What is a letter before action?

A letter before action (LBA) is a formal notice sent before starting court proceedings. It sets out your claim, the legal basis (e.g. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Housing Act 1988), the remedy you seek, and a deadline to respond — typically 14 days. Civil Procedure Rules require this step before most court claims, and courts take a dim view of parties who skip it.

Can I write my own legal letter?

Yes. You do not need a solicitor to write a legal letter. What matters is citing the correct legislation, stating your claim with precise dates and amounts, and giving a clear deadline. A well-drafted letter citing the right Act and section often resolves disputes without court proceedings — and costs nothing extra to send.

Does a legal letter actually work?

In many cases, yes. Most businesses, landlords, and employers respond when they receive a formally worded letter that cites specific legislation and mentions court or tribunal proceedings as the next step. It signals you know your rights and are prepared to escalate — which is often enough to get a resolution.

What UK legislation covers consumer complaints and refunds?

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the primary law. Section 9 requires goods to be of satisfactory quality; section 20 gives you the right to a full refund within 30 days if goods are faulty. For services, section 49 requires reasonable care and skill. For distance/online purchases, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you a 14-day cooling-off period.

3 September 2026

Had a Power Cut? You May Be Owed Compensation — Here Is How to Claim It (UK)

When the power goes off for hours — freezer defrosting, no heating, work at a standstill — most people just wait it out and never realise there is often money owed for it. Under a set of rules called the Guaranteed Standards of Performance, overseen by the energy regulator Ofgem, your electricity network company has to pay fixed compensation when your supply is off for too long, when it misses an appointment, or when it fails to warn you about a planned cut. The amounts are not huge, but they are automatic entitlements, and they go unclaimed all the time. Here is exactly how it works.

General information for Great Britain (England, Scotland & Wales) — Northern Ireland has a separate regime (noted at the end). Not legal advice. Figures are the amounts in force from 1 April 2026 and are uprated for inflation each April — always check the current figures before you claim.

The one thing to get right first: this compensation is paid by your distribution network operator (DNO) — the company that owns the poles, wires and substations in your area — not your energy supplier (the firm you pay your bill to). During a power cut, call 105 (free, 24 hours) and you are put straight through to your local DNO. So a claim letter goes to the network operator, not to British Gas, Octopus, EDF or whoever sends your bill.

A normal power cut: more than 12 hours off supply

For an unplanned power cut in ordinary conditions, the key threshold is 12 continuous hours. If your supply is off for longer than that, you are owed:

£100 if you are a domestic customer (£195 for a business), plus £45 for each further 12-hour period you are off supply.
There is no overall cap on this particular payment — a very long outage keeps accruing the £45 top-ups.

There is one variation for big incidents: if a fault takes out a large area (roughly 5,000 or more premises at once), the network gets longer — 24 hours rather than 12 — before the same £100/£195 payment kicks in, and in that case the total is capped at £400. Either way, the clock is about how long you are off supply.

Keep a record while it is happening. Note the time the power went off and came back on, take a photo of the time on a clock or phone if you can, and jot down your address and account details. When you first report the cut on 105 you may be given a reference number — keep it. That evidence is what turns “I think it was about half a day” into a clean claim.

Severe weather: different rules, and a common misunderstanding

When a storm causes widespread damage, the standards change — the network gets more time, but you are still protected. Severe-weather events are graded by how bad they are:

The network must restore supply within 24 hours for a lightning or lower-severity storm, or 48 hours for the most severe (non-lightning) storms.
If it misses that window, you get £90, plus £45 for each further 6-hour period off supply, up to a total cap of £2,235.

The common misunderstanding: in severe weather the clock generally runs from when the network became aware of the problem, not necessarily the exact second your lights went out — so the eligible time can be measured slightly differently from a normal cut. It is still well worth claiming after a big storm; just do not assume the maths is identical to a routine outage.

Four or more shorter cuts in a year? Separately from any single long outage, if you suffer four or more interruptions, each lasting three hours or more, within a single year (running 1 April to 31 March), you can claim a £100 payment. This one is not paid automatically — the networks admit their systems often cannot spot it — so you have to claim it yourself, giving the dates of each cut, and generally by the end of June after that year ends.

