Enormous back-pay demand - help!

becky13_2

My mother moved into her flat two years ago. It was a new conversion and when she contacted Southern Water to put the account in her name she was told that her property was not on their system and didn't exist. She and other tennants contacted Southern Water several times over the last two years with the same outcome.

Finally Southern Water have realised that these flats do exist and have sent my mother a bill for over £800 and demanded she pay it instantly!

She is a pensioner and disabled, and this has upset her quite a lot. What are her rights? As Southern Water only opened the account this month, are they allowed to charge her for the last two years?

HappyMJ

Her rights are that she can speak with them show them proof of when she moved in and then make arrangements to pay the correct amount. It's usually over the same time that the arrears built up so monthly payments over the next two years should cover it nicely. They can't charge for periods when she didn't live there.

Gothicfairy

As it is a new build/conversion I am going to go out on a limb and assume there is a meter in the property (or in a boundary box) you need to be looking at the bill and the meter readings. Are they correct ? What is the meter reading now ?
£800 is a lot for a flat for 2 years anyway without the backdating issue.
What meter serial number is on the bill, are you sure that is your mothers meter ?

£800 would be too much for 2 years assessed charges on a flat so you need to find out how they are billing her before anyone can really suggest a way forward because the answer is different depending on how the charge is made up.

However the main question is backdating bills and yes water companies can do that up 6 years plus present.
It depends on the situation as to if they do or not..If it was a property they had sent void letters to for years and no one got in touch then suddenly came forward as the owner for years then they might backdate all the way or a landlord who wants to not pay any bills but does not inform anyone the house is empty etc but if customers do get in touch with companies then they don't tend to go back that far.

If there is a meter though you can see if there is consumption and that again might put a different slant on the whole thing.

Cardew

You say your mother and other tenants have contacted Southern water several times and were told by Southern they had no records? Did they do this in writing?

If the developer did the conversion correctly, then(as stated above) there normally would have been meters fitted as it would be part of the planning permission. However many developers simply don't bother with conversions.

If there are meters fitted, and you are billed against actual readings, then they can go back 6 years.

If it is a Local Authority property then talk to them.

However her legal rights are simply that she has to pay her water charges.