Moriarty Law / JC International Acquisition LLC / Thames Water (utility bill)

[AllStar67]

Received a claim? Yes
Issue Date: 13/03/2026
Have you Acknowledged the Claim?: Yes, forms received in post 21/03/2026, acknowledged 25/03/2026
Total Amount Claimed : ( approximately please do NOT use EXACT figure given on the claim form, round up to next £100 or £1000) - £900
Claimant’s Name: JC International Acquisition LLC
Solicitors Firm: Moriarty Law
Original Creditor: Thames Water
Original Debt (eg. Credit card/Loan/Overdraft) : Utilities (water)
Particulars of Claim: ( Please type out in full excluding names/account numbers/exact amounts ): THE DEFENDANT OWES THE CLAIMANT £XXX.XX FOR THE PROVISION OF WASTE AND/OR WATER SERVICES SUPPLIED TO THE DEFENDANT BY THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED (DEBT) AND WHICH DEBT WAS ASSIGNED TO THE CLAIMANT ON 12/01/2024 AND WRITTEN NOTICE OF WHICH WAS GIVEN TO THE DEFENDANT ON 12/01/2024. DESPITE FORMAL DEMAND FOR PAYMENT OF THE DEBT THE DEFENDANT HAS FAILED TO PAY AND THE CLAIMANT CLAIMS £XXX.XX AND THE CLAIMANT ALSO CLAIMS INTEREST THEREON PURSUANT TO SECTION 69 OF THE COUNTY COURT ACT 1984 LIMITED TO ONE YEAR OF THE DATE HEREOF AT THE RATE OF 8.00% PER ANNUM AMOUNTING TO £XX.XX.
Is the debt Statute Barred (have you had any contact with the creditor or claimant over the last 6 years?): Yes - see below
List any letters you have sent (eg: CCA/ CPR ): None

Any Other Information or Background Details:

I recently received court claim forms for the above, have looked through guidance and other posts and am a little uncertain on how to proceed. Admittedly, I don’t think I’ve put myself in the best position having received a pre-action letter from Moriarty at the very end of January outlining JC International’s intent to recover the balance, which I took note of at the time and forgot to reply to (in order to obtain more information etc).

With the CPR 31.14 request letter, what documents can I ask to be provided? Unless I’ve misunderstood, can I only ask for the documents explicitly mentioned in the particulars of the claim that they intend to rely on? My read is that it would be limited to the notice of assignment dated 12/01/2024 which I haven’t received.

The reason I ask is that the pre-action letter gave detail of the originating Thames Water account as having been opened on 02/10/2019. It doesn’t detail an address that services were supplied to; however, I was resident at an address from c. October 2017 to December 2019. Notably when I was resident at that address I did make payments to my water bill, so I’m not sure why an account would have been opened after having lived there for two years? I have not had any contact with Thames Water or JC International in that time, nor can I envisage a situation in which I would have been liable for water bills after that date. In other words, I believe the debt to be statute barred.

Presumably I would need to send a SAR to Thames Water to establish the history and/or address of the account in question? Can I also take the reference of ‘provision of water and/or waste water services supplied to the defendant by Thames Water’ as an implied intention to rely upon that agreement (or similar) and request copies of this under a CPR 31.14?

In terms of a deadline – have I understood it right that at the very latest I must provide a defence by 15/04/2026 (being 33 days after 13/03/2026)?

Thanks in advance

[echat11]

Hi Allstar67

Welcome to LB

Welcome to LB

a) First Acknowledge service of the Claim, you can do this online via MCOL, this will give you 28 days (plus 5 days postal) in total to work on your defence - you've done this.

https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...ledge-a-claim/

b) Send a SAR request to Thames Water, they have 30 days to provide all the data they hold on the account. Make sure you get Proof of Postage.

https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...ccess-request/


c) Send a CPR 31.14 request to Moriarty Law, they have 7 days to provide all the documents they are relying on to make the claim against you, again get Proof of Postage.

The agreement with Thames Water isn't covered by the Consumer Credit Act 1974, remove any reference to that. But there will be a service agreement with Terms and Conditions.

https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...-of-documents/

d) This is an example Defence, start looking at it, don't fill or file it with the Court or their solicitors yet.

https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...-court-claims/

Update the thread as you get information through.

Don't speak to creditors, solicitors etc over the phone, everything in writing. Keep on top of this, especially dates for filing defence etc. Workout when your Defence is due, 28 days (plus 5 days postal) from the date on the claim form. If you can post on the thread 7 days before it's due we can help with your Defence.

1) With the CPR 31.14 request letter, what documents can I ask to be provided? Unless I’ve misunderstood, can I only ask for the documents explicitly mentioned in the particulars of the claim that they intend to rely on? My read is that it would be limited to the notice of assignment dated 12/01/2024 which I haven’t received.

Yes, Notice of Assignment, there would be Terms and Conditions.

