What is a letter of authority (LOA)?

Trustpilot Logo

Rated Excellent on Trustpilot
(Over 2,000 Reviews)

Get immediate pricing Save up to 45%
Choose your business address

Can’t see the address? Enter manually


Go Back
Select Utility
Now please select a utility I want to get prices for...
Gas
Electric
Gas & Electric
Water
Go Back
Next
Please enter your business gas information
How much do you spend & how often?

An estimate is fine if you don't have a bill to hand

Go Back
Get Prices

Let’s save time, can we automatically gather meter information?

? What does this mean?
To get your quotes at lightening speed we need several key pieces of information which can all be found on your electricity bill. But by simply ticking this box, we can search ‘industry held data’ to get your meter number, electricity consumption and current energy supplier. This means that we can get you quick quotes without asking you to dig out all of your paperwork. This is personal data therefore we need you to allow us to access this information.
Go Back

Do you know your electric meter number?

Does your meter number end in any of the following?

Go Back
Enter meter number
I don’t know
Please enter your business electricity information
How much do you spend & how often?

An estimate is fine if you don't have a bill to hand

Start date for a new contract?
Get Prices
Please enter your water information
How much do you spend & how often?

An estimate is fine if you don't have a bill to hand

Go Back
Get Prices

    Enter your details below to get quotes We’ve helped over 90,000 businesses
    Trustpilot Logo

    Rated Excellent on Trustpilot
    (Over 2,000 Reviews)

    A letter of authority (LoA) is a legal document that authorises a third party, or ‘agent’, to correspond directly with energy suppliers on behalf of you or your business. A properly constructed letter of authority will list the specific tasks and responsibilities the third party has been authorised to deal with for ‘the principal’ and should always include a signature, the date it was signed, and a specifically outlined period of time that denotes how long authority has been granted for.

    Letter of authority

    However, once a LoA has been received and accepted by both the principal and the agent, as well as any energy suppliers involved – including current suppliers and any new suppliers your company wishes to talk to – your chosen intermediary has the legal right to correspond with all parties involved on your behalf. Remember, once a LoA has been accepted and a third party has started to work for you, you are still in control. As long as your LoA is properly written and is designed to protect you – as will be discussed in further detail below – and you find a good third party that will remain totally transparent throughout your time working together, a partnership of this type can be very beneficial to your business.

    How do I write a letter of authority?

    A LoA should be written in simple English and be as easy-to-understand as possible. Naturally, accuracy is essential when constructing any official document and LoAs are no exception. Even the smallest mistakes can prevent a third party from working on your behalf and can also be time-consuming to rectify. As a rule of thumb, your LoA should always:

    • be signed and dated within the last 12 months
    • state the name of the company’s signatory and their registered business name, along with its registered company address and company number
    • clearly set out the specific rights and responsibilities given to the third party
    • clearly state who you are delegating your authority to
    • be typed on company letterhead paper, where possible.

    Understanding a letter of authority

    Although some energy consultants and brokers may supply you with their own LoA template designed to enable you to quickly and easily provide your authorisation, it is vitally important that you read through this document carefully before signing to ensure you understand what you are actually giving authority for. For example, a LoA should never give a third party the right to make any final decisions regarding new energy contracts without the approval and consent of your company. While the account management and negotiation skills of a third party can be helpful, you will want to protect your business against poor decisions by remaining in full control of new contract choices through final sign-offs.

    In many scenarios, it may be necessary to insist that you will only supply your authority to a certain third party if they agree to accept a LoA drawn up by yourself. This allows you to stay in control of what responsibilities you are legally allowing the third party to have and can help to avoid any nasty surprises later down the line. Usually, a correctly written LoA will include specific language, phrasing and terminology. This is to ensure that the LoA is as clear as possible and protects the rights of both you as the principal and the third party as the agent. Phrases commonly seen and used include the following:

    ‘I, the account holder and owner of [insert business name], do hereby give authority for the above named person and/or consultancy to discuss all aspects of my [insert supplier’s name] account with [insert supplier’s name] on my behalf. This includes, but is not limited to, any bills and usage, payments and other account activity past or present.’

    or

    ‘We hereby authorise [insert third party’s name] to act as the utility management company for [insert business’ name] with enquiries regarding any and all relevant data to enable us to do this. We authorise them to manage our account on our behalf and deal with any changes to the portfolio during the life of the currently agreed contract.’

