Old Water Bill from Sold House

gemstu

Hi
A couple of months ago i received a water bill for £850 from a house i sold 5 years ago.
When we sold we had to pay all final bills which the solicitor was responsible for doing. I called the water company and explained the situation and they said they would write to my solicitors used when i sold up.
Last week the water company wrote back to me advsing that my solicitors could not produce any evidence of this bill paid ( they enclosed acopy of the receipt made to the other water company - we have 2).
They now have given me 14 days to pay this. I cannot afford this and i do not think this is right. Surely this is problem for my ex soliciators as i was under the impression you could not sell until all utilities had been paid.
What can i do? Where do i stand?

Colincbayley

At the end of the day, do you owe them this money for the bill? If so, pay it, if not then tell them why.

Your solicitor does not have to make sure you have paid all outstanding bills when you sell a house, only those which have a charge on the property.

pararct

I can recall getting a debt collection letter for an unpaid telephone bill for a house I had sold some 6 Months previously.

We thought we had settled the bill but in the upheaval of the move it appeared we had not. Anyway we paid it immediatley just a shame we had not seen the original bills before they passed it to the collection agent.

tbs624

gemstu wrote: »

Hi
A couple of months ago i received a water bill for £850 from a house i sold 5 years ago.
When we sold we had to pay all final bills which the solicitor was responsible for doing. I called the water company and explained the situation and they said they would write to my solicitors used when i sold up.
Last week the water company wrote back to me advsing that my solicitors could not produce any evidence of this bill paid ( they enclosed acopy of the receipt made to the other water company - we have 2).
They now have given me 14 days to pay this. I cannot afford this and i do not think this is right. Surely this is problem for my ex soliciators as i was under the impression you could not sell until all utilities had been paid.
What can i do? Where do i stand?

So you didn't go through your solicitor's final statement of account? Or did you and thought you'd got away with not paying was what due to the water company?

Is this the first notification you have had from the water company in the intervening 5 years?

With gas and elec bills, if the company has failed to bill you, they can't pursue you for debts over 12 months old but I have not heard whether there is a similar Code of Conduct for water companies: there probably isn't.

If this is the case then the best you can hope for is to agree a payment plan with them.

G_M

gemstu wrote: »

When we sold we had to pay all final bills which the solicitor was responsible for doing.

I've never come across this. How would the solicitor a) know what bills were due or b) be able to verify them - meter readings etc??

Surely YOU are responsible for ensuring your bills are paid? Does the bill you've now received cover a period when you were there? Did you actually pay a final bill or not?

MobileSaver

gemstu wrote: »

i received a water bill for £850 from a house i sold 5 years ago

That sounds a huge water bill from 5 years ago! Mine was under £200 a year for a 4 bed house back then, is this more than just a normal water rates bill?

Yorkie1

Why is the bill £850?

Does it relate solely to the period of your occupancy, plus any charges / costs / interest etc accrued since you moved? Or does it relate to the whole of the last 5 years?

I'd have thought that if it is the former, you're liable to pay - although should try to negotiate for time to pay if they will do so. If the latter, and can prove when you left, you might not have to pay the part after you left?

Paul_the_Painter

First establish what dates the bill relates to. Start and End dates.

Second establish who is chasing you - is it the water company or a firm of debt collectors (it sounds like the water company)

If the dates match up to a period you were living in the property, pay the bill, it's you're responsibility. If they don't, pass the matter back to the water with evidence of when you moved out, and who you sold to.

The solicitors settling the bills thing is a red herring, when you move out, you tell all your utilities providers and give them readings, it is not the solicitors responibility.