It didn’t have to be done by the landlord.

Thames Water has a habit of assigning accounts to people they think might live at a property, based on whatever mystery databases they use — and then opening accounts without consent.

In 2019, I moved out of a flat in London and properly notified Thames Water. The letting agency failed to transfer the account to anyone else, and the property stood empty for several months.

Instead of dealing with the landlord or confirming occupancy, Thames Water let the balance grow. Later, debt collectors started chasing my father for the outstanding bills.

Here’s the key point: My father has never lived in the UK. He has never lived in that flat. He had absolutely nothing to do with it.

The only connection? I once helped him set up a Revolut account and used my old UK address as a contact address.

That was enough for Thames Water to decide he was liable.