About the client 

Kingsway Court Freeholders Ltd is the freehold management company for Kingsway Court, a large mixed-use residential development in Hove, comprising 109 flats, alongside on-site commercial facilities, including a bar and gym. 

Faced challenges 

The client’s Managing Agents had failed to deal with Southern Water for them and The freeholders turned to CES. 

Kingsway Court Freeholders Ltd received invoices totaling £207,584.66 due to substantial back-billing dating back to 2021. 

This created a significant risk: 

• Large charges with limited clarity 

• No reliable method to verify actual water consumption 

• Uncertainty around the accuracy of historic usage 

• Difficulty allocating costs correctly to tenants 

• Potential legacy leakage issues not addressed. 

Without verified consumption data or clarity over the meter configuration, the freeholders faced ongoing financial exposure and required specialist support to challenge the charges. 

The CES solution 

CES validated all invoices, both historic and current, along with account statements, and managed the investigation from validation through to dispute resolution. 

Our structured approach included: 

Comprehensive invoice validation 
Full review of historic and current invoices, account statements, and billing timelines to identify inconsistencies. 

Meter & consumption analysis 
Detailed analysis of photographic readings and consumption data to detect anomalies. 

Meter configuration verification 
It was revealed that the property had only two active water meters, not four, raising serious concerns about current and historical billing. 

Leak & usage investigation 
Coordination of a water leak test with the site maintenance team/freeholders and review of previous leakage events to assess the impact on charges. 

Verification of property setup 
Arrangement of a further site visit to confirm the number of active meters, obtain up to date readings, check for any water leaks or anomalies that may explain indifferent usage.  

Dispute management 
Direct engagement with the water companies’ dispute resolution team to challenge historic billing errors, negotiate fair settlements of the accounts and future payment plans. 

The outcome 

CES was engaged to challenge a balance of £207,584.66. 

After dispute resolution, these results included: 

• Transfer of credits from dormant accounts 

• Resolution of a 4/5-digit reading issue on the West Side meter 

• A further Site Visit to investigate property setup and metering 

• Expert advice/tools to eliminate further back-billing exposure 

• Removal of all historic charges for all meters 

• Reset of accounts 

Due to the time taken to resolve the dispute, additional routine billing charges of £42,470.30 accrued on the account between May 2025 and January 2026. 

As a result of our successful negotiations, we secured a full write-off across all accounts totaling £250,054.96. This included the original disputed balance of £207,584.66 as well as additional charges of £42,470.30 that accrued during the dispute process. 

Beyond immediate financial recovery, CES also developed a bespoke water usage calculator to support ongoing cost forecasting and sourced quotations for data loggers to improve future consumption monitoring along with increasing frequency of readings for more accurate billing. 

Testimonial

“CES supported us through a complex water billing issue and managed the entire dispute process on our behalf. Their investigation identified errors in the account structure and historic charges, ultimately securing a full write-off. Their guidance gave us clarity that the accounts were finally correct.”

Shula Rich