To put it simply, a void property is an empty one!

It’s the term used in the housing sector to describe a property that’s temporarily empty between tenancies, after one tenant has moved out and before the next moves in.

During this time, you may need to carry out repairs, refurbishments, safety checks or an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessment to get the property ready for its next residents.

Think of it like moving house. When a tenant leaves, you’re essentially ‘moving back in’ as the landlord and taking responsibility for the property and its energy bills until someone else moves in.

When tenants move out, you become responsible for managing the gas and electricity supplies until the next tenancy begins.

But it’s not always as straightforward as it might sound. Previous tenants often leave behind energy debt, faulty meters or disconnected supplies, which can then prevent you from getting the power on and progressing with essential void works and refurbs.

You’ll also need to arrange for the accounts to be transferred back into your organisation’s name, obtain meter readings, manage bills, organise any necessary meter appointments and contact energy suppliers to resolve issues.

As you can imagine, doing this for hundreds, if not thousands, of properties takes up a lot of staff time and effort!

That’s where Void Energy Management comes in. It’s a service provided by specialist companies that manage gas and electricity supplies between tenancies on behalf of the housing providers.

At Green Energy Switch, we offer this service completely free. From the moment a tenant gives notice until the next tenant moves in, we take care of all the energy-related admin, helping you save time, avoid unnecessary costs and get your properties ready to be re-let!

We work exclusively with British Gas to manage energy supplies during void periods, but we can also liaise with other energy suppliers on your behalf to resolve any objections or issues that may arise during the switching process.

When a tenant moves out, you, as the landlord, become responsible for the property’s gas and electricity accounts until the next tenant moves in.

You’ll need to obtain meter readings, transfer the accounts into your organisation’s name and make sure you can pay the bills or top up prepayment meters during the void period.

Even though this sounds easy enough, managing this process across hundreds or even thousands of properties can quickly become a time-consuming task for your team. From contacting suppliers and chasing account transfers to resolving unexpected meter issues and billing queries, there’s often a lot more involved than you might think!

That’s where we come in. Our specialist Voids Team has been helping housing providers manage their energy supplies since 2006, so we’re highly experienced in handling the challenges that can arise between tenancies.

We take care of the entire process on your behalf, including supplier communication, account transfers, meter issues and billing, so your team can spend less time on the phone chasing suppliers and more time focusing on getting properties ready for their next tenants.

Yes. As long as there’s an active energy supply, standing charges will generally apply, even if you’re not using any gas or electricity.

However, as part of our free service, we can arrange for up to 30 days of standing charges to be cleared on credit meters, helping reduce your void energy costs.

If you have long-term voids (properties that will be empty for a significant amount of time), we can also explore ways to minimise your costs, which could include meter removals where appropriate.

Previous tenant debt shouldn’t become your responsibility or prevent you from getting the power on.

We work closely with British Gas to arrange debt clearances between tenancies, helping ensure you only pay for the energy you’re responsible for.

As part of our free service, we can arrange for up to 30 days of standing charges to be cleared on credit meters. For prepayment meters, we can arrange remote debt clearances where possible, as well as provide top-up codes or replacement keys and cards where needed, helping your team get the power back on without the hassle of chasing suppliers.

Simply request a meter appointment or top-up through our online Voids Portal, and we’ll take it from there. We work closely with British Gas and have established service level agreements in place with them, allowing us to manage meter appointments, exchanges, installations and supplier escalations on your behalf, saving you the hassle of contacting suppliers directly.

If you’re already at the property, you can also give us a call from site. Our team can help you re-arm the meter, arrange a top-up or work out what’s needed to restore power for you.

Another fantastic benefit is that we provide a £15 void credit per meter to help cover energy costs whilst your team carry out essential void works.

One of the simplest ways to avoid unnecessary costs is to make sure you obtain accurate meter readings at the start and end of every void period.

This helps prevent estimated bills and ensures you’re only paying for the energy your organisation has used.

Our dedicated Billing Team checks meter readings and supplier charges, resolves discrepancies and provides a single consolidated monthly bill, rather than leaving you to process hundreds of individual invoices.

We can also help arrange smart meter installations, making it easier to monitor energy usage, improve billing accuracy and identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary energy costs during void periods.

Absolutely! We have a dedicated process for managing long-term voids, including quarterly billing to help you keep track of ongoing costs.

We can also help manage energy supplies during refurbishment projects, including arranging meter appointments, smart meter installations and exploring ways to minimise unnecessary energy costs.

Where suitable, appointments can be arranged using key safes, reducing the need for your staff to meet engineers on site.

Yes! We can help get energy supplies set up in your new builds, and help to resolve any energy-related issues before tenants move in.

This can include arranging new meter installations and helping ensure supplies are correctly set up and ready for the first residents.

It’s simple! Just add the new tenant’s name, move-in date and meter readings to our Voids Portal.

We’ll then process the change of tenancy, close off the void period and arrange for the energy account to be transferred to the new tenant.

Yes! Our Void Energy Management service is completely free, with no hidden service fees.

You simply pay for the energy bills your organisation is responsible for during the void period.

Our dedicated Billing Team carefully checks each charge and all the meter readings before issuing your consolidated bill to the appropriate contact within your organisation.

Our fully managed service takes the hassle out of dealing with energy suppliers, giving your team more time to focus on getting properties ready for their next tenants.

By working closely with British Gas, we manage the energy supply throughout the void period, including:

• Supplier liaison, account transfers and switching
• Previous tenant debt clearances and prepayment meter top-ups
• Meter appointments, exchanges, installations and escalations
• £15 void credit per meter
• Up to 30 days of standing charges cleared on eligible credit meters
• Consolidated monthly billing and billing reviews
• Support for long-term voids, refurbishments and new builds
• Access to our online Voids Portal
• Dedicated Voids Team and Key Account Manager
• Staff onboarding, meter training and ongoing support

All of this helps you reduce administration, minimise unnecessary costs and avoid delays caused by energy-related issues.

We’ve made managing your void energy as straightforward as possible with our simple three-step process.

Step 1: Tenant Gives Notice

Add your property address, void date and estimated re-let date to our easy-to-use portal. GES then processes the property to start the switching process.

Step 2: Tenant Vacates Property

Supplies will have switched to the new supplier and the account transferred back to you. GES can help with anything energy-related throughout the void period!

Step 3: New Tenant Moves Into Property

Add the new tenant’s name, move-in date and meter readings to close off the void period and transfer the account to the tenant.

We work with registered social landlords, including housing associations and local authorities, across the UK.

Whether you manage a small number of properties or thousands of homes nationwide, we’d love to have a conversation about how we can help.

Our easy-to-use Voids Portal gives you one central place to manage all your void energy information.

Anyone in your organisation who needs access can have an account, making it easy for different teams to stay up to date.

Through the portal, you can:

• Add properties and submit change of tenancy details
• Upload meter readings individually or in bulk
• Track live property updates and supplier progress
• Request meter appointments, top-ups and debt clearances
• Access billing information and previous property records
• Contact our team instantly through our live chat during working hours

There’s also a live dashboard and a library of helpful training videos, so your team can access guidance whenever they need it.

We can also help with EPCs through our fully managed UK-wide service, as well as providing free home energy visits through LEAP for eligible residents in Peterborough, South Cambridgeshire and Rutland.

Plus, we support businesses on their sustainability journeys, offering solutions such as EV charger installations, green business energy switching and larger-scale projects, including solar panels and battery storage.