HMO Daddy, Jim Haliburton, is a leading expert in the UK on HMOs (if you don’t know this term - read no further, this review isn’t for you!). He has written over 20 books for the HMO sector on how to navigate the complex landscape of Houses of Multiple Occupation.
His latest book covers the topic area of saving money on electricity and gas bills, which given the recent fuel price increases in the UK seems very timely. The focus of the book are 33 frequently asked questions on energy efficiency measures that landlords can implement, in particular the installation of HMO Prepay Meters.
It is clear from the start that Jim Haliburton sees Prepay Meters as key to saving electricity for landlords, so the answers are very focused on how to implement these electric submeters in a HMO property. The author does however also include advice and opinions on other energy-saving devices for landlords on boilers, thermostats, electric meters, LED light bulbs.
Don’t expect all these devices to receive a positive review though. Jim is straight to the point…
“...as a Scot, I also like to save money, and as energy conservation can also save money, I have explored it and spent tens of thousands of pounds, or should I say wasted tens of thousands of pounds trying out the so called conservation strategies”
Questions answered range from something as broad as ‘How do you save money on gas and electricity’ to very practical advice such as ‘What can you charge for electricity when using prepay meters?’.
Jim Haliburton’s portfolio includes over 100 HMOs with over 1000 tenants. He has over 35 years experience as a landlord and started fitting prepay meters 25 years ago in order to prevent tenants from abusing the supply of free electricity. This worked as the use of electricity decreased by 50% and tenants' behaviour quickly changed.
This book is a comprehensive and thorough guide to fitting prepay meters for HMO landlords from someone who clearly has a great deal of experience in the sector. This book is available for sale on Amazon and Lulu.
Jim Haliburton