2) The reason I ask is that the pre-action letter gave detail of the originating Thames Water account as having been opened on 02/10/2019. It doesn’t detail an address that services were supplied to; however, I was resident at an address from c. October 2017 to December 2019. Notably when I was resident at that address I did make payments to my water bill, so I’m not sure why an account would have been opened after having lived there for two years? I have not had any contact with Thames Water or JC International in that time, nor can I envisage a situation in which I would have been liable for water bills after that date. In other words, I believe the debt to be statute barred.

The debt maybe statute barred. The important date is when they 'defaulted' the account. The SAR should provide more information. You can also check your Credit File, what does that state? It is odd that the account was opened after you left. It might just be 'Thames Water' being creative.

3) Presumably I would need to send a SAR to Thames Water to establish the history and/or address of the account in question? Can I also take the reference of ‘provision of water and/or waste water services supplied to the defendant by Thames Water’ as an implied intention to rely upon that agreement (or similar) and request copies of this under a CPR 31.14?

Yes, see what they send back. They'll probably state it's a 'simple contract', as such an agreement isn't needed.

4) In terms of a deadline – have I understood it right that at the very latest I must provide a defence by 15/04/2026 (being 33 days after 13/03/2026)?

That's correct, but try to get your Defence in by the 10th April.

[AllStar67]

Hi Echatt11

Thank you for replying so quickly (especially in the evening!)

1) In terms of the Notice of Assignment, are you suggesting that would have enclosed the original Terms and Conditions of any agreement with Thames Water? e.g. when account was opened, what address it related to? Or would this be Terms and Conditions imposed by the new creditor (claimant) JC International Acquisition upon purchasing the debt from Thames Water?

2) I might not have been clear on my original post, but based on the pre-action letter it would appear that Thames Water opened the account some 2-3 months before I moved out of that property?

I have taken a look at my credit report just now and it is not clear whether the account has been recorded as a default (or when). My summary states there has been a default recorded, but the Thames Water balance shows as £0 and that it has been subsequently closed - it doesn't say when this account was closed or if it was marked as a default. I'm at a bit of a loss with it because the payment history shows they had recorded missed payments from 2020 to beginning of 2023. The credit file has this account listed as being opened on 16/10/2017, which would have been where I moved in, so at a loss to understand where the date of 02/10/2019 came from (quoted in the pre-action letter).

3) Is that yes to sending a SAR to Thames Water, or yes to requesting the original agreement from the solicitors, or both?

3b) If I send a SAR to Thames Water, should I specify the address I am after records on? Or should I leave the SAR open-ended?

3c) If the solicitors state that it is a 'simple contract' and no agreement is needed, then does the claimant have any legal provision to add interest on top of the amount claimed? It's been a long while since I've dealt with Thames Water but I don't recall them having the means to add interest to unpaid bills.

4) Noted, thank you for confirming. I'll get to work immediately on the SAR and CPR 31.14 so I have as much time as possible to file the defence.

Thanks once again

EDIT: Have removed a part of this post as I'd got mixed up on addresses.

[echat11]

1) In terms of the Notice of Assignment, are you suggesting that would have enclosed the original Terms and Conditions of any agreement with Thames Water? e.g. when account was opened, what address it related to?

When Thames Water were supplying the address, there would have been Terms and Conditions that applied to the utility account.

The Notice of Assignment should have been sent when Thames Water sold the debt to JC International Acquisition LLC (it won't include Terms and Conditions).

You don't actually open an account with a water utility company as such, what they are doing is supplying the property. Residents just take over the account when they move in.

Or would this be Terms and Conditions imposed by the new creditor (claimant) JC International Acquisition upon purchasing the debt from Thames Water?

No.

2) I might not have been clear on my original post, but based on the pre-action letter it would appear that Thames Water opened the account some 2-3 months before I moved out of that property?

My error, I read it correctly, but summarised it incorrectly.

You had been paying before Thames Water opened the account.

I have taken a look at my credit report just now and it is not clear whether the account has been recorded as a default (or when). My summary states there has been a default recorded, but the Thames Water balance shows as £0 and that it has been subsequently closed - it doesn't say when this account was closed or if it was marked as a default. I'm at a bit of a loss with it because the payment history shows they had recorded missed payments from 2020 to beginning of 2023. The credit file has this account listed as being opened on 16/10/2017, which would have been where I moved in, so at a loss to understand where the date of 02/10/2019 came from (quoted in the pre-action letter).

The £0 balance maybe because they sold the debt.

The account opening date and default are a mystery.

This is why the SAR is important. What you need to do is 'knit' the disjointed information together so it provides a clear picture of what has transpired.

3) Is that yes to sending a SAR to Thames Water, or yes to requesting the original agreement from the solicitors, or both?

Send a SAR to Thames Water, send the solicitors a CPR request for Letter of Assignment, agreement, terms and conditions and default notice.
See what they send back.

3b) If I send a SAR to Thames Water, should I specify the address I am after records on? Or should I leave the SAR open-ended?

Yes specify the address.

3c) If the solicitors state that it is a 'simple contract' and no agreement is needed, then does the claimant have any legal provision to add interest on top of the amount claimed? It's been a long while since I've dealt with Thames Water but I don't recall them having the means to add interest to unpaid bills.

Yes via the Court claim.