Thames Water bill problem

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Hello everyone. I have a situation and I'm really confused what to do. Me and my bf live in a rented house. Twoo weeks ago someone rings the landline and asks for someone who we've never heard of. My bf answered the phone and said that this person doesn't live here. They ask for his name as a referer and he gave it to them. Last week we receive a bill for £2700 dated 3 years back till now. That was a really nasty suprise. When we moved in we signed a tenancy agreement(it's just my name on it) that the rent we pay each month is inclusive of all utility bills. Once we received the letter, my bf called them straight away and told them that he is not responsible it's the landlord but they said they charge the consumers not the landlords and that the tenacy agreement is a private one and they don't care about it. The landlord refuses to pay this money. What do we do so that we clear the debt off my bf's name?
I hope that someone helps with ideas. It will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

samsmoot

The very first thing you should do is to always remember not to tell strangers on the phone your business.

As for your problem I can tell you what I would do, and that's tell the water company to get lost.

If it was clearly written in my tenancy agreement that my water is already paid for in my rent I would simply wait for the court claim to arrive then ask for the landlord to be substituted for me or added to the claim.

Actually I would just keep the complaining process going, so that court would be a difficult option - doesn't really matter what you say as long as you keep up the correspondence. Initially, then, just write back and insist that the landlord is pursued.

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samsmoot wrote: »

The very first thing you should do is to always remember not to tell strangers on the phone your business.

As for your problem I can tell you what I would do, and that's tell the water company to get lost.

If it was clearly written in my tenancy agreement that my water is already paid for in my rent I would simply wait for the court claim to arrive then ask for the landlord to be substituted for me or added to the claim.

Actually I would just keep the complaining process going, so that court would be a difficult option - doesn't really matter what you say as long as you keep up the correspondence. Initially, then, just write back and insist that the landlord is pursued.

Thank you for your reply. I have the tenancy agreement just on my name(not my bf's) and it's with his ex wife. He has signed just as a witness.

Mrs_Arcanum

Thames Water are very particular about only dealing with the named person and will get "A name" wherever they can and stick with it regardless of the facts.

Couple of points; how long have you lived there and have you got a detailed list of charges included in the rent?

This is where it can get a bit tricky as Water will not be paid by HB for self contained properties. However, if the landlord is refusing to pay why do you have the cost included in your rent? Technically the LL has already been paid by you for the water bill.

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Mrs Arcanum, do you reckon if i just give them my landlord's name they will start chasing him? I was thinking of sending them a copy of my tenancy agreement. It says "all utility bills and council tax" in it.
My landlord just said he can't afford to pay and he won't. I know that we already paid for the water that we used over the last 3 years we've been here and I don't see why we are liable for it again. I thought that even a mutual agreement is a contact which you are bound to. We even have these things written down and they still don't want to accept it.

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And another thing is - the whole time the landlord kept his Koi fish in a pond in the back garden. Probably this pond was using half of the water.

macman

If you have a clear arrangement on your STA, then it's your LL's problem, not yours.
I'd check he is paying the other utility bills ASAP though!

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macman wrote: »

If you have a clear arrangement on your STA, then it's your LL's problem, not yours.
I'd check he is paying the other utility bills ASAP though!

And how we take the debt off my bf's name?

macman

I'd start by disputing the bill by supplying them with a copy of your STA with the relevant terms highlighted.
And give them full contact details for your LL. Remember, it's you he's been robbing.

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macman wrote: »

I'd start by disputing the bill by supplying them with a copy of your STA with the relevant terms highlighted.
And give them full contact details for your LL. Remember, it's you he's been robbing.

I was thinking of doing the same, I'm just not sure if it will work though. Anyway, that's the way to go.
We have a meeting with the landlord again tonight to try and solve this. If nothing works out then we're sending Thames Water a letter.
Thank you!

Mrs_Arcanum

Just a small bit of reassurance, water cannot be cut off. You may be reduced to a very low pressure but they cannot cut off your supply.

The other thing I would question is the size of the bill. Ours is only around £450 per year for a three bed house in the Thames Water area. So £2,700 would seem to be at least twice as much as it should be for 3 years worth.

Definitely send Thames Water your STA and make sure it shows your LL's name & address. Also request that your BF's name is removed from any bills as he has NEVER (emphasise this) been responsible for the bills or named on any tenancy agreement.