Debt from uksearch Ltd that I feel I don't owe

Joebloggs123456789

Hi I've been given a water bill f9r a unit that I rent which I feel I don't owe. This is due to the fact that the company I rent off have said the utility bill I pay each month is for the electricity alone as they cover the water. I was sent a letter from business stream 2/10/24 saying welcome on board. I never signed up to them myself so guessing it was meant for me. 4/10/24 I recieved a letter from aiccorp saying I owed £237.18 on behalf of business stream. I called and explained I don't have anything to do with the water.  The bill went from £249- £540.70- £164.63 I told them this feels dodgy so they put me through to business stream. They said they would get in touch with the owners to sort it out.10/2/25 I recieved a letter from uksearch Ltd saying I owe them £164.63. I research on here and another site for a template to send and sent this to them on 7/2/25

To Whom It May Concern

Regarding Case #: #####

You have contacted me about the account with the above reference number, which you claim I owe.

I have no knowledge of any such debt being owed to Business Stream 

I am familiar with the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Consumer Credit sourcebook which states the following.

“A firm must not ignore or disregard a customer’s claim that a debt has been settled or is disputed and must not continue to make demands for payment without providing clear justification and/or evidence as to why the customer’s claim is not valid.” 7.5.3

“A firm must suspend any steps it takes or its agent takes in the recovery of a debt from a customer where the customer disputes the debt on valid grounds or what may be valid grounds.” 7.14.1

“Where a customer disputes a debt on valid grounds or what may be valid grounds, the firm must investigate the dispute and provide details of the debt to the customer in a timely manner.” 7.14.3

If you do not stop collection activity whilst investigating my dispute, you are breaking FCA rules and guidance.

Also, ignoring claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment is harassment.

Please do not make any further contact about the above accounts unless you can provide evidence of my liability for the debt.

I await your written confirmation that this matter is now closed. Otherwise I will have no option but to make a complaint to my local trading standards service and consider informing the FCA of your actions.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Gymnastricks 


They replied with automatic email on the same day then i recieved an email on the 18/2/25

Good afternoon, 

 Thank you for your email. 

 At UKSL we are bound by the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

 Please can you confirm the following?

 - The named company on the account that we hold as liable for these arrears.

 - The company correspondence address?

 - Who I am speaking with today, and your position within the company?

 Once this is confirmed and approved, we will be happy to help you with your query.

 Kind Regards

 Bethany 

Commercial Collections


I now don't know what to do as feel they might be trying to trick me as they haven't followed the email I sent asking not to get in touch until resolved. I feel they don't need any of that information to proceed and as its gone from one 3rd party to another that they are just passing the ball until I pay.

Thankyou in advance for any help and advice given

sourcrates

Forget email, it could be from anyone, and for data protection reasons they must identify you.

For legal purposes send a letter, as its deemed to be from the person they are attempting to contact.

Enclose a copy of the collection letter they sent you, it may also be beneficial to send some evidence of your identity, so they know you are not the debtor, and then they can close their file.

Joebloggs123456789

Hey, thankyou very much for your help.
F9r the letter is there anything in particular you would advise saying or to just state I have recieved this debt and it's nothing to do with me. Along with my I.D

Kind regards 
Scott

sourcrates

They have written to you claiming you owe a debt for an unpaid water bill, you deny liability due to you not being the liable entity in this case.

Normally the onus is on them to prove you owe this money, however if you want to expedite matters, provide them with evidence to back up your claim, a copy of a tenancy agreement that clearly states you are not responsible for water bills etc for example.

You will have to satisfy GDPR as well to get this matter resolved.

The alternative is to ignore them completely, and let them waste their time, however this comes with the added risk of a CCJ by default if you failed to respond to any court claim they may issue.

Joebloggs123456789

Hey, much appreciated.
Thankyou for your help 🙏🏻

ManyWays

Have you asked your landlord why they are not paying the water bill?

Joebloggs123456789

Hi, I have relayed everything to them and they are saying it must not be to do with them as they pay the water bill altogether not per unit. Not sure if trying to pass on an additional charge or a mix up? Its annoying how business stream have just sold the debt to a third party without getting back in touch with me first. 
 Would a an email to the company who have now brought the debt (UK search) be ok or is a posted letter better?

Many thanks