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paying for water!?

Need some help here. We have just renewed our contract. Its an Assured Shorthold tenancy agreement through an agency. Before renewing the contract we tried to get a few things sorted out, via the landlord. One was the installation of a water meter. We were told that without changing the piping there was no way to fit a meter (by Thames Water), as there is only one stop valve for the whole building (we are ground, with 2 flats above). So we are paying over the odds (GBP 23.00/month) and don't even use a bath/washing.

The new tennancy agreement we and the agency signed, however states at the beginning that water rates are included (which we thought was a compromise on their behalf):


5. The rent quoted does include Cuncil Tax and Water Rates.

It then goes onto the general tenancy conditions, where it mentions the following:

1.22 Perform and observe any obligation on the part of the tennant arising under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 or regulations made there under to pay Council Tax indemnify the landlord against such obligation which the landlord may incur during the tenancy by reason of the tenant ceasing to be resident in the property.

...now, we are not being hassled for the Council Tax, which has always been paid by the landlord/agency. However more with the new agreement, we have contacted Thames Water and told them the situation and gave them the address of the agency. The agency have now forwarded us the bill and asked us to get things ammended with Thames Water so that we are paying for Water.

Where do we stand on this!?! we have a written and signed contract!
any advice most welcome....

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