Terms & Conditions
These Terms and Conditions govern your use of our services and website. Urban Billing is a registered trading name of Huddle Utilities Ltd. All business activities are conducted by Huddle Utilities Ltd, and accordingly, the terms and conditions outlined below refer to Huddle Utilities Ltd.
“Acceptance”
Accepting the Order documents [for the single bundle of services provided to that Property]. This must be done by all Customers before You can begin receiving Huddle services.
“Agents / Engineers”
Agents or engineers appointed by Huddle to assist in providing Services, including but not limited to; installation to provide Services, meter reading, repair, upgrade or removal of meters and other equipment relating to Huddle’s provision of Services.
”Deposit”
“Event Outside Our Control”
“Initial Cancellation Period”
“Minimum Term”
“Owner”
”Order”
”Product”
”Supplier(s)”
The amount a Customer must pay as security for Huddle to supply the Services.
Is defined in Clause 13;
”Fees”
The amount You must pay for the Services provided to You by Huddle Utilities Ltd, which are calculated in accordance with these Terms, Our pricing sheet and those prices provided to You by updates and notifications from time to time as agreed.
”Meter”
”Packages”
”You/Your”
The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give Customers the right to cancel a contract within 14 days of signing up without giving a reason.
The devices and equipment used for measuring Your Utilities usage.
Is the minimum period that each Service will be provided to the Property as specified in the Order contract. This will commence from the date Huddle begins providing Services to You.
The overall Owner of the Property, whether freehold, leasehold or licensor in relation to the Customer.
Your order for the Services as set out on the Order documentation and communications between us.
The pre-packaged Utilities and Services bundles for Customers
The pre-packaged Utilities and Services bundles for Customers
The package and product We create for You to provide Services, as set out in any Order;
”Property”
”Services”
The property to which Huddle will provide Services.
The services that we are providing to You as set out in the Order; this can include different combinations of services or standard packages.
Any third party supplier Huddle uses to supply Customers with Services.
”Tenant”
Customers who are tenants or occupiers of a Property.
”Terms”
The terms and conditions set out in this document; and the Order documents confirming the nature and form of the contract between the Customer and Huddle.
”Third Party Finance Provider”
An individual or company the Customer uses to pay their Fees and who guarantees the Customer’s financial/payment obligations under these Terms and Order documents.
”We/Us/Our”
Reference to Urban Billing
”Website”
Reference to www.urbanbilling.com
”Utilities”
Utilities relevant to student letting and accommodation, e.g. gas, electricity, water, Broadband and TV licence.
Reference to the Customer.
”Writing or Written”
This includes e-mail otherwise stated.
1. Key Terms
1.1. Agreement to these terms forms a binding contract as set out in clause 3.
1.2. We reserve the right to amend these Terms from time to time as set out in clause 4.
1.3. You agree to pay Us for Services We provide under these Terms once a contract is formed between us, in accordance with Clause 8 and 9. This includes any additional charges as laid out in the aforementioned clauses.
1.4. If You are arranging for a Third Party to pay for Your services on Your behalf, they will be bound by these same Terms, as stated in Clause 10.
1.5. You may cancel this contract within 14 days of sign-up in accordance with Your statutory rights. Beyond that time, cancellation will be in accordance with the Terms set out in Clause 14.
1.6. If there is a requirement for repair or maintenance to any of the services we agree to provide, payment expectation from you will be suspended under Clause 5.7. until this is rectified. You will not be expected to pay for us to repair your Services under Clause 8.1. unless an appointment is missed or damage is caused willfully.
1.7. If/when your contract with us ends or is cancelled by either party, We reserve the right to retain any amount or deposit for outstanding fees as set out in clauses 14 & 15. If your account is in credit at the end of your contract, we will return surplus funds to you as shown in Clauses 14 & 15.
1.8. You consent under these Terms that We are able to pass your details on to third parties providing services for you, without limiting your statutory right to object as shown in Clause 17.
2. Our Identity
Urban Billing are a company providing utilities, telecoms and other services registered in England & Wales, Company Number 09380853. Our Company’s registered office is at:
Gable House
239 Regents Park Road
London
England
N3 3LF
3. The Contract
3.1. These are the terms and conditions under which We supply Services to You.
3.2. Please ensure that You read these Terms carefully, and check that the details on the Order and in these Terms are complete and accurate, before You sign or agree to the Order. If You think that there is a mistake, please contact Us to discuss it.
3.3. When You sign and submit the Order to Us, this does not mean We have accepted Your order for Services. Our acceptance of the Order will take place as described in clause 3.4. If We are unable to supply You with the Services, We will inform You of this and We will not process the Order.
3.4. These Terms will become binding on You and Us when We contact You and confirm in writing that We are able to provide You with the Services required. At this point, a binding contract will come into existence between Us.
3.5. By submitting the Order to Us, You accept responsibility for the Order in full. We have the right to bill You in full for the Order until other Tenants agree to Our Terms.
