Water bill

Ofeliacma

Hi. I'm renting an annexe and couple days ago I have received a letter from water company saying that an account has been created for me based on estimated water use as they contacted me previously and couldn't find a meter. I haven't received any letters previously from them. I live here for few years now and the whole house has one main water supply and my rent includes all the bills so I'm already paying for the utilities. I don't understand why suddenly the water company decided to do this or how they got my details. There was no previous contact with me and no letters before. Can they do that and do I have to pay in this case if there is only one supply and no meter for annexe?

fatbelly

If there was no meter then they would bill based on rateable value and usage would not be relevant.

Is this a separate property for council tax? If not then I don' t understand why it would be for water

What does your tenancy agreement say?

Ofeliacma

It has a separate council tax but as I said there is only one water/electric/gas supply for a whole house and my bills are included in rent. I live here for over 4 years and the previous tenant also had bills included in rent. 

fatbelly

If your tenancy agreement says the landlord is responsible for paying water bills then hand him the bill.

If not then I'm not sure how you have avoided being liable for 4 years of water.

If you ask for a meter to be installed and they physically can't do that then you can at least pay by an assessed charge, which would be cheaper

QrizB

Ofeliacma said:

It has a separate council tax ...

If you're a separate household from the main property, you will have a separate water bill.

Ofeliacma said:

... there is only one water/electric/gas supply for a whole house

Energy suppliers are a less bothered about shared supplies, since the standing charge is typically a small part of the bill. Water companies get perhaps 50% of their revenue from the per-property standing charge and so have a bigger interest in registering every property!

Ofeliacma said:

... my bills are included in rent.

If your tenancy agreement says that the landlord will pay your water bills, then (as mentioned above) pass the bills on to them.

Ofeliacma said:

I live here for over 4 years and the previous tenant also had bills included in rent. 

Does your water bill begin now, or have they backdated it to some time in the past? It will still be your landlord's responsibility, whichever they have done.

Ofeliacma

I'm really confused. Annexe is a part of the house. It's not a standalone building. If I would be paying separate water bill which would be estimated and then the landlord is paying bill for a whole water usage in the house then it means we are charged twice for the same water which for me doesn't make any sense and is not right

QrizB

Ofeliacma said:

I'm really confused. Annexe is a part of the house. It's not a standalone building.

Just like a block of flats, then. Forty or fifty individual properties in one physical building.

Ofeliacma said:

If I would be paying separate water bill which would be estimated and then the landlord is paying bill for a whole water usage in the house then it means we are charged twice for the same water

If your annexe is split off and billed separately, there should be an adjustment to the bill for the main property. Unless, of course, the annexe was built without the water company being informed in which case the LL will have been underpaying.

But this is your landlord's problem, not yours.

Ofeliacma said:

... which for me doesn't make any sense and is not right

It does make sense; each separate property gets its own water bill.
And it is right.

Ofeliacma

IF LL didn't report to the water company and has been underpaying does it mean that the water company will charge him for all this time? 

fatbelly

It means that they will look at who is the liable person. Where there's a tenant in a property that is listed as separate. (or should have been) for council tax, it is usually the tenant, unless there is a contract that changes that.

Water used to be linked to the rates and that's still the default position

Do you have a written tenancy agreement?