water bill advice

[james333]

Hi And thanks for reading this post.

I was looking for accommodation and a friend offered me the upper floor of his shop, the ground floor he is using as a grocers shop.

I moved in to the upper floor, fitted in a cooker, fridge, cupboards etc, and was told there would be no water bill as the grocers and the upper floor are on the same supply. I checked this with the stopcock in the cellar which when turned, cut off the supply to the grocers and upper floor simultaneously.

I quickly received a water bill from Yorkshire water and it was addresses to : " The Flat 11 South Street..." The grocers is 11 South Street.

A few months later a debt collector knocked on the door and demanded £600. I was not at home my mother answered the door and the debt collector frightened her with tales of returning with bailiffs and smashing the door down and taking everything inside. So she paid the bill which i was not happy about as i genuinely believe i do not owe the money.

I mean it is like billing someone for a water supply, then billing again for the upstairs bedroom and bathroom

Can you please advise what are my rights, can i get a refund.

Thank you. John.

Are you sure the grocer has been paying for their water?

Do you have a written tenancy or licence agreement? Is there any evidence that the rent includes the water?

You can't ignore the bill. That was your first mistake.

Have you spoken to your friend about it? What have they said?

What has the water company said?

Do you have a tenancy agreement and if you paid a deposit has it been protected?

Ring the water company and ask them whether there is one account for no 11 or are there two? I.e. one for the shop and another for the flat. How long have you been there? Unless there is a meter the water rates are based on the size of the property, etc. Obviously you should only pay for the time you've been there, but you can't expect to pay nothing for utilities.

You can't ignore a utility bill - even if you think it is wrong/sent in error you need to speak to the water company. Is it possible a previous occupant has not paid a bill and now their debt has been added to yours? Has your friend paid his bills?

Also what about council tax? The living accommodation should be subject to council tax and the shop to business rates. Are you paying council tax?

Could your friend be illegally subletting to you? If he doesn't own the property that's possible. Also check the insurance situation - your friend's business insurance may contain provisions that the property is to be used as business premises only and prohibit someone from living there.

I used to work for a commercial property management company and the things people do/don't do would curl your hair. I don't want to alarm you unnecessarily but from your OP it all sounds very casual and you need to be protected as much as anything. What happens if there's an unpaid electricity bill? What about your credit rating if your name is on these accounts incorrectly?

You surely need to speak to your friend?

I think the friend could be dodgy which is why it would be useful for the OP to find out what the actual situation is first.

What have the water company said about the accounts? Is it separately registered for council tax?

And what did your friend say?