3.6. If any of these Terms conflict with any term of the Order, the Order will take priority.
3.7. We shall assign a unique 6-digit number to each Order and inform You of it when confirming the Order. Please quote this number in all subsequent correspondence and dealings with Us.
3.8. If Customers have any existing Utilities and Service providers that will be replaced by Our services, You may need to contact Your existing Services provider(s) in order to terminate those Services. Your existing Services providers may charge cancellation fees in relation to their contract with You for this, for which We accept no liability.
3.9. All parties must agree to contract changes to the contract. I.e service cancellation or service addition contract which each customer is part of. Consent to changes must be submitted in writing (email accepted) by all parties.
3.10. Where more than one customer has entered into a contract and changes to the package are requested, all parties must give their consent before any amendment is actioned by Us. This consent must be provided in writing either by letter or email.
4. Changes to terms
4.1. We reserve the right to revise these Terms from time to time in the following circumstances:
4.1.1. Changes occur in relevant laws and regulatory requirements.
4.1.2. We deem this appropriate in relation to Our business.
4.2. If We have to revise these Terms under Clause 4.1, We will give You at least one month's written notice of any changes to these Terms before they take effect. You can choose to cancel the contract in accordance with clause 14.
4.3. You may make a change to the Order for Services at any time before the start date of the Services by contacting Us. Where this means a change in the total price of the Services, We will notify You of the amended price in writing. You can choose to cancel the Order in accordance with clause 14.1. in these circumstances.
4.4. If You wish to cancel an Order before it has been fulfilled, see Your right to do so in clause 14.
5. Providing Services
5.1. We will make our best efforts to supply the services to you from the date agreed between Us in writing, provided that at least two separate tenants have valid payment details registered on our system. The estimated start time for providing Services will vary between the types of Services. We may decide to not fulfil your order if sufficient payment methods have not been added to your account.
5.2. We will make every effort to connect and supply the Services on time. Please ensure You do not miss any installation visits from Our Agents/Engineers. We reserve the right to charge reasonable associated administration costs if You miss installation visits as laid out in Clause 8.11. However, there may be delays if;
5.3. Existing suppliers prevent Us from moving Your Services
5.4. We do not have all of the necessary information/You have provided Us with incorrect information We need You to move Your Services to us
5.5. An Event Outside Our Control. See clause 13 for Our responsibilities when an Event Outside Our Control occurs
5.6. We will need certain information from You that is necessary for Us to provide the Services. This will be made clear on any Order forms and contracts. If You do not provide Us with this information, or provide incomplete or incorrect information, We may make an additional charge of a reasonable sum to cover any extra work that is required and reserve the right to suspend the Services by giving You written notice. We will not be liable for any delay or non-performance where You have not provided this information to Us after We have asked. If we suspend the Services due to this, You do not have to pay for the Services while they are suspended (Clause 5.3.), but this does not affect Your obligation to pay for any invoices already sent.
5.7. Repair/Maintenance/Suspension - We may have to suspend the Services while resolving technical problems, or to make improvements to the Services which have been agreed between You and Us in writing. We will contact You to let You know in advance where this occurs, unless the problem is urgent or is classified as an emergency. You do not have to pay for the Services while they are suspended under Clause 5.7., but this does not affect Your obligation to pay for any invoices already sent.
5.8. The cost of Services will vary depending on the package agreed between Us in writing for each Order. The individual cost breakdown for services will be provided to You in writing as part of any Order negotiations. Reference can made to the tariffs section of Our terms (Section 25).
5.9. Where We are providing Services to You, Your extent to use Utilities and Services will be estimated in the Order contract (see section 27 of Our terms for an indication of usage allowances). If it becomes apparent that You (or Your Customers) have exceeded these estimated usages, We reserve the right under these Terms and any Order contract to charge You the relevant Fees or pass onto You any additional charges incurred from third party Utilities or Service providers.
5.10. If You do not pay Us for the Services when arranged as set out in clause 9, We may suspend the Services with immediate effect until any outstanding amounts have been paid in full (except where You dispute an invoice under clause 9.4.). This does not affect Our right to charge You interest under clause 9.2.
5.11. If We design a Package which You agree to purchase, We will own the copyright, trade mark(s) and all other intellectual property rights in the Package and any drafts, drawings, images or illustrations We make in connection with it.
5.12. When you request electricity or gas services from us it can take up to 21 business days for us to start supplying you with either service. This process may be delayed by items including clause 5.3. or but not limited to; missing meter information, debt on the previous supplier account or missing address information.
6. Deposit
6.1. We reserve the right to ask Customers to pay a Deposit as part of any Order made with Us. You must pay this by the requested date.
6.2. You may be required to pay Us a deposit which is equal to one month’s payment of Fees for Services. This will be returned to You following termination of a contract incorporating Your Order and/or these Terms. However, We reserve the right to use any Deposit monies to make up any shortfall in the Fees owed to Us.
6.3. When multiple Customers share Tenancy for the same Property, each Customer will be asked to pay a fair proportion of the overall Deposit amount, to be determined by Us as part of any Order for Services.
