want a meter but have to cover all costs for social housing home

Hello
This may have been covered elsewhere and if so I am sorry

My sister is a disabled single woman on disability benefits only, living in a 1 bedroom social landlord bungalow.

Her water usage is about £4.00 a week but she has to pay £38 per month to her Landlord who pays the bill enbloc with all other tenants directly to the Water Board (3 Valleys Water)

She asked to have a Water Meter fitted in April and waited the required max. of 13 weeks and heard nothing. She rang them only to be told that they needed to have a letter from her landlord stating that the work would be paid for and all insurance covered etc.

She rang her landlord who asked her to send in a letter asking to have a Water Meter fitted and she did so. She got a letter last weekend from her Landlord saying it was OK for her to have a Water Meter fitted but she must cover all costs herself as an improvement to her home. She cannot do that as she is living hand to mouth as it is and has no savings what so ever.

So she now has to keep struggling to pay the £38.00 per month to her landlord whilst only using £16.00 per month of water at the most and she is sure that she could save more once she knows exactly what she is wasting.

When we are all asked to economise on our water usage this seems madness not to be able to have a meter which would save her a big chunk of her benefit money .

With so many tenants that are on benefits and paying £38.00 per month for water that they may not use, what happens to all the money that is paid to the landlord and is not required to pay the bill at the end of the year, or is it a set amount bill that they pay ie ..1000 tenants at £456 per year (£38 per month) = a set bill of £4560000.00

Does anyone know of a possible way around this?
Thanks for any advice

Comments

  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    If the water bill(account) is in your sisters name, a water meter must be fitted free by the Water company; so I don't understand the telephone conversation saying she must pay. Could she have misunderstood?

    If one cannot be fitted for any reason then she will get an assessed charge based on the average for a single person(or a 1 bed property with some companies)

    How do you know that her water 'usage' is £4 a week. or do you mean her bill based on Rateable Value.
  • whatatwit
    whatatwit Posts: 5,424 Forumite
    Does your sister have a social worker, they may be able to offer advice for her.
    PS..I think there is 1 too many 0's in your total. :D

    Is the whole site on a meter, or is the landlord just given a water rate which he then divides between the number of properties.
    Official DFW Nerd Club - Member no: 203.
  • Thank you both for your responses
    Oops Yes..I have added to many 0's ...please ignore the last one everybody lol

    My sister never receives a water bill, she pays the amount requested with her rent payment (or as she is on benefits weekly at her rent office). we don't know how the amount is calculated by her landlord.

    we calculated the amount using the calculator on the water board site. They have not mentioned anything about an assessed charge being available to her at anytime.
    thank you both
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