What Kind of Access Should You Give Utility Workers?
There are things related to our existence in the modern world that we constantly think about, like lunch or whether we can wear our favorite sweatpants for the fourth day in a row. Other aspects of modern life are almost invisible to us, such as the energy that is magically delivered to our homes on a daily basis. You can control the light or heating at the touch of a button. Of course, this power comes at a price that may make some feel uncomfortable: a monthly visit to the utility to take meter readings.
The appearance of strangers and the demand to enter your personal space ranges from annoying to disturbing depending on your general level of anxiety about strangers, health issues (apparently exacerbated by the pandemic) and privacy. So what are your options? After all, you own this place.
What is an easement?
A surprising number of people do not realize that most of the energy infrastructure in our area is actually owned by the local utility company. Not only does your utility company own things like the electric and gas lines that run to your home and the meters used to track your consumption for billing purposes, they also most likely have an easement or legal right to access the property. even if they don’t own it. In other words, not only can they enter your property without permission or advance notice if needed, they can also do things like dig up your yard, remove landscaping or structures that prevent their access (again, without permission), and, in limited quantities. degree, dictate how you can use parts of your property.
It is important to note that the easement is likely to be very narrow and only cover the area that the utility needs to access its equipment for repairs or other needs. In some cases, this may be a small strip of land in the backyard. Services are needed for a number of reasons:
- They allow utilities to run in a straight line rather than meander around property boundaries.
- They make line access more efficient and less expensive.
- They benefit the community because they do not allow single owners to interfere with the work of public utilities for restoration, renewal or maintenance.
Most easements are baked right into your title deed and should be noted when you search by title when buying a home. They are usually perpetual and never expire, and you probably have very little chance of doing anything with them.
Yes, this all includes counters inside your home. Again, the utility owns them. You may have noticed a padlock on the outer case and that you are missing a key. In fact, in some areas, property owners give the utility companies keys or combinations of locks on fences and other parts of their property to avoid tearing down their fences when the utility needs to do some work.
Your options when it comes to utility visits
So what can you do to keep utility workers from breaking into your property? Differently.
Intelligence. What a utility can and cannot do depends largely on the concept of “smartness”. The utility owns its equipment and has a reasonable right of access to it, but you still own the land. This means that while the utility has the right to access its equipment, the manner in which that access is exercised is determined by the circumstances. That’s why utility workers don’t just break into your home to take meter readings, but request access, and you can almost always schedule meter readings with utilities if you want.
On the other hand, if the problem threatens the safety of your community, the utilities will act first and ask for permission later. When there was a leak in the gas line to my house a few years ago, a neighbor called the utility to report that they smelled gas, and a mob of workers showed up, demanded access to my underground at 1:00 a.m., and spent the next few hours. terrorized my cats – and there was nothing I could do about it and, frankly, there was nothing I should have done about it, because the alternative might have been to blow up the whole area. In other words, accessing property without permission in an emergency is reasonable.
If you want to truly understand your rights and the specific nature of an easement or the matter of reasonable access to utilities, it is best to consult with a legal professional.
Estimated indications. If you refuse to give the utility company access to your property to take meter readings, they’re not going to show up with the sheriff and force a problem. What the utility will do is start evaluating your meter readings, which will be increasingly inaccurate and may cause you to be significantly over or under. The former simply lends utility money at zero interest, while the latter can result in an astronomically inflated bill down the road, so you may want to reconsider this strategy.
In non-emergency situations, utilities will take reasonable steps for you by scheduling work and minimizing interruptions. While you can’t stop the utility from invading your space when needed, you can reduce the number of contacts you have.
Instead, try automatic meter readings.
The days of a utility worker showing up on foot to count your meters may be numbered. As with any sector, technology is changing how things are done, and many utilities now offer smart meters that can be read from outside the home or remotely. Many utilities are automatically replacing old school mechanical meters with smart meters. Check with your local utility to see if you have plans for changes that, yes, will likely require access to your property, though you can probably opt out if you don’t really need a smart meter. You can also contact your utility company about pre-installation of smart meters.
In addition, most utilities allow you to send meter readings yourself over the Internet. See if your utility has a self-service page; sometimes they let you just upload photos of your meter, but sometimes you actually need to enter your meter values . Doing this once a month will keep those pesky utility workers away except in emergencies.
Meter readers and employee access are just a fact of life if you want that sweet energy pumped into your home, but you can reduce the annoyance and stress with some proactive steps.