16/10/2009 - Landlords in unpaid water bill call
The Government has been urged not to pass £500 million of water bills left unpaid by tenants on to landlords.
The British Property Federation (BPF) and the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) have joined forces to oppose such a move.
Private tenants are failing to pay around £500 million of water bills each year. It can be difficult for companies to collect outstanding payments as they are prohibited from cutting people off or limiting their water supply.
As a result water firms are calling on the Government to consider legislation that would allow them to pass the bills on to landlords in situations where tenants could not be identified.
However, the BPF and RLA said other measures could be introduced in order to improve the problem. They said water companies should work with landlords to identify when tenancies started and finished instead of repeatedly issuing bills to the occupier.
Director of policy at BPF, Ian Fletcher, said: "If the Government decides to pursue the passing on of a private debt to an innocent third party we will fight it tooth and nail because it is wholly inequitable."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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