Thames Water charging extra £150 bill due to lack of meter reading on move in

gina79

I recently moved out of a 1 bed flat that I lived in solo for one year, and paid my water bills via direct debit for the year at approx £26 a month.

When I moved out, I took a meter reading, closed my account and cancelled the direct debit. Thames Water in the months since have presented me with a £650 bill which I queried, and they said there was likely a leak issue in my property, and have attempted to get in contact with the new tenants to check on this - but with no luck.

They have since informed me that there were 2 meters in the property - one smart meter and one normal one (I was only aware of the latter). They say the bill is from the meter I was aware of, and is due to me not taking a meter reading on move in, so they are unable to calculate the correct amount, and can't access the property to check this themselves / assess if there is a leak. They have agreed to reduce the £650 bill to £150, calculated based on the usage they were able to get from the smart meter over the year. 

Referencing my sign up emails from them, they acknowledged I had a smart meter, and never prompted me to take a reading from the other meter.

My question is, because I didn't take the initial meter reading, do I have any rights to refuse the extra bill here? I was one person using a very average amount of water, and am being charged for essentially another 5 months usage. 

Mark_d

Without taking an initial meter reading, there's a likelihood that the £26 per month you were paying is tool low.  I' be surprised if your failure to take a reading means you can avoid this £150 bill.

MattMattMattUK

Why are there two meters and are they both yours? Is one for another flat in the same building and because of an address issue it has been attributed to you? Having two meters in a flat makes no sense at all.

QrizB

OP your water bills will have included the serial number of the meter you were being billed for.

Does this number match the meter you read?

Green_hopeful

You might do a data subject access request (DSAR)  for any information relating to your occupation. There might be useful records that they are not telling you about for example an opening reading. 

gina79

MattMattMattUK said:

Why are there two meters and are they both yours? Is one for another flat in the same building and because of an address issue it has been attributed to you? Having two meters in a flat makes no sense at all.

No idea - the smart meter was apparently located under the kitchen sink and I never noticed it. The only thing I can think of is that a pump had to be switched on for the shower to work (top floor flat) so potentially the main meter was separate for this. I hadn't been informed of the two meters by the landlord / letting agency so I'm unsure where I stand here