Landlord claiming I owe money

Sam112_2

Please help. I got an email in May stating that if I wished to renew my tenancy in July the landlord was proposing the rent be increased from £500 to £560 and the water from £25 to £35. I could not afford £70 a month on my own so I told them I would not be extending, however I ran into problems with finding a new place and was in a periodic tenancy until September.

I paid the same amount I had been paying £525, and left the tenancy thinking I didn't owe anything. Now I've received an email stating that I should have been paying the £10 extra water charge for the 2 months (they did not mention rent increase) and that they've added on interest for every day it has been late. Is this right?

I didn't think the water had gone up because the way the email was phrased didn't state it would take effect the day my first fixed contract ended and now because of that wording I'm being punished with interest and their delay in letting me know

SerialRenter

Was the amount you have to pay towards the water written into your original tenancy agreement? Or was this agreed separately?

Have they issued you with any bills for the water since your tenancy became periodic? Or chased you for payment. Excluding the one you just got.

Sam112_2

SerialRenter wrote: »

Was the amount you have to pay towards the water written into your original tenancy agreement? Or was this agreed separately?

Have they issued you with any bills for the water since your tenancy became periodic? Or chased you for payment. Excluding the one you just got.

Hi I think it either states £25 or just states water is payable I'm not sure I will check when I go home. I know the sent me an email breaking up the amount I pay (£525) into rent and water but Im not sure if they also did that in the agreement.

No bills for water just their email that I owe them the difference plus interest.

stator

What does your tenancy agreement say? And did you receive official notification via post?

pmlindyloo

A lot of this hinges on your tenancy agreement and what it says about the water payment. Look to see if the rent was broken down into the different payments and also what it says about increases and interest being charged on late payments to monies owed.

Basically if the landlord is paying the water bills then he does have the ability to increase these charges. Equally you have the right to ask to see evidence of the increase in the bills for the property.

If the interest on late payments is mentioned in your agreement then it may be an unfair term depending on how it is worded.

When you look at your tenancy agreement post the exact wording on here so that people can comment.

nomoneytoday

2 months interest on £20 will be pennies..

G_M

If your original tenancy agreement states the water chage is £25, then that is what you pay.

If the TA includes a mechanism for increasing the water charge (eg written notice of an increase + how the increase is to be calculated), then providing the LL followed that mechanism the increase is valid.

Until you read the TA it is impossible to comment!