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Vulnerable renters ‘hounded’ by utility companies to pay off landlord debts

Thames Water has apologised for chasing a tenant who was recently homeless for his landlord’s bills

By Ruby Lott-Lavigna
Vulnerable renters ‘hounded’ by utility companies to pay off landlord debts
An energy bill. | Photo by Daniel Harvey Gonzalez/In Pictures via Getty Images
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Vulnerable renters are being “hounded” by utility companies to pay off huge debts despite having ‘bills included’ contracts with their landlord.

openDemocracy has spoken to a tenant who was chased by Thames Water for a £1,000 water bill while struggling with homelessness, and another who was visited by a third-party debt collector after her landlord did not pay her bills with EDF Energy.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0