7. Service Defects
7.1. In the unlikely event that there is any defect with the Services:
- Please contact Us as soon as reasonably possible;
- We will use every effort to repair or fix the defect as soon as reasonably practicable, subject to third party Services and Utility providers.
7.2. You will not have to pay for Us to repair or fix a defect with the Services under clause 7.1, except where an appointment is missed or damage is caused willfully or by negligence.
7.3. As a consumer, You have legal rights in relation to Services not carried out with reasonable skill and care, or if the materials and equipment We use are faulty or not as described. Advice about Your legal rights is available from Your local Citizens Advice Bureau, Ombudsman or Trading Standards office. Nothing in these Terms will affect Your legal rights.
8. Prices
8.1. The price of the Services will be indicated in Our tariff guide at the time We confirm Your Order (see the tariffs section of Our terms (Section 25). In addition, We will maintain a price list which will be available to You at the point We take payment or provide a statement of payment and Fees which are due. Our prices may change at any time and We reserve the right to change these as appropriate. This will be communicated in writing to You. Price changes will not affect Orders that We have already confirmed with you.
8.2. These prices include VAT. However, if the rate of VAT changes between the date of the Order and the date of delivery or performance, We will adjust the rate of VAT that You pay, unless You have already paid for the Services in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.
8.3. Your payment plan is dependent on the number of people signed up for the contract. If there are more/fewer people signed up on your contract than was previously agreed at the outset of your contract, we reserve the right to change your monthly payments in accordance with the number of people signed up, terminate your contract or change the terms of the agreement.
Gas and electricity
8.4. The prices we charge for supplying gas and electricity is set out in Our tariffs (Section 25) on Our website. The amount is worked out in kilowatt-hours. Our tariffs may also include a standing charge for a meter/other metering equipment at Your property.
8.5. When You start a contract with Huddle You will pay an amount monthly in advance as per a payment plan (which will be based on an estimate of the gas and electricity consumption at Your property). You will only be charged for the energy You use, and We will then reconcile this payment plan with Your actual energy usage and settle the difference at the end of Your contract.
8.6. We may change your monthly payments for gas and electricity if we notice that you are using , or are likely to use, a different level of energy than was estimated at the start of your contract. Payments will be set to attempt a zero balance at the end of your contract period or, if you remain with us, over the next twelve months.
8.7. We may change your payments if your contract length is amended either by Us or You. The price change will reflect the latest and best estimate for the supply during the updated contract period.
8.8. We may change your contract dates if we supply you with energy outside your previously requested contract period.
Water and sewerage
8.9. The fees will be calculated using a combination of the average water charge in your local area, your assumed property size and a variable bills splitting administration fee, at an average of £2.20 per site per week. You will be charged the exact amount as stated on your payment plan regardless of whether the water bill from your local water provider is greater or lesser than this amount, and the exact fee charged will alter based on the difference between the water charges and your Huddle payment plan.
Some customers may pay less than their actual bill, resulting in there being no addition to your bills splitting admin fee whatsoever. Where this is the case and the bill is greater than 20% above the payment plan charged, Huddle reserves the right to ask for additional payments.
8.9.1.We are not responsible for the type of water billing at your property whether it is by meter or by a rateable or assessed value. We will pay the charges set by your water authority during your supply period.
8.9.2. We are not responsible for the installation of a water meter.
8.9.3. We are not responsible for covering the cost of water leaks and any additional charges we incur as a result will be passed on.
Broadband
8.10. The fees will be calculated in accordance with the cost of activating Your broadband, the broadband line rental which is monthly in advance and the cost of ceasing Your broadband as set out in Our prices page on Our website. In most instances, where You keep the appointments, We will not charge You for installation.
8.11. Your broadband billing is not pro-rata which means you will be billed for the full month of broadband if your contract ends or begins within that month.
8.11.1. The broadband service entails a minimum contract period of 10 months, during which customers are billed for the full 10-month cost regardless of the installation date. This aligns with the standard practice in the internet supply industry, where minimum contract periods are enforced to ensure a steady revenue flow and cover the expenses associated with customer acquisition, maintenance, and the necessary infrastructure for broadband provision. It's advisable for customers to thoroughly review and comprehend the terms and conditions of the contract before committing to the service to avoid any unforeseen billing discrepancies.
8.11.2. Your broadband billing is not pro-rata which means You will be billed for the full month of broadband if Your contract ends or begins within that month.
Cancelling Your internet:
8.12. You can cancel Your internet free of charge any time up to 48 hours before the start of Your installation appointment. If You give Us less than 48 hours notice, a charge of up to £60 may be applied to Your account. Once the internet has been installed, You have entered a contract to keep the internet for the length of Your tenancy. Cancelling the internet once it is installed leads to, apart from in exceptional circumstances, high cancellation fees. These charges, which are applied by the internet provider, will be passed directly on to the tenants.
