Ofgem’s proposed debt write-off could leave out tenants on private networks
Ofgem’s new plan to write off up to £500 million in unpaid household energy debt is a positive and much-needed step in supporting those in need. It’s aimed at helping people on benefits who’ve fallen behind on bills during the cost-of-living crisis, a lifeline for many struggling households.
But there’s a problem: millions of people in both social and privately rented housing probably won’t see any of that support.
That’s because many have to buy their utilities from their landlord, through private or “behind-the-meter” networks, where energy is purchased by a landlord or managing agent and then allocated to individual tenants. In these arrangements, tenants don’t deal directly with an energy supplier, so they fall outside standard consumer protections.
The regulatory blind spot
In buildings such as older converted office blocks, social housing estates, and multi-tenant developments, residents often don’t have the option to have a direct account with a licensed energy supplier.
Instead, energy for the whole building runs through a single central meter, and the cost is then recovered by the landlord or managing agent in various ways — sometimes through sub-metering, but often as part of rent, service charges, or even on a best-guess allocation.
All these things have two major consequences:
These residents may not qualify for consumer protections or support schemes like Ofgem’s debt write-off, because they aren’t direct customers of the energy supplier, their landlord is.
They can end up paying higher rates.
A double disadvantage for the most vulnerable
With millions of people buying their utilities via their landlord through behind-the-meter networks, a significant number of households are missing out on the same support others receive.
Many of these tenants are among the most financially vulnerable, people in social housing, supported accommodation, or low-income private rentals. They’re the least able to absorb rising costs and the most likely to fall into arrears, yet they’re potentially excluded from help that’s designed to support households in debt.
At MyUnit, we see this issue every day across the private networks we manage. Behind-the-meter residents are real households facing real bills, and they deserve equal access to fair pricing and debt relief.
Time to include everyone
We support the debt right off and recommend behind-the-meter customers to be brought in scope. That means:
Better visibility and data on private and sub-metered networks;
A regulatory framework that recognises all domestic consumers, regardless of metering structure; and
Collaboration between landlords, managing agents, and energy suppliers to deliver fair, transparent pricing and support for all.
At MyUnit, we’re already showing how this can work in practice.
Our platform can digitally allocate energy credits, grants, or rebates instantly to individual tenants, even within complex private networks. We make it possible to treat every resident as a household customer, providing transparency for landlords and fairness for tenants.