Help understanding email from Anglian Water

[becalmandcarryon]

Hi,

I have recently moved to a flat/apartment and received this email from Anglian Water.

I tried googling and also checking the FAQ section but I cannot find a reasonable explanation for the following email:

"Thanks for getting in touch with us.
The above property is metered through a bulk meter and billed to a third party. So the tenants aren’t liable to Anglian Water for any separate water services."

I believe the agents or landlord got in touch with them to inform them about change in tenancy.

Does this mean I do not have to pay water bills?
Is my understanding correct that there is a bulk meter for the whole building and therefore the bill will be calculated based on water usage of the whole building.

I am concerned that I may end up having to pay for a lot more than my water usage or I am not sure if/how I will be billed.

Thanks in advance for all your help and responses.

It reads to me that whoever owns your block / who ever you pay your service charges to pays the water bill. Have you got a copy of your service charges?

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz Thank you for your reply. I have not received a copy of the service charges.
I interpreted the message to mean that I would not be responsible for paying the water bill - but I really don't wany any nasty surprises.
I will check with the agent to confirm.

It just means you don't pay to the water company. Just like you won't pay to the elec company for the communal lighting in the stairwells etc.

Have you got a lease?

Do you rent or own?

I am currently renting - and yes I do have a lease agreement. There is no mention of water bills in that.

Does it say anything about utilities, communal service charges etc in your tenancy agreement?

I read through the contract - there is no mention of utilities or communal service charges.

Hmm...yes, I'd direct the query to the agency then in that case. If you are going to be charged a service charge on top of the monthly rent then you need to know what it is for, and how much it is. Similarly, if any services are included in your rent they should inform you.

Likely the owner of the flat pays water (does a company own it or an individual?) and its just factored into the rent you pay, but definetly best to check.

If its included in rent, or billed via service charges, then yes it will a proportion of the main bill, rather than specific to your own individual usage.

Thanks again for all the information. A adviced, I'll get in touch with the estate agents with relevant questions.

Come back if you have any follow up questions, I work in service charges. Ours are usually very well laid out in the tenancy agreements tho!

I read it as you don't pay anything to the water company but you will still need to pay for water. You will be paying whoever is the 3rd party instead. Whether that third party is a separate company who will bill you separately, or whether it is tied up in either rent or a communal area service charge or similar, you will need to find out.

@xyzandabc - that's an interesting interpretation of the email. I definitely need more clarity on this.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz - thank you for your patience and kindness! I'll have more information on Monday as the agents do not work on weekends. I'll update this post when I know more.

I would assume that the owner pays a service charge, which your rent covers, and that includes your water bill.

When I rented owner paid the service charge.

@MyFlagMeansIceCream and @Badbudgeter that's reassuring and thank you for taking time to reply.
I'm waiting for information from the estate agents. It may take a few days.