metro Prepaid will be larger than the energy bill
3. A tenant may have by-passed or partially by-passed a meter allowing electricity to be used without payment. Ask about our MET004 split meter which provides additional tamper protection

You may contact our help desk team for assistance:

Call: 020 3020 1144

Email: help@metroprepaid.co.uk

WhatsApp: 020 3020 1145

No, the service fees are included in your monthly report so that you have details concerning transactions & usage of your meters in full. At the point of purchase, the service fee is deducted first and the remaining amount is used to purchase credit. We pay the value of prepaid credit purchased to the landlord.

If you are under recovering then it may be a tariff issue and it is best to send us your bill that you receive from the municipality or energy provider so we can check and if necessary update the tariff accordingly.

Yes, by completing a registration form landlords enter into a contract with Metro Prepaid.

Metro Prepaid Limited is a registered legal entity, established in 2017 and based in Staines-Upon-Thames. Metro Prepaid files annual returns at Companies House and is under the control of British Directors.

Collections are held in a separate account and paid to Landlords on the first of each month.

Metro Prepaid is working to provide this, but right now we do provide monthly statements which show a breakdown of each tenants purchases.

Remember that the sub meter will still be eating off main supply, so as owner you still need to register and provide your banking details, option is to payout the meter from tenant.

Yes, always - that’s the only way for sub meters to work since they get power from main supply.

Remember that the sub meter is connected to main supply, therefore as tenants use power that gets taken down from the main supply.

This is a Metro Code generated at the request of the landlord for meter credit – from 1 kWh up to a maximum of 100,000 kWh.

A landlord might for example request a free issue to:

1. Give tenants a set amount of free electricity every month
2. Assist a vulnerable tenant
3. Allow workmen refurbishing an empty apartment access to power
4. Allow tenant moving from one unit to another to add credit already purchased to her new meter.

A landlord top-up Metro Code incurs a service fee of €6 incl VAT but no payment is levied for electricity and the landlord will not recover the cost of power used.