Thames water back billing.....??!!

dongeroo

I recently moved out of a rented flat which I lived in with my wife. The flat was above a shop. Whilst we lived there we called Thames water to register with them and let them know we moved in. We received no bills from them for over a year, so called again to let them know we had not received anything from them, they told us that the water rates for the shop and the flat were paid for by the occupants of the shop and not to worry about the water rates.The guys below us were only renting the shop and went bust shortly after. An aquariam shop who owned the shop next door knocked through to this shop and ended up owning the whole block. We moved out about a year later. and are now settled and happy in our new home. Now the suprising bit..that is if you are still with me.....We recently got a bill for over £1000 from thames water for the period we were in the flat as the guy who owned the aquarium shop obviously got a bill and queried it. So what I want to know is.....Can thames water do this?...they have already been paid for the water rates in effect and you can bet they are not refunding any one who has over paid!!

anony_mouse_5

Yes they can,

They can go back up to 6 years (think of bank charges)
They are charging you for a service they provided to you- you need to prove that the owner of the shop ( not the aquarium )was actually paying for it.

Where you on one supply?
If not then you've got to pay unfortunately,
if so was it metered? if so, so long as the bill was paid you can argue that for the time you lived above the shop the shop did pay for your water.
If its rateable value ask why the shop didn't have a meter since it is a legal requirement for a commercial property to be metered (unless it is impossible to do so)
Also by substantially altering the property the aqaurium owner has got to prove that the supply is now how it was then.

check your contract did it say anything in there and finally all conversations should be recorded by water companies so get them to check their records.
because of they have you registered at the flat it can be argued why no bill.