Can letting agent/landlord start charging for a previously inclusive utility bill?

Sybarite

Ok so here's the situation.

I've been renting a flat privately for about 3 yrs. 1 year ago the landlord changed from one well known property management company to another.

A new contract was signed and everything continued pretty much as before.

However, I've just received a bill for water for the property for the last six months (note not from the start of the new contract with the new agents). Querying this I've been told that from now on I'm responsible for the water rates which equate to nearly £400 p/a. The bill isn't from a water company, it's simply produced by the letting agent and is based on the water bill for the block divided by the number of flats.

Having checked my previous tennancy agreement & my new one they both state utility bills are to be paid by the tennant as you'd expect; they're standard contracts. However I've contacted the previous letting agency who confirms what I thought, water was included as part of the service charge which comprised an element of the rent initially negotiated; it's their standard practice & they never issue a water bill.

Effectively the new letting company and property owner want to charge me an unofficial rent increase of £400 p/a but can only put the rent up by rate of inflation, which they've also done. I have a feeling they're going to insist on payment as the total is nearly 7k for my block & this is a money making exercise.
I'm on good terms with both the present and former lettings agents & am a good tennant. The previous agency have advised me to contest the bill on the grounds that;
The water isn't metered so it's unfair,
This change wasn't made explicit when the new agency's contract was first issued.
The utility bill isn't in my name so I have no evidence of an actual utility bill.
No such bill was issued for the previous 6 months it's just arbitrarily started.
Ultimately refuse to pay.

Refusing to pay means the new agents will have my deposit by hook or crook (mostly the latter). The other element is that my contract is up for renewal at the end of this month & I need to stay in the property for approximately another six months.

Does anybody know what I can do about this & if ultimately the owner can demand it? Obviously it's making me very angry as basically I feel they're trying it on.

Thanks in advance.

MarkyMarkD

I am not sure that you have a case against this charge.

Both the original and new tenancy agreements state that the rental amount is utilities exclusive; water is definitely a utility and I would expect a tenant to have to pay for their water rates.

The fact that you were "let off" the water charge originally doesn't necessarily negate their ability to charge it in future, as you originally appear to have agreed it.

At the point your contract is renewed, they can change the rental anyway they like, so they'll definitely make you pay for the water from that point onwards.

I might be wrong, but I would suggest you are stuck with the situation.