8.12.1. You may cancel Your internet free of charge any time up to 48 hours before the start of Your installation appointment. If You give Us less than 48 hours’ notice, a charge of up to £60 may be applied to Your account. Once the internet has been installed, You have entered a contract to keep the internet for the length of Your tenancy. Cancelling the internet once it is installed leads to, apart from in exceptional circumstances, high cancellation fees. These charges, which are applied by the internet provider, will be passed directly on to the customer.
8.11.2. You will be responsible for returning any equipment we have sent to you, including without limitation, dongles and boosters. Where the equipment is not returned or if it is returned in a poor condition, you will be charged for the cost of the equipment on your final statement.
TV licence
8.13. The fees will be calculated monthly in advance in accordance with the cost of purchasing Your TV licence from the TV Licensing authority on behalf of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
8.13.1. TV licences are purchased quarterly and if you cancel during your contract you will be responsible for payment until the latest quarter in which we have paid on your behalf.
Missed appointment fee
8.14. If you do not give Us 2 working days notice that You cannot make an appointment where Our agents or engineers are due to attend Your property, We will charge You a missed appointment fee. This will be the amount it costs Us to rearrange the appointment and will be passed on directly from the provider. If an engineer appointment is considered to be "failed" or arranged unnecessarily (for example if a fault is caused by wilful neglect or damage, or by user error) then We may be charged for this by Our providers. In this circumstance, We reserve the right to pass these charges on to You in full.
Failed Payment Fee
8.15. If Your monthly or termly scheduled payment fails, We will try to take the payment again within 7 calendar days. We will warn You about the failure via text and/or email. If the reattempt fails as well, we may apply a £15 failed payment fee to Your account. If you are behind on your payment plan and we have contacted you about it, we may apply a £15 late payment fee to your account.
Additional Fees
8.16. We may also charge you for other reasonable costs incurred by us. These include
8.16.1. visiting your property if we have already offered or tried to contact you by letter, phone or email and you have refused or failed to do what we have asked you to do to meet these terms;
8.16.2. where you interfere with your meter or steal water;
8.16.3. the reasonable costs that we incur if you choose to pay your fees by bank transfer or cheque;
8.16.4. the reasonable costs that we incur for processing your payment if you choose to pay your fees by credit card; or
8.16.5. the reasonable costs we incur for sending your bills via post instead of electronically.
8.16.6. All our prices and other charges are affected by UK tax or duty if this applies, including VAT at the appropriate rate.
9. Payment
9.1. Where We are providing Services to You, We may ask You to make an advance payment for one Month of the Services. Your rights to a refund on cancellation are set out in Clauses 14 and 15.
9.1.1. If you sign up after your contract has started your first payment will be taken either 10 working days or 7 working days after the signup date depending on your payment method.
9.1.2. Your first payment may include a catch-up payment for any months missed by a delayed or late signup.
9.1.3. After your initial payment all remaining payments will be scheduled on the 1st of each month unless we agree otherwise.
9.2. If You do not make any payment due to Us by the due date for payment, We may charge interest to You on the overdue amount at the rate of 3% a year above the base lending rate of HSBC. This interest shall accrue on a daily basis from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgement. You must pay Us interest together with any overdue amount.
9.3. If after discussions You are unable to pay Our fees, or You do not contact Us if You are unable to make Your payments, We reserve the right to instruct debt collection agents to collect the outstanding fees on Our behalf. Should this take place, You will have to pay an extra amount to cover the reasonable costs of the debt collection agents, with the applicable VAT.
9.4. However, if You dispute an invoice amount in good faith and contact Us to let Us know promptly, this clause will not apply for the period of the dispute.
9.5. Where multiple Customers share a tenancy at a Property and one Customer ends their tenancy at that Property after the Initial Cancellation Period, that Customer must inform Us immediately and no later than 30 days after ending their tenancy. It will be the Customers’ responsibility to continue paying their Fees to Us unless:
9.5.1. The other Customers at that Property agree to pay the departing Customers’ proportion of the Fees, informing Huddle Utilities; or
9.5.2. A replacement Customer agrees to take over the tenancy at that Property under these Terms and those of the Order contract to continue paying Our Fees.
9.5.3. The customer provides proof of their tenancy termination. Proof can include confirmation from the landlord/letting agent or a tenancy agreement amendment/cancellation document.
9.5.4. In either situation, We will notify all other Customers continuing to pay for Services in writing of any changes of this nature.
9.6. We reserve the right to withhold the Deposit or proportion of Deposit from the departing Customer until such amendments to payment are agreed in writing.
9.7. If Your agreed scheduled payment fails, we reserve the right to continue to attempt the payment until successful or an alternative schedule is put in place.
10. Third Parties
10.1. Any Third Party Finance Provider will be supplied with and required to accept these terms and any Order contract agreed with the Customer on whose behalf they are paying.
10.2. The effect of Clause 10.1 is to make all terms applicable to the Customer apply to their Third Party Finance Provider.
11. Property Owner
11.1. If a Customer is the Owner of the Property and is paying fees on behalf of Tenants, they must ensure that their Tenants comply with these terms and those of any Order contract under which we agree to provide Utilities and Services.
