One of the biggest headaches for most landlords and property owners is recovering monthly water and electricity costs from tenants; it can be quite challenging maintaining a good relationship with multiple tenants whilst keeping the lights and water on (and not be paying out of pocket). This is why most landlords and property owners turn to solutions such as Citiq Prepaid prepaid sub-meters. Not only are our prepaid meters easy to install in any type of building, but our prepaid vending solution is one of the most innovative on the market; solving many utility recovery problems.
We’ve put together this handy step-by-step guide to show you just how simple it can be to get started with Citiq Prepaid meters:
Understanding the costs of prepaid sub-meters
The first thing to take into consideration when making the decision to install prepaid meters are the prepaid electricity and water meter installation costs. When it comes to prepaid electricity and water meter installation costs, there are only two initial upfront costs and that is the purchasing of the meters from a preferred Citiq Prepaid wholesaler or electrical retailer and the meter installation costs by a certified electrician or plumber. It is important to note that we do not charge connection fees.
Citiq Prepaid only charges customers an 8.45% service fee unless we recover our service fee from the tenant, the monthly support fee of R20 (excluding VAT) per electricity and or water meter, and any other amounts you owe us. We will not charge you for management tokens (clear tamper, credit, and power limit tokens). We will charge you a fee per meter for providing key change tokens. A key change token lets you keep your meter when switching to a different service provider.
If you self-generate tokens for your tenants from your account, we will charge our service fee. The support fee is for vending availability and after-hour support. We may change the support fee without prior notice.
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Selecting your prepaid sub-meter
There are different types of Citiq Prepaid meters available, each designed for specific requirements and environments. As a property owner, it’s important that you understand what sort of prepaid meter to purchase. We’ve put together this insightful article on how to choose the right meter for you. For electricity, your choice of design will be what suits your building requirement. You have a choice of integrated, split PLC or split wired meters. For water: Our water meters undergo the same stringent selection process as electricity meters and we have a split meter available for properties requiring prepaid water meters. All our meters are SABS approved, STS compliant and offer tamper protection.
If you’re still not sure which meter will work best for your building or situation, speak to your installer or contact us directly.
The installation process
Once you have purchased the meters, it’s important that you choose a qualified plumber or electrician for the installation process. Choosing the right installer can sometimes be difficult, so it’s important to remember that they are only legally recognised as a qualified electrical contractor when they have their Wireman’s License and a DOL Registration Certificate.
Make sure you keep the following important points in mind when making your choice:
- Are they registered with the Department of Labour?
- Are they able to issue a Certificate of Compliance?
- Are they highly recommended?
- Do they offer warranties?
We encourage building owners and property developers to check the electrician’s or plumber’s credentials before any work is undertaken on your property
Activating the meters
After a successful installation, your meters will need to be activated before your tenants can start using it. All you need to do is complete the form on the inside of the meter packaging, or call 087 55 111 55, and we’ll register and activate your meter. Key Information to proceed are the owners details (particularly bank account) and the applicable local tariffs (a recent municipal statement is enough). Through our installer loyalty program, contractors are rewarded for their installation, so please keep their details on hand for our call centre.
Remember, only once the meter is registered and we have your banking details will the meter be ready to accept tokens and provide your tenants with access to electricity and/or water.
Using the meters
For tenants: We have made it extremely convenient for tenants to buy prepaid electricity tokens. Tenants can recharge online via the Citiq Prepaid Website, from their banking app or website, via EFT, cellphone banking, Nedbank ATMs, FLASH Vendors, UniPIN vouchers, or any of the participating retail chains, petrol stations around the country that sell our tokens. They simply need their 11-digit meter number or the meter card supplied with the meter. For more information on how to buy Citiq Prepaid tokens, please visit our how to buy page.
For owners: When you register as our client, you’ll get immediate access to our meter management system and get purchase data and reports when you log in, allowing you to easily track purchases and payments across your various properties.
It is important to note that there are no monthly fixed fees and no connection fees added.
Recovering utility costs
The online portal provides a detailed monthly report of all the transactions during the month, as well as real-time updates. All recovered utility costs are paid into the registered bank accounts of property owners by the 1st working day of each month, it is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure that all utility accounts are settled with their service providers.
Need any help?
The process of installing and activating your Citiq Prepaid meter should be simple and painless, however, if you need any help or more information about prepaid electricity meter installation costs, please call our call centre on 087 55 111 55 and one of our agents can assist you. They can also help you to find a wholesaler or installer in your area, alternatively, you can email us on help@citiqprepaid.co.za.