Does the contract say anything about not undoing cable ties? Because if not I would be pretty miffed if you tried to withhold more than the cost of the single "damaged" cable tie from it.
Even with good faith all round, it's not clear that a cable tie implies "unplugging is prohibited and will forfeit your deposit". It could equally be understood as "the socket on this cheap timer is a bit loose and the plug falls out".
I agree that a meter and bill for the aircon is a fairer way to go. Reconditioned submeters are what, £25 or so?
Consumables consumption is *occupier's* responsibility, not owner's. They should be paying the the leccy, not you. Then, any overconsumption is purely their own look-out, and a court action between them and their supplier.
My costs are covered in the weekly rental charges. If they pop the thing so be it. I am only trying to control it not stop them using it. Most wouldnt attempt to undo it. Most renters are pretty decent it is just the odd one that tries to put the air con on when they go away all day. Renters prefer a fixed cost, all inclusive.To charge for what they use will lead to disputes.
My initial thought was to fasten the adaptor to the timer instead but I would imagine that most people, like me, always take an adaptor with them ...
If you dismantle the timer, could you replace the screw which holds the
13 amp plug together with a longer one screwed through from the INSIDE of the timer? (Better than glue and tie-wraps!)
On the other hand, I wonder you are trying to tackle the problem from the wrong direction.
Can you you find a hard wired timer which fits on the end of the cable - and, if you can get one with a Schuko connector, all the better, as it will eliminate the adaptor.
Alternatively, dismantle the existing timer and examine the 13 amp socket carefully - you'll probably find that it takes up a fair bit of room inside the housing.
Consider the possibility of removing the contacts, shutters and any odd plastic 'walls' with a judicious bit of cutting until you end up with a large cavity. Then drill a hole for cable entry, fit a three-way terminal block and a cable clamp (it shouldn't be difficult to make one) and convert it. For safety, glue a sheet of plastic over the inside of the original pin holes and reassemble.
Looking at your picture, the 13 amp plug part looks as if it is a separate entity to the timer body - suggesting that it is also manufactured with other types of connector. Perhaps you can find a Schuko version? Not only will it eliminate the adabtor but the depth of the rear body shell has to accomodate a recessed Schuko plug [1] so there is bound to be plenty of scope there for a hard wired conversion!
[1] Just measured one - recessed section is 18 mm long plus another 18 mm for the pins.
Which is why reading the meter before after the let and charging for "excessive" use comes in. The basic rent includes so many units of lecky, use more than those the renter gets charged at cost price.
The letting contract has details of how many units are included and how that relates to normal other use and daily hours of the aircon. The amount of included units is set such that only those really profligate will incur extra charges.
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