11.2. If the Customer is an appointed agent of the Property’s Owner, they must confirm to Us in writing that they have full authority to enter into contracts on behalf of the Property’s Owner for Services.
12. Our Liability to you
12.1. If We fail to comply with these Terms, We are responsible for loss or damage You suffer that is a foreseeable result of Our breach of the Terms or Our negligence, but We are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Losses or damages are foreseeable if they are an obvious consequence of Our breach or if they were contemplated by You and Us at the time We entered into this contract. This responsibility of liability to You will be limited to £[X] [amount specified by insurer].
12.2. If We are providing Services in Your Property, We will make good any damage to Your Property caused by Us in the course of installation or performance. However, We are not responsible for the cost of repairing any pre-existing faults or damage to Your Property that We discover in the course of installation and/or performance by Us.
12.3. We only supply the Services for domestic and private use. You agree not to use the Services for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose, and We have no liability to You for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity, howsoever or wheresoever arising
12.4. We do not exclude or limit in any way Our liability for:
12.4.1. Death or personal injury caused by Our negligence or the negligence of Our employees, agents or subcontractors;
12.4.2. Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
12.4.3. Breach of the terms implied by section 2 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (title and quiet possession);
12.4.4. Breach of the terms implied by sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (description, satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and samples)
12.4.5. Defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
13. Outside our control
13.1. We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of Our obligations under these Terms that is caused by an Event Outside Our Control and reserve the right to update our prices where these events occur.
13.2. An Event Outside Our Control is any act or event beyond Our reasonable control, including without limitation: strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action by third parties, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic or another natural disaster, an unforeseen increase in wholesale energy costs beyond ordinary volatility or failure of public or private telecommunications networks.
13.3. If an Event Outside Our Control takes place that affects the performance of Our obligations under these Terms:
13.4. We will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to notify you; and
13.5. Our obligations under these Terms will be suspended and the time for performance of Our obligations will be extended for the duration of the Event Outside Our Control. Where the Event Outside Our Control affects Our performance of Services to you, We will restart the Services as soon as reasonably possible after the Event Outside Our Control is over.
13.6. You may cancel the contract if an Event Outside Our Control takes place and you no longer wish Us to provide the Services. Please see your cancellation rights under clause 14. We will only cancel the contract if the Event Outside Our Control continues for longer than 30 days in accordance with Our cancellation rights in clause 15.
14. Your Cancellations
14.1. Before We begin to provide the Services, You have the following rights to cancel an Order for Services, including where You choose to cancel because We are affected by an Event Outside Our Control or if We change these Terms under clause 4.1. to your material disadvantage:
14.2. You may cancel any Order for Services within 14 calendar days of placing an Order by contacting Us by visiting Our Help Centre page. We will confirm your cancellation in writing to You.
14.3. If You cancel an Order under clause 14.1. and You have made any payment in advance for Services that have not been provided to You, We will refund these amounts to You within 14 days of receiving Your cancellation notification.
14.4. However, if You cancel an Order for Services under clause 14.1. and We have already started work on Your Order or providing Services by that time, You will pay Us any costs We reasonably incurred in starting to fulfil the Order, and this charge will be deducted from any refund that is due to You or, if no refund is due to You, invoiced to You. We will tell You what these costs are when You contact Us. However, where You have cancelled an Order because of Our failure to comply with these Terms (except where We have been affected by an Event Outside Our Control), You do not have to make any payment to Us.
14.5. After 14 calendar days of placing, signing and Ordering a contract with Us Your Initial Cancellation Period will end.
14.6. After the Initial Cancellation Period and once We have begun to provide the Services to You, You may cancel the contract for the Services at any time by providing Us with at least 30 calendar days notice in writing. Any advance payment You have made for Services that have not been provided will be refunded to You.
14.7. If You end this contract within the Minimum Term but after the cancellation period, there will be a £30 cancellation fee per service per tenant.
14.8. Once We have begun to provide the Services to You, You may cancel the contract for Services with immediate effect by giving Us written notice if:
14.9. We break this contract in any material way and We do not correct or fix the situation within 30 days of You asking Us to in writing;
14.10. We go into liquidation, or a receiver or an administrator is appointed over Our assets;
14.11. We change these Terms under clause 4.1. to Your material disadvantage;
14.12. We are affected by an Event Outside Our Control.
14.13. If after You cancel or terminate a contract under these Terms and those of any Order, it becomes apparent that You are in debit to Us, We reserve the right to withhold any Deposit paid to Us and to demand payment of the balance for Fees relating to Services (or a proportion of the Services) We provided to You. Conversely, if You are in credit after the cancellation or termination of an agreement to provide Services, We will refund the amount within 30 days.
14.14. If every tenant in the contract would like to move out early, we will need written consent from the landlord or letting agency that you are no longer responsible for the bills at the property. We will also require written confirmation from each contract holder that they would like to terminate the contract early.
15. Our Cancellations
15.1. We may have to cancel an Order before the start date for the Services, due to an Event Outside Our Control or the unavailability of key personnel or key materials without which We cannot provide the Services. We will promptly contact You if this happens.
