Business gas when you move premises (change of tenancy)
From the day you take the keys, gas you use is billed on the incumbent supplier's deemed contract. Deemed business gas typically runs 7p to 9p per kWh against market fixed rates of 4p to 6p, correct as of March 2026 (Compare Your Business Costs). You can leave with 28 days' notice.
Nobody budgets for gas when they move premises. There's a lease, a fit-out, a broadband saga. Meanwhile the meter is running on rates nobody agreed to. This page is the ten-minute fix, in both directions.
Moving in: the day-one checklist
Four jobs, ideally on the day you get the keys.
Photograph the meter: take a dated photo of the reading before you use anything. This is the line between the last tenant's gas and yours. Without it, your opening bill starts from the supplier's estimate, and estimates rarely favour you.
Find out who supplies the site: the landlord or outgoing tenant may know. If not, the free Find My Supplier lookup tells you from the postcode. Our short guide, who supplies my business gas, walks through it.
Note the MPRN: that's the meter point reference number, the site's unique gas identity. Our MPRN guide shows where to find it.
Sign a contract: until you do, every unit is billed at deemed rates. Under Ofgem's rules you're placed on a deemed contract the moment you use gas at premises without agreeing terms with a supplier (Ofgem, July 2026). Two weeks on deemed rates is a rounding error. Six months is a loyalty tax you never even got the loyalty card for.
Premises with no gas meter at all? Different job: business gas meter installation.
Moving out: closing the account cleanly
Three things stop the bills following you. Tell your supplier before you leave. Give a final meter reading, with a dated photo, on the day you hand back the keys. Leave a forwarding address for the closing bill.
Miss this and the account stays in your name. Suppliers bill the named account holder until someone tells them the tenancy changed, so the next occupant's gas can land on your books. A two-minute phone call now beats untangling that in month three.
Mid-contract when you move? Ask whether your deal can move with you. Some suppliers allow it, some end it, and the answer is in your terms. Check before you assume either way.
The deemed-rates trap
Deemed business gas typically costs 7p to 9p per kWh while market fixed rates run 4p to 6p, a premium of roughly 50 to 75%, correct as of March 2026 (Compare Your Business Costs). Change of tenancy is where this bites hardest, because nobody chose it. The rates arrive with the keys.
The arithmetic on a real site: 25,000 kWh a year at 8p, the middle of the deemed range, is £2,000 in units. The same usage at 5p, the middle of the fixed range, is £1,250. That's £750 a year for not signing a form.
Two honest things. First, a deemed contract is not a trick. It keeps the gas on with no commitment while you sort the paperwork, and you can leave with 28 days' notice and no exit fee (MoneySuperMarket, 2026). As a fortnight's bridge it's fine; as a standing arrangement it's the most expensive way to buy gas. Second, if the incumbent supplier's own contract offer is good, take it. We'll say so if it is. For why deemed rates are priced the way they are, see our deemed rates guide.
Questions people ask us
- Who pays the gas bill when a business moves?
Whoever occupies the premises. The outgoing tenant pays up to the final meter reading; the incoming one pays from it, on deemed rates until a contract is signed. That's why the day-one meter photo matters on both sides of the move. One exception: if the landlord holds the supply account and recharges gas through the service charge, the account and any contract are theirs to manage. Your lease will say which setup you have.
- What is a change of tenancy for business energy?
It's the process of telling the supplier that responsibility for the meter has changed hands: who's leaving, who's arriving, the date, and a meter reading. It closes one account and opens the next. Most suppliers have a change of tenancy form for this, and they may ask for proof of the change. A lease, a landlord's or agent's confirmation, or a business rates statement all do the job. It's separate from a switch, and you're free to pick any supplier afterwards.
- Do I need to tell the gas supplier I'm moving?
Yes, in both directions. Moving out, notice plus a final reading stops the bills. Moving in, contact secures your opening reading and starts a proper contract. Once a contract is agreed, the supply transfer itself completes within five working days under industry switching rules (MoneySuperMarket, 2026); allow longer for the sign-up end to end.