Shared water supply

michael8626

A friend of mine (aged 69) ‘inherited’ a water supply account when her husband died 8 years ago. The water bills have always been paid since then.

Upon conducting an energy audit it has come to light the water bill contains a supply address and a billing address that differ. It appears when my friends husband built their house some years ago they looped off an existing supply, when they owned the supply address in question.

The current occupants of the supply address have lived there for the past 5 years. We have approached the water company regarding the situation, and sub metering going forward, they just say it’s a private matter of which we must pay to rectify.

My friend was never informed of the situation when she became bill payer. As no sub meter is in place, where do we stand with the current owner of the supply address?

Legally can we ask the supply address owner for a ‘donation’ towards the water bill for the previous 5 years? Do the water company have a case to answer re. Duty of care to its customers? Should we make a complaint or seek legal advice?

Any thoughts are much appreciated, thanks.

The_Rainmaker

I think the best you can hope for is to sort it out going forward. If you start asking for money they make get defensive and tricky to deal with.

davidmcn

I doubt your friend can blame anybody other than her husband and/or herself for not creating separate accounts for the two properties when they divided the plot. I presume the other utilities don't have the same problem?

michael8626

davidmcn wrote: »

I doubt your friend can blame anybody other than her husband and/or herself for not creating separate accounts for the two properties when they divided the plot. I presume the other utilities don't have the same problem?

Other utilities not affected.

Certainly the problem was created by her deceased husband. She genuinely had nothing to do with bill payment prior to his death.

Surely the water company should have informed her of the situation when she became bill payer? I think they should have a duty of care so customers only pay for what they use?

da_rule

michael8626 wrote: »

Other utilities not affected.

Certainly the problem was created by her deceased husband. She genuinely had nothing to do with bill payment prior to his death.

Surely the water company should have informed her of the situation when she became bill payer? I think they should have a duty of care so customers only pay for what they use?

How would they know? If it was split after the point of the water meter (if there is one), there’s no reason why they would know that the work had been done or that there wasn’t some agreement already in place between the different users.

peter_the_piper

I'm surprised the other house have not queried why they are not paying for water, either to the company or yourselves. As above the only real way forward is to discuss with them and sort out either a percentage payment going forward or arrange for a meter to be put in.

eddddy

michael8626 wrote: »

It appears when my friends husband built their house some years ago they looped off an existing supply, when they owned the supply address in question.

Did the friend's husband make some kind of agreement with the new owner when they sold the 'supply address'? For example, to pay a portion of the water bill?

If not, what was the new owner's understanding of the terms of their water supply?

Maybe speak to the new owner of the supply address, to see what they were told and what they agreed.

michael8626 wrote: »

Surely the water company should have informed her of the situation when she became bill payer? I think they should have a duty of care so customers only pay for what they use?

Was the water company ever told?

Even if they were, realistically, they have no duty to tell a bill payer what a previous bill payer connected to the water supply.

For example, my water supplier has no idea what connections I have to my water supply.

davidmcn

michael8626 wrote: »

Surely the water company should have informed her of the situation when she became bill payer? I think they should have a duty of care so customers only pay for what they use?

How would they be aware of there being a "situation"?

Fosterdog

As the husband died 8 years ago but the current occupants have only lived there for 5 years then they might not be aware of any of this. Who did the current occupants buy or rent from? This might have all been sorted during conveyancing, how long were the previous occupiers living there and is there a way of contacting them to find out what they know and what was agreed?

How much has she been paying? A fixed monthly amount which is correct for a single dwelling or is she paying for metered water and is paying for both?

Ultimately it will have to be paid to be rectified and as it was her/her husband that set it up this way in the first place (I'm assuming to cut corners and save costs) it will be down to her to pay.

Aylesbury_Duck

I'll pitch in because I have a friend who was unwittingly on the other side of a similar situation, not realising for several months that he wasn't being billed for water.

As no sub meter is in place, where do we stand with the current owner of the supply address?

Where you stand already - it sounds as if some sort of unofficial arrangement was struck up a long time ago, pre-dating the current tenants' arrival. If your friend is unwilling to continue that arrangement, she must pay to have the supply separated.

Legally can we ask the supply address owner for a ‘donation’ towards the water bill for the previous 5 years?

There's nothing stopping you asking for a contribution, but they have no obligation to make one.

Do the water company have a case to answer re. Duty of care to its customers?

No, because they probably have no idea about the arrangement. I suspect it was done unofficially/privately, so how would they know about it?

Should we make a complaint or seek legal advice?

I can't see what grounds there are for complaining or for taking legal action.

michael8626

davidmcn wrote: »

How would they be aware of there being a "situation"?

The bill has a supply address and a different billing address