15.2. If We have to cancel an Order under clause 15.1.(a) and You have made any payment in advance for Services that have not been provided to You, We will refund these amounts to You.
15.3. Where We have already started work on Your Order for Services by the time We have to cancel, you will pay Us any costs We reasonably incurred in starting to fulfil the Order, and this charge will be deducted from any refund that is due to You or if no refund is due to You, invoiced to You. We will tell You what these costs are when You contact Us. However, where You have cancelled an Order because of Our failure to comply with these Terms (except where We have been affected by an Event Outside Our Control), You do not have to make any payment to Us.
15.4. We will not charge You anything and You will not have to make any payment to Us.
15.5. Once We have begun to provide the Services to You, We may cancel the contract for the Services at any time by providing You with at least 30 calendar days notice in writing. If You have made any payment in advance for Services that have not been provided to You, We will refund these amounts to You.
15.6. We may cancel the contract for Services at any time with immediate effect by giving you written notice if:
15.7. You do not pay Us when You are supposed to as set out in Clause 9.3. This does not affect Our right to charge You interest under Clause 9.2.; or
15.8. You break the contract in any other material way and You do not correct or fix the situation within 14 days of Us asking You to in writing.
15.9. If after We cancel or terminate a contract under these Terms and those of any Order, it becomes apparent that You are in debit to Us, We reserve the right to withhold any Deposit paid to Us and to demand payment of the balance for Fees relating to Services (or a proportion of the Services) We provided to You. Conversely, if You are in credit after the cancellation or termination of an agreement to provide Services, We will refund the amount within 30 days.
16. Contacting us
If You have any questions or complaints, please contact Us. You can do so by e-mailing Us at info@urbanbilling.com or by phone at 0113 8800 853 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm)
If You wish to contact Us in writing, or if any clause in these Terms requires You to give Us notice in writing (for example, to cancel the contract), You can send this to Us by e-mail, by hand, or by pre-paid post to:
Urban Billing,
239 Regents Park Road,
London,
N3 3LF
We will confirm receipt of this by contacting You in writing. If We have to contact You or give you notice in writing, We will do so by email, by hand, or by pre-paid post to the address You provide to Us in your Order.
17. Data
17.1. We will use the personal information You provide to Us to:
17.1.1. Provide the Services;
17.1.2. Process Your payment for such Services;
17.2. You agree that We may pass your personal information (or those of Your Third Party Finance Provider) to credit reference agencies and that they may keep a record of any search that they do.
17.3. You consent under these Terms to Us passing Your personal details to third parties within the UK who may be able to assist You with additional relevant services. This does not affect Your statutory rights to object to this, provided You communicate this to Us in writing when making an Order contract or thereafter.
18. Meter Usage
18.1. Certain Properties may still be using Token Meters to calculate Utility or Service usage. Generally, We do not cover utilities provided by token meters, so if Your house has a token meter We will remove it from Your payment plan. In extenuating circumstances where we cover the use of a token meter, You will be provided with a means to make prepayments. You must keep the relevant payment device provided by Us safe. Failure to do so may result in additional costs and fees for You to replace the payment device.
18.2. It is the Customer’s responsibility to ensure that they maintain sufficient credit on their Token Meter for their usage of Utilities and Services.
18.3. At the end of Your Order contract with Us, We reserve the right to retain any excess credit to cover outstanding Fees You owe. Should there be any excess credit on Your meter account, We will refund this to You without request.
18.4. You are obligated to inform us if you have a prepayment or token meter within your property as it can affect our ability to supply your services.
19. Energy Allowance
19.1. We will make every effort to send notifications if You go over Your energy allowance, and provide You with handy energy-saving tips. Please note that We are not liable for energy usage within properties and the ultimate responsibility to use energy in a reasonable way lies with the customer. A usage breakdown for the property is available to all customers in their online account and it is the customer’s responsibility to monitor their usage appropriately.
19.2. If your property has multiple meters for the same service it may lead to your online usage graphs becoming inaccurate. If this is true of your property you will need to request an update from our customer service team about your energy usage.
19.3. We may change your monthly payments for gas and electricity if we notice that you are using or are likely to use a different level of energy than was estimated at the start of your contract.
19.4. We encourage You to submit regular meter readings throughout the year and from these, we will be better able to monitor Your usage and inform You whether You are under or over the allowance covered in Your payment plan. Failure to do this may result in missed warnings.
20. Meter Readings
20.1. The purpose of Smart Meters is for both You and Us to review the usage of Services and take accurate readings. However, even where a smart meter is installed, regular meter readings will still need to be sent to us.
20.2. Likewise, We will collect information from Your Smart Meter and You agree that We can obtain and record as necessary to manage Your Utilities usage. We will use these readings as a basis to calculate and charge Fees.
20.3. If a Property does not have a Smart Meter installed and We believe it is necessary, We will bear the cost of installation through use of Our Agents/Engineers. If there is no Smart Meter installed and the Customer desires this, We may add this additional cost to Your Fees, subject to discussion and agreement with You.
