Thames Water Back-dated Bill

newatthis13

We have suddenly been sent an almost four year old bill for £89 odd for an old property we used to live in. The letter had arrived with big bold letters STATEMENT OF INTENT and says that our account remains in debt for this amount. :eek:
As far as we can remember the account was paid up when we left the property and we have no reason to think that there was anything owing. We now dont have any records for that period and we moved out of the area into another water company.
Two years ago we moved back into the Thames water area and at the beginning of 2012 went back to Thames Water as our water company.
What do we do? Can they insist that we pay this after all this time? Can they prove that we owe the money and how can we prove that we don't?
Would really be grateful for some help on this. Thank you

dan3811991119

The only way you could prove your account is up to date is if your have a copy of your final bill and a bank statement or some sort of receipt sowing the same amount as paid. If you have none of this there is no way to prove you paid. Have you maybe missed one last bill after you moved out perhaps.

Phone the water company to ask the period this bill is for and make sure you where at the property at the time in question.

newatthis13

The letter we have has no details of how the amount has been made up just demands the amount. We dont even have the period for what it purports to be for. You would have thought when we signed back on to Thames Water they would have said something then, not almost 2 years later?
I was under the impression that a utility company could not charge you after a year if they had made no attempt to contact you about a bill before that time. Do you or anyone know about this?

Cardew

newatthis13 wrote: »

The letter we have has no details of how the amount has been made up just demands the amount. We dont even have the period for what it purports to be for. You would have thought when we signed back on to Thames Water they would have said something then, not almost 2 years later?
I was under the impression that a utility company could not charge you after a year if they had made no attempt to contact you about a bill before that time. Do you or anyone know about this?

Gas and Electricity companies(NOT Water) can only back-bill 12 months under certain conditions when it is their fault.

If the amount is a valid debt, then like any other debt water companies can go back 6 years.(5 years in Scotland)

newatthis13

I thought I had seen something about the 12 month thing but it seems strange that it is only Gas and Electricity and is NOT water! I wonder what singles them out and excludes what companies....
We had a 12 month redirection on our maul after we moved so had this been a final bill or anything to do with the property they say we would have got the bill. I shall have to find out from Thames Water just what this bill is for and make them justify it before we go any further.

macman

newatthis13 wrote: »

I thought I had seen something about the 12 month thing but it seems strange that it is only Gas and Electricity and is NOT water! I wonder what singles them out and excludes what companies....
We had a 12 month redirection on our maul after we moved so had this been a final bill or anything to do with the property they say we would have got the bill. I shall have to find out from Thames Water just what this bill is for and make them justify it before we go any further.

Because the different utilities are under different regulators, and are entirely different businesses. You can't choose your water supplier. Only gas and electricity operate a back billing code.