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Vacancy incentive

Restrictions on application numbers from April 2024

Our Vacancy Incentive Scheme will close on 31 March 2025.

We will be closing the scheme to new submissions on 31 December 2024. This will leave sufficient time for the registered retailers to review and work any new applications, make SPIDs occupied in the market, work through any potential challenges with the applying retailer and for us to make the payments to applying retailers in accordance with the scheme.

As we approach the end of the scheme, in accordance with our charges scheme, we may choose to restrict the volumes of applications being made each month if we deem it to be necessary. We will provide notice prior to implementing any restrictions.

Our vacancy incentive scheme is designed to incentivise business retailers who work in our area to identify and help to bring into charge premises that are showing as vacant within the Central Market Operating System, to support fairness of charging for all customers.

We will pay a vacancy incentive payment when a contracted retailer informs us of a site that is incorrectly identified as vacant within CMOS. The incentive payment is made to the applying retailer once the occupancy status of the premise has been corrected in CMOS by the registered retailer (who may also be the registered retailer).

The incentive scheme is run in accordance with the standard industry Vacancy Incentive Scheme Guidance which was introduced into the market codes on 15 May 2020. The guidance and eligibility rules can be found here. This guidance should be followed in conjunction with process H7 of WRC Schedule 1 part 3 Operational Terms and the H/O6 form (All of the required data fields are covered in the bulk application forms below).

The Industry guidance stipulates that:

  • The date of the last successful Vacancy Incentive Scheme Payment application in respect of the premises is not in the last 24 months
  • No other application for a Vacancy Incentive Scheme Payment in respect of the premises may be outstanding
  • In order to prevent us paying an incentive payment on a new connection, the Vacancy Incentive Scheme advises there must have been a previous occupant, but there is no timescale defined in the scheme. Therefore UUW have a timescale of 18 months as we believe this is sufficient time for a retailer to update the market with the customer details.

You can check for any outstanding vacancy applications here.

Submitting bulk application

  • Please use this form and return to our Wholesale Service Desk

    • All fields are mandatory
    • Where fields are not completed as a piece of information does not exist or is not applicable further explanation will be required from the applying retailer
    • On validation of the submission we will refer this to the registered retailer using the same bulk format

  • Please use this form and return to our Wholesale Service Desk

    • All fields are mandatory
    • SPIDs must be occupied before an application is made