20.4. In some cases, we are unable to receive readings from your smart meter. We will do our best to contact you and request readings in this instance. If this is the case you are required to submit readings to ensure accurate billing.
20.5. You are obligated to supply meter readings at the start, end and at monthly intervals throughout your contract. If we do not receive readings we will use estimates to determine your energy usage.
20.6. We will do our best to notify you when we require readings. We will also attempt to send field agents to collect your readings.
21. Deemed Contracts
21.1. A Deemed Contract is a contract between You and Us which is deemed to have been formed on the terms of this Agreement because We supply Services to a property of which you are the Tenant or Owner when You have not actively agreed to that Service by us.
21.2. This includes when You do not take any action to move supplier at the beginning of Your occupation of the Property or at the end of Your agreed Order with Us.
21.3. In such instances an Order will be deemed to be between Us and one Tenant or Owner until We are contacted by another Customer.
21.4. If your previous contract period expires and we continue to supply energy to your property a new deemed contract will be formed between us. The deemed contract will be charged at the prevailing standard variable tariff until we agree on new contract terms.
21.4.1. Any direct debits will not be transferred to your new contract until we get further confirmation that you would like to continue paying via direct debit. You will be required to pay on receipt of your invoices.
21.4.2. The deemed contract does not include bill splitting services and all tenants using energy in the property will be held jointly liable for all invoices.
22. Final Statements
22.1. Upon completion of the tenancy, You are entitled to request a final statement outlining Your house’s total usage for the year and reconciling this with payments that You have made. We will make every effort to complete this process within three months of the request, however, we reserve the right to extend this time in a manner we deem appropriate in relation to Our business.
This includes but is not limited to:
22.1.1. The late receipt of bills from suppliers
22.1.2. Missing or disputed meter readings
22.1.3. Intervention from a 3rd party representative/ombudsman
22.2. All customers will receive a final statement but requests will be prioritised.
22.3. Unlimited Plan customers will receive a final statement which will reconcile their monthly payments against the contracted payment total.
22.3.1. Statements may include cost for missing equipment, late payment fees or missed appointment fees.
22.4. Any amount requested on the final statement will be automatically scheduled on your account using your payment method after the statement has been issued.
22.4.1. If you would like to request a payment plan we will require both; one proof of forwarding address (utility bill, bank statement) and one copy of photo identification (driving licence, passport).
23. Complaints
As part of Our commitment to providing high-quality customer service, We endeavour to deal with any complaints submitted to Us in writing in a fair and expedient manner. You can raise a complaint via email, phone, letter or by completing the complaints form on Our website. We will aim to respond to your complaint within 5 working days. We will record your complaint on your account and any resolutions we have reached. If we need any further information from you we will be in touch within 5 working days to request this.
Once we have initially responded to your complaint, you are free to contact us about any questions you have or if you are unhappy with our response. Following us issuing our proposed remedy, if we do not hear back from you within 7 working days we will follow up with you. If we haven’t resolved the complaint to your satisfaction after 8 weeks, we will write to you again. You will then be able to escalate your complaint to the Ombudsman Services: Energy if you wish. If you have any questions about this please do not hesitate to get in touch.
We will provide you with one or more of the following outcomes:
An explanation of your account and what has happened
An apology for any errors on our side
Compensation applied to your account
Remedial action of any errors on your account
You may feel you need extra support with your complaint, so you can contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service (CACS) or the Extra Help unit (EHU) for independent, impartial and free advice. If you are a domestic customer you can contact CACS/EHU at any point of the complaints process.
Citizens Advice Consumer Service contact details:
Phone: 0808 223 1133
Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/energy
If after 8 weeks from the start date of your complaint, you are unhappy with our resolution, you may escalate your complaint to the Ombudsman Services: Energy.
Alternatively, if we have told you there is no further action we can take on your account, we will issue you a deadlock letter and you can take this to the Ombudsman Services: Energy.
The Ombudsman Services: Energy is a free and impartial service who aid in the impartial resolution of customer complaints.
Ombudsman Services contact details:
Phone: 0330 440 1624
Post:
Ombudsman Services: Energy
PO Box 966
Warrington
WA4 9DF
Email: osenquiries@os-energy.org
Website: www.ombudsman-services.org
24. Additional Terms
24.1. We may transfer Our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation, and We will always notify You in writing if this happens, but this will not affect Your rights or Our obligations under these Terms.
24.2. You may only transfer Your rights or Your obligations under these Terms to another person if We agree in writing.
24.3. This contract is between You and Us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms under the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
24.4. When You take Our water service, You agree that You authorise Us to act on Your behalf with the water and sewerage suppliers from the requested start date until either the service or these terms end.
24.5. We will register Your property with the relevant water and sewerage suppliers and pay for Your water and sewerage at Your property from the requested start date until either the service or these terms end.
24.6. We will pass all costs incurred at Your property from the water and sewerage suppliers onto You at the same price that We pay for it plus a nominal administration fee.