    And all letters of authority should contain a sentence similar to the following:

    ‘For the complete avoidance of any doubt, this letter of authority does not permit or authorise [insert third party’s name] to enter into new supply agreements on our behalf.’

    Sample letter of authority

    Below is a sample letter of authority that can be used as a guide to help you construct your own document.

    [YOUR COMPANY HEADED PAPER]
    [insert business name, registered address and company number]

    To whom it may concern,

    We hereby authorise [insert third party’s name] to act as the utility management company for [insert business’ name]. Please accept this letter as authority for [insert third party’s name] to obtain energy supplier quotes, serve notice on current contracts, access any relevant data held by current suppliers, as well as all billing and usage information, and any other relevant account information on our behalf. We also authorise any changes to the account during the life of the currently agreed contract, if instructed and signed-off by us. This includes, but is not limited to, submitting VAT forms and CCL exemption forms. This authority is granted for a period of 12 months commencing on [insert today’s date].

    [insert third party’s name, registered address, company number and relevant contact details]

    For the complete avoidance of any doubt, this letter of authority does not permit or authorise [insert third party’s name] to enter into any new supply agreements on our behalf. To confirm, an authorised representative of [insert business name] must sign all such agreements.

    Yours faithfully,

    [wet signature]
    [printed Name]
    [position held in business]
    [date]

    How long is a letter of authority valid for?

    A LoA should always specifically state how long the authority has been granted for. However, a period of either six or 12 months is considered standard. If a LoA does not contain a predetermined period of time in which the letter remains valid, it will usually only be considered legitimate for 12 months from the date it was signed. This means if you want an LoA that is deemed valid for longer or shorter than 12 months, it needs to specify this on the letter itself.

    Once the period of time detailed in the letter has expired (or after 12 months if no specific period is provided), a new freshly signed and dated LoA will have to be provided to enable the third party to continue acting on behalf of your business.

    Who can sign a letter of authority?

    An official LoA that has the power to authorise a third party to correspond directly with energy suppliers on behalf of you or your business must always be signed and dated by the owner of the business, a company director or a specifically designated and authorised signatory from your organisation.

    Finally, it’s important to remember that as well as being printed on company letterhead paper where possible, all letters of authority should be manually, or ‘wet’, signed using a pen before being submitted. A photocopy of the document should also be made and kept on record for future reference.

    Get the best prices and deals on your utilities

    Immediate pricing access to almost all UK suppliers

    Utility Bidder
    Business Gas

    Business Gas

    Immediate pricing access to all major UK gas suppliers. We can save you upto 45% on your business gas prices.

    Business Electricity

    Business Electricity

    We manage 20,000 electric meters for our commercial customers – So you’re in safe hands.

    Business Energy

    Business Energy

    We’ll find the best prices and provide you with a hassle free service for both your business gas and electricity….

    Business Water

    Business Water

    With our help. You’ll get a better quality service, lower water bills and better value for money.

    Save on your business gas and utilities

    It only takes a couple of minutes to save £100's on your utility bills

    Go Back
    x

    Get your estimated savings in minutes

    We compare live prices from 27+ suppliers

    Get a quote in minutes Compare top UK suppliers Best price guarantee

    Trustpilot Logo

    Rated Excellent on Trustpilot
    (Over 2,000 Reviews)

    Get immediate pricing Save up to 45%
    Choose your business address

    Can’t see the address? Enter manually


    Go Back
    Select Utility
    Now please select a utility I want to get prices for...
    Gas
    Electric
    Gas & Electric
    Water
    Go Back
    Next
    Please enter your business gas information
    How much do you spend & how often?

    An estimate is fine if you don't have a bill to hand

    Go Back
    Get Prices

    Let’s save time, can we automatically gather meter information?

    ? What does this mean?
    To get your quotes at lightening speed we need several key pieces of information which can all be found on your electricity bill. But by simply ticking this box, we can search ‘industry held data’ to get your meter number, electricity consumption and current energy supplier. This means that we can get you quick quotes without asking you to dig out all of your paperwork. This is personal data therefore we need you to allow us to access this information.
    Go Back

    Do you know your electric meter number?

    Does your meter number end in any of the following?

    Go Back
    Enter meter number
    I don’t know
    Please enter your business electricity information
    How much do you spend & how often?

    An estimate is fine if you don't have a bill to hand

    Start date for a new contract?
    Get Prices
    Please enter your water information
    How much do you spend & how often?

    An estimate is fine if you don't have a bill to hand

    Go Back
    Get Prices

      Enter your details below to get quotes We’ve helped over 90,000 businesses