Just moved in flat, not sure about the water rates!

milestone_3

I've just moved into a flat a few weeks ago. I'm quite new to it all and just received my bill for water. I'm renting and is on a 6 month contract initially.
I'm being charged £25 a month- Is it me or is that rather high?

I use washing machine 2 times a week.
Shower 3 times a week- rest of time is at work!
No garden as on 2nd floor.
Then your usual wastage and kitchen use.

I phoned them and asked for a water meter to be put in. They said they can do it but it won't get done till about 4 months, and that it may cost more then what I'm paying. I informed them I can't afford to pay this much a month. Thames Water said that until a water meter is put in I will have to pay the fixed rate and if I decide to go with the meter I will be re-imbursed on past payments if water rate is lower then fixed usage- How they do this I'm not sure.

What are my options? Can I refuse to pay them anything until they get a meter put in and then charge me accordingly to my actual usage? I don't like the idea of paying for more then I should.

Thanks.

Magentasue

On what grounds would you refuse? You are living there and liable for water rates. You could have chosen to live in a property with a water meter but have opted for this one - of course, you may not have done that deliberately but it's not the water board's fault that you didn't check.

Cardew

£25 is not high.

Assuming that you live alone(possibly a couple) you should be better off with a meter.
However if it is not cheaper, you can switch back within 12 months to your current non-metered tariff.

They will monitor your consumption after the meter is fitted and use that as a basis to compare to the non-metered tariff(so use water very sparingly initially) and you will pay what is cheapest.

Your options really are to pay what they demand currently and you will get refunded anything you have overpaid.

Or you could ask for the water to be cut off until a meter is fitted.;)

Cazza

Nope, £25 sounds about right. I used to share a 1 bed flat with my ex, we chose to stay on rates because there was no shower, only a bath, so we decided we were probably better off without the meter. The charges when I moved out this summer were £29.21 per month. Don't forget, water rates are done like Council Tax, you only pay for 10 months of the year with February and March off.

Gingernutmeg

£25 a month sounds about right for a flat that's with Thames Water. That's what OH and I were paying two years ago lol!

Also, I don't think that you can get a water meter put in without your landlord's permission, and a lot of landlords don't want them, I know our current one doesn't (well, you could get one put IN, but your landlord might not be pleased when s/he finds out ...). I wouldn't go getting one put in without asking first, as it's not something they put in and then take out if the next tenant doesn't want it, once it's in it stays and it's not a decision you as the tenant can make.

funkyfunkymonkey

Milestone, have a look at the Thames Water website. http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/SID-5DE82BCD-7D4B4EE6/corp/hs.xsl/568.htm

There's lots of information there about water usage and charges. According to their own website it could take up to 3 months from when you apply for a meter, so 4 months is not correct.

Interestingly, if a meter cannot be fitted at your property (and this is quite possible if it is a flat