24.7. The owner of the property is responsible for any supply or quality issues at Your property, including repairing and maintaining Your part of the water service piping.
24.8. You agree to comply with the standard terms and conditions of the water and sewerage supplier(s) that supply Your property with water and sewerage. If You have any queries, please contact Us at any time.
24.9. Each of the paragraphs of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
24.10. If We fail to insist that You perform any of Your obligations under these Terms, or if We do not enforce Our rights against You, or if We delay in doing so, that will not mean that We have waived Our rights against You and will not mean that You do not have to comply with those obligations. If We do waive a default by You, We will only do so in writing, and that will not mean that We will automatically waive any later default by You.
24.11. These Terms and the terms of any Order contract are governed by the laws of England & Wales. You and I both agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the England & Wales courts. However, if You are a resident of Northern Ireland You may also bring proceedings in Northern Ireland, and if You are a resident of Scotland, You may also bring proceedings in Scotland.
24.12. To prove a tenant is liable for billing over a period of time, a Tenancy Agreement alone will not suffice. We need the full tenant name, Date of Birth, Mobile phone number, email address and alternative address. Should this information not be forthcoming, we will hold the landlord responsible for the duration of the period.
25. Unlimited Usage
Electricity & Gas
Number of Tenants
1
2
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Ofgem Usage
Category
Low
Low
Medium
High
High
High
High
8,000
8,000
12,000
12,000
Ofgem Electricity
TDCV (kWh)
Unreasonable Electricity Usage (kWh)
3
Low
Medium
The purpose of this policy is to ensure the utilities at the property are not used for the following purposes:
Non-Domestic
Commercial
Industrial
Re-Selling Purposes
If in our opinion you are using your utilities for any of these reasons, or that the Usage is irresponsible and/or negligent, we may ask you to moderate your Usage.
Customers signing up for an unlimited package are obliged to sign up using the correct number of bedrooms in the property, regardless of the number of tenants within that property.
If upon investigation, Huddle finds an unlimited customer has signed up using an incorrect number of bedrooms for a property, Huddle reserves the right to backdate additional charges to the start of the contract to correct underpayment.
4
High
Ofgem Gas
TDCV (KwH)
8,000
12,000
17,000
Only Unreasonable Usage (kWh)
Medium
Unreasonable
Gas Usage (kWh)
High
17,000
17,000
17,000
17,000
17,000
1,800
1,800
1,800
2,900
2,900
2,900
4,300
4,300
4,300
4,300
4,300
4,300
16,067
17,745
22,043
25,371
28,093
32,690
35,095
41,916
46,263
49,067
54,080
59,093
2,843
3,452
3,947
4,617
5,799
6,948
8,098
9,584
10,530
13,837
15,299
16,754
8,096
8,800
10,560
11,264
14,784
18,237
21,774
25,443
27,656
31,190
34,678
38,128
Water
Your water allowance is a monetary value. This has been calculated using the average metered water usage per person, as calculated by the Consumer Council for Water. The Consumer Council for Water is a non-departmental public body whose sponsor department is Defra. CCWater is independent of both the regulator, Ofwat, and the water companies.
This clause only applies to properties with a water meter (about 50% of the UK housing stock). Rateable values are fixed and therefore any charges cannot be classed as over-usage. For more information on the difference between meters and rateable values, please see our FAQs.
Water charges vary massively around the country, but we will only issue additional charges if your water bill is >25% higher than the Huddle payment plan charges (per annum).
Unlimited package customers will be warned when they exceed the unreasonable usage policy and will be contacted to discuss their payment plan options to avoid paying for additional usage at the end of their contract.
Any usage exceeding the Unreasonable Usage Policy laid out above will be charged to you at the end of your tenancy. For energy, this will be charged at the location-specific energy price cap level of the time. For water, an additional monetary value will be added.
26. Urban Lite Usage
Number of Tenants
1
2
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Gas Usage (kWh)
2300
2500
3200
5181
Electric Only Usage (kWh)
3
4
Electric Usage (kWh)
2800
4200
6186
25017
26177
28916
31656
7228
7857
8861
9852
10832
5060
5500
6600
7040
9240
11398
13609
9500
9800
12500
14000
15500
18032
19413
22093
15902
17285
19494
21674
23830
27. Third-Party Suppliers
It can be necessary for us to pay third-party suppliers on your behalf to ensure full coverage of utility services during your contract period. If we need to pay third-party suppliers on your behalf these are the terms which apply.
27.1. We will cover the cost of any third-party supplier invoice from your contract start date up until the date we started supplying your energy.
27.2. You are required to send via email/post any and all third-party invoices to us.
27.2.1. If we do not receive a full copy of the third-party invoice we may charge you the exact amount of the invoice split between any members of the contract.
27.2.2. We do not accept any late payment fees which have accrued in periods in which we have not received the invoices.
27.3. We will only cover the cost of gas and electricity within your contract dates.
27.4. If the third-party invoice requested payment far in excess of payments made to us we may decide to either; not pay the invoice, request further payment from you, apply the charge in full to your final statement before we make the payment on your behalf.