How Low Voltage claims work

At Thomson Broadbent we deal with both High Voltage and Low Voltage cases. This post will discuss what our Low Voltage claims consist of and describe some differences between electricity distribution networks.

Our Low Voltage claims are completely free for our clients, so you may ask yourself why we do it, and what we get out of it. The electricity distribution companies pay our agent fees for working on your behalf, so once your claim is completed, we receive our agent fees, and you receive your compensation.

Our agent fees are separate to our client’s compensation. We do not take commission from the amount you are awarded, so our clients retain the full amount they are awarded from the electricity company for Low Voltage claims.

Before explaining what to expect in pursuing a low voltage claim, lets first understand what low voltage equipment is, and the criteria that needs to be met in order to have a claim.

• Low Voltage equipment can be any part of an electricity overhead line, wooden pole, the stay attached to the pole, mural wiring (electricity cable that attaches onto your property along the outside wall) or underground cables.
• If you have low voltage equipment within your property boundary, that goes from your boundary onto serve another property, and you are the legal owner of said property, then you could be eligible to make a claim all providing there is no existing deed in place that grants the electricity distribution company permanent rights to their equipment.
• Our Low Voltage claims take between 6 months to a year, depending on the electricity distribution network we are working with.
• Low Voltage claims vary in terms of the amount awarded. Different DNO’s will offer different amounts for each type of apparatus, but typically it can range anywhere from £100 – £1000.
• Low Voltage claims are much quicker to settle than High Voltage as compensation is offered from a set framework, meaning no negotiations are needed.

Below will outline in detail the steps we go through from start to finish for our Low Voltage claims.

The First Stage:

The first stage is to identify which properties we believe could have a claim. We do this with our team of mappers who will check where the equipment is for the specific electrical distribution company, and if it is near or within property boundaries.

Once this is complete, we will then send out a mailshot to the identified addresses to let you know you could be eligible to claim.

The Second Stages:

Once we have received your signed instruction for us to act on your behalf for the claim, we will input your details onto our system, and you will then always receive an acknowledgement that we have received your instruction.

After this we then begin all the necessary technical processes such as Land Registry searches to check that the name/s given on the Authority to Act match the names given on Land Registry as the registered owner/s. It is at this point we may need additional information from you such as a marriage/divorce/birth certificate if any of names differ on Land Registry to what has been signed on the Authority to Act. Or we may request permission for an additional owner to be added if all names have not been given on the Authority to Act.

It is also at this point we will check for any existing deeds in place. This is uncommon for Low Voltage equipment, but if there are existing rights that have been awarded to the electricity distribution company, we do unfortunately have to close the claim. If this happens, there is still no charge to yourself.

Once all checks have been completed, we will then validate the equipment within your property boundary by checking GIS systems and street views on google to make sure firstly that the equipment is within your boundary and that it continues to serve at least one other property.

The Third Stages:

Once the above is complete and we have validated that you are eligible for a claim, we will then submit your claim over to the relevant electricity distribution company that owns the equipment within your boundary.

Depending on the DNO, and any backlogs they may have, it can take a matter of days or a few months before we hear back after submitting your claim. This will be the stage the electricity company will ask for any photographic evidence if they cannot validate the exact position of the equipment within your boundary.

Some clients have questioned why they need to provide photographic evidence as the electricity company should know where their equipment is. The reason for this is because sometimes the GIS system they use which shows where the equipment is, is not always exact. Alongside checking their GIS systems, they will look on Google Earth or a system similar, to see if they can locate the equipment this way.

If the equipment on your boundary is in your back garden or hidden by a hedge or trees for example, it is not always possible to determine the exact location and validate that the equipment continues to serve another property. Or if the last taken street view on google earth is some years ago, the equipment may have been repositioned, making this an unreliable form of validating the equipment.

It is also useful to note that we do not send out surveyors to inspect Low Voltage equipment as compensation is not based on how much the equipment could be devaluing the property, as Low Voltage equipment has not been proven to do so. This therefore means photographic evidence is sometimes the only way the electricity company can validate your claim.

The Fourth Stages:

Once the electricity company have everything they need (they will not always need photographic evidence) they will then send us your draft wayleave agreement which will outline the rights you are giving them over a period of 14-30 years, dependant on the DNO, in exchange for a sum they will give you as a one off payment to cover the period of the agreement, or until you move from the property.

If you move before the agreement has ended, you will not be made to pay any money back and the agreement will simply just end between yourself and the DNO. The new homeowners can then apply for their own agreement to be put in place in which they can also receive compensation for.

Once we have received back your signed agreement, we will then report your acceptance over to the DNO (we will normally do this at the end of each month) and from this point it can take up 20 weeks for you to receive payment and for the claim to be completed.

Fifth & Final Stage:

The DNO will also sign the agreement, making it a completed agreement. They will also generate your cheque to be sent out alongside a copy of your completed agreement.

Different DNO’s will have different methods of completion. For example, Electricity North West will send Thomson Broadbent all completed wayleave agreements and 1 cheque for the total amount of compensation for all our low voltage claims that were reported for that month, and we will then distribute this and send to our clients via bank transfer (unless the client has requested a cheque go directly to them). UK Power Networks on the other hand will send both the agreement and cheque directly to our clients, and all we will do once notified is send you a completion letter of our own to let you know UKPN have sent out your documents and cheque.

Once you receive your completed agreement you should store this with other important property documents.

Disclaimer: The information in this blog post was accurate at the time of publishing. However, laws, regulations, and best practices may change over time. We do our best to keep our content up to date, but we cannot guarantee that all information remains current or correct. This blog post is for general information only and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. If you are unsure about anything, please contact us or seek professional guidance before making any decisions.