Advice please: large unexpected bill

Galloglass

Doesn’t explain why it’s in your partner’s name though. 

Answer most likely will be

 He lived in his two bed flat about 3/4 years with a friend and moved out nearly 3 years ago. 

Water companies will chase whoever was on the bill or whoever lived there as joint liability. If they can't get it from one they will try to get it from another. Best get it sorted as these sometimes pop up years later in the hands of bailiffs. Water companies get default CCJ's from old addresses and then trace the [alleged] billpayer.

ryanm8655

Galloglass said:

Doesn’t explain why it’s in your partner’s name though. 

Answer most likely will be

 He lived in his two bed flat about 3/4 years with a friend and moved out nearly 3 years ago. 

Water companies will chase whoever was on the bill or whoever lived there as joint liability. If they can't get it from one they will try to get it from another. Best get it sorted as these sometimes pop up years later in the hands of bailiffs. Water companies get default CCJ's from old addresses and then trace the [alleged] billpayer.

Yeah, I meant if it did turn out to be a communal bill rather than for their flat specifically.

tizzype

My partner has now rang them and said there is a bill for 2014-2017 for a total of £2900. They advised the previous figure was wrong and did he want to pay now, he responded with he wants to speak to his ex flat mate and they are going to hold the account until end of the month. I’m not sure why he didn’t ask for a copy of the bill, whether it is an estimate and whether it is for the block. £2900 seems high for two men living in a flat for 3 years, no dishwasher and they used the local laundry mat. Even in our house with the use of a washing machine and hose we only pay £360 a year! He said the leak was more the hot water cylinder kept cycling the water - would this maybe explain why it’s so high? He can’t recall how long it went for. Any advice for his next call to the water company? Thanks

Gareth_Ainsworth

You really need a copy of the bill.

You'll need to check if the bill uses actual readings rather than estimates (I'm sure it does as the water companies guarantee to read each meter at least once a year depending on its cycle). 2 things I'd want to do next - 1) check the meter definitely serves that property. Bit hard now the property has vacated, but you would do a flow test if you still lived there. 2) if there has been a leakage, and it sounds as though there has as that figure is high, I'm sure everyone is entitled to a leakage allowance (if I remember rightly it may only be for a set period?). What the water company would need to know is what the normal usage is? So during that 3 year period, was the leak ever fixed? If it was, after this point, usage would have gone done to normal. If that can be provided to the water company, they could possibly re-work the bill? Have a look at the cubic meter's of water used for a year on the bill .... normal usage for 2 people is around 102m3, which on a normal tariff is around £430 a year.

E.g. 12/9/2017 meter reading of 482, 11/9/2016 meter reading of 360, 482 - 360 = 120 m3 of water used in that year.