Tenants to be responsible for water bills, landlord group says

Landlords will not take responsibility for paying utility bills for tenants who leave a property without paying the final bills, an industry body has said.

Comments from Landlord Assist follow the government's review of water charges, which suggested that residential landlords may have to pay any outstanding debts.

The inability of utility firms to limit the water supply following lack of payment makes them particularly susceptible to incurring bad debt, the report claimed.

However, Graham Kinnear, managing director of Landlord Assist, told Landlord Expert that if the proposals are carried out, then rents will increase.

"We have spoken extensively over the last 12 months about the need to control the hidden costs incurred by landlords in order to encourage further landlords to enter the market place. The suggestion that the landlord could be responsible for the tenants' water bills is absurd and will do nothing to enhance the position of the private rented sector."

The government's review showed that £11 of a household bill is used to pay the debts of others.

Get a cheap landlord insurance quote today from Simple Landlords.