Sold a buy-to-let flat in October, completion went through cleanly. I have now received a letter from the water company chasing an unpaid bill of roughly £340 from the last quarter of the tenancy. The tenant left at the end of September and I have no forwarding address.
Is it worth pursuing this or do I just write it off? The deposit was returned in full before I knew about the outstanding bill.
Had almost the identical thing when I sold my flat earlier this year, except it was the electricity rather than water and the amount was closer to £200. I rang the supplier, explained I was the landlord and the property had been sold, and they asked for the tenancy agreement dates and the tenant’s name. Within about three weeks they wrote to confirm the debt had been reassigned to the tenant’s account and it was no longer my problem. Whether they ever actually collected it I have no idea, but that was the end of it from my perspective. The water company should do the same if you can give them the tenant’s full name and the dates of the tenancy, because the account liability sits with the person who was consuming the water, not the property owner. Worth a phone call before you write it off.