Responding to a consultation on tackling bad debt in the industry, Water UK said a voluntary option would not close a significant information gap.
It said regulation on landlords was “the only credible option” to deal with the “unacceptable” current situation where written-off debt adds £15 to the average customer bill.
Policy adviser Rob Wesley said: “We are not going to let go on this one. We are going to keep on coming back again and again and again until we see change.
“There has been so much talk over so many years and still the burden on customers gets larger and larger.”
The government has proposed measures to encourage landlords to submit information voluntarily as an alternative to regulation. This is in line with its commitment to minimise the regulatory burden on micro-businesses.
However, Wesley said the burden on landlords would be minimal and justified by the benefits to paying water customers.
The Consumer Council for Water also supported implementing the regulations in full and said there would be no incentive on landlords to provide information voluntarily.
Water UK is setting up a web portal for landlords to enter the name, date of birth and move-in date of each tenant. The occupant of a property is liable for the bill, but if the water company does not have a name, it cannot pursue payment.
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