British Gas: how to leave, exit fees, price rises, moving home and complaints

British Gas is the trading name of British Gas Trading Limited (company number 03078711), registered at Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, and a subsidiary of Centrica. It supplies gas and electricity to households throughout Great Britain. This page draws on the British Gas help pages about leaving and complaints, its legal information page and the rules Ofgem sets for every supplier. British Gas does not publish its domestic supply terms on an open web page; for your own exit fee and end date it points you to the tariff terms in your online account.

How to leave British Gas

Agree a contract with the new supplier first. You do not need to contact British Gas; the new supplier does, and arranges the switch. British Gas keeps supplying you until the transfer date, then closes your account using the opening meter reading the new supplier passes across.

Ofgem requires the transfer itself to complete within 5 working days, with £40 compensation if it does not. British Gas nevertheless asks you to allow up to six weeks for everything, including the final bill, which it says normally arrives within four weeks of the account closing. Keep your Direct Debit in place: the final payment is taken from it and any credit refunded the same way, or by cheque if that fails.

If there is a large outstanding balance, British Gas may object to the switch and will tell you why. Ofgem’s rule is that a debt older than 28 days blocks a switch until it is paid, while a younger debt moves onto the final bill.

Notice period and fixed tariffs

There is no notice period as such. On a standard variable tariff you can leave whenever you like. On a fixed rate tariff British Gas says you may be asked to pay an exit fee if you leave early, and that the fee does not apply in the final 49 days, which it also calls the final seven weeks.

The 49-day rule comes from Ofgem. Since 2013 a supplier must write to you 42 to 49 days before a fix ends and cannot charge a termination fee from that point. It also cannot roll you onto another fixed deal automatically; if you do nothing you move to a tariff with no end date and no exit fee. Our guide Fixed energy tariff ending sets out what to do in those seven weeks.

Price rises: your rights

A fixed rate tariff cannot go up during its term except for a change in VAT. On a variable tariff, including the standard variable tariff under the Ofgem price cap, prices can change, but you must be told in advance. Ofgem introduced a rule in April 2011 requiring at least 30 days’ notice of a price increase or any contract change that leaves you significantly worse off. Read the notice for the date the new price starts and begin your switch before it.

Moving home

British Gas asks existing customers to log in to the online account and say whether they want to take it to the new address. Citizens Advice recommends at least 48 hours’ notice and a meter reading on the day you move out, so the final bill stops at the right point. Moving ends your contract at the old address; the new home stays with whoever supplies it, on a deemed contract, until you choose a tariff, and British Gas notes you can only switch it from the day you become responsible for the property. The help pages do not say what happens to an exit fee if you move out and leave altogether, so ask before you give notice. Our guide Moving house: what to do about your energy supplier covers the order of steps.

Contact and complaints

For everyday questions British Gas steers you to the help and support section and live chat in the app or online account. Complaints follow three steps: tell British Gas what went wrong and what you want done, by web form, live chat, phone or post depending on the product; British Gas works with you to resolve it; then confirms what it has done.

If you are unhappy with the outcome, or it has taken longer than eight weeks, you can take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman (0330 440 1624, enquiry@energyombudsman.org). The service is free and independent, and its decision binds the supplier, not you. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) helps beforehand, and Ofgem itself does not handle individual complaints.

What to check before you switch

Look up your fix end date and exit fee in the online account. If the end is less than 49 days away, no fee applies. Download your bills while the account is open and note your annual kWh, which our page on reading your energy bill explains. Prepayment customers should use up any British Gas credit on the meter before inserting the new supplier’s key or card, and Warm Home Discount customers should confirm the new supplier runs the scheme.

Ofgem’s Confidence Code applies to comparison websites, not suppliers, so it is not a mark for or against British Gas. Compare deals in the UK energy comparison, and if the switch worries you, read Is switching energy supplier safe?. The contract end reminder can tell you when your 49 days begin.