The £40 payments people never claim

Beyond outages, there are several fixed £40 guaranteed-standard payments for the network letting you down:

Missed or failed appointment: if the network arranges to visit and does not turn up or keep the agreed slot — £40.
No notice of a planned power cut: the network must give you at least 2 days’ notice of planned work that will cut your supply. If it fails to, or switches you off on the wrong day, you can claim — £40 (domestic) or £80 (business).
Their fuse, not yours: if the fault is the network’s own main fuse (the “distributor’s fuse” before your meter) and they fail to attend within their required time — £40.
Voltage complaints: if you report a voltage problem and they fail to respond within the set time (a few working days) — £40.

If they pay you late, they owe you more

For the automatically-triggered standards, the network must make the payment within 10 working days of becoming aware it failed. If it misses its own deadline, it has to pay you an additional £40 on top. So a company that drags its feet does not get off cheaper — it gets more expensive. If a payment you are clearly owed never arrives, chase it in writing and point to the 10-working-day rule.

Automatic or do you have to claim?

Many of these payments are meant to be made automatically once the network identifies the failure — which is exactly why it matters that your supplier holds correct, up-to-date contact and bill-payer details, because that is how the network knows who to pay. In practice, plenty slip through, and some (like the four-cuts-a-year payment) you almost always have to claim yourself.

Deadline to claim: for a normal power cut you should generally claim within 3 months of the power coming back on. If you are on the Priority Services Register (a free register for older, disabled or vulnerable customers), there is no time limit — another good reason to sign up.
If they refuse: if you cannot agree whether a payment is due, you can escalate a service complaint to the Energy Ombudsman, whose decision is free and binding on the company, or ask Ofgem to look at the standards point.
It does not replace other claims: receiving this fixed compensation does not stop you pursuing any other loss through the normal routes — though note the fixed payments are the guaranteed entitlement, and separate claims for, say, spoiled food are a different (and harder) argument.

Traps and things that are NOT covered:

The network does not have to pay if the cause was outside its control — for example damage by a third party, being unable to get access, or extreme weather where it took all reasonable steps.
Physical obstructions that stop repairs — a parked car, skip, scaffolding or locked gate blocking their equipment — can also remove the entitlement.
Damaged appliances or electronics from a cut or surge are not covered by this fixed compensation — that is a separate claim you would have to prove.
These standards apply on the public network; homes on a private wire or landlord-owned network may not be covered.
A planned cut where the network gave you proper notice, but the work overran a rough estimate, is generally not a breach.

Getting the letter right

Whether you are claiming for a long outage the network never paid you for, chasing a £40 missed-appointment or no-notice payment, claiming the four-cuts-a-year amount, or demanding the extra £40 because they paid you late, a clear written letter to the network operator is what turns a “we’ll look into it” brush-off into a formal claim they have to log and answer. A good letter states your address and account, the exact dates and times the supply was off (or the appointment they missed), the guaranteed standard you are relying on and the amount owed, and gives you the paper trail you need if you escalate to the Energy Ombudsman.

Generate Your Power Cut Compensation Letter in Seconds

WriteMyLegalLetter drafts a clear, firm letter to your electricity network operator — to claim compensation for a long power cut, a missed appointment, a planned cut with no notice, or a late payment under the Guaranteed Standards. Answer a few questions and your letter is ready to send.

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These Guaranteed Standards of Performance apply across Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) under the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015 (as amended), overseen by Ofgem and administered by each electricity distribution network operator. Northern Ireland has a separate regime under the Utility Regulator and NIE Networks — the figures here do not apply there. The £ amounts are those in force from 1 April 2026 and are uprated for inflation each 1 April, so check the current figures on your DNO’s website or ofgem.gov.uk before claiming. Sources: Ofgem, “Check compensation rules for a power cut or supply problem”; the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2015; DNO Guaranteed Standards Customer Payment Scheme notices; Citizens Advice. General information, not legal advice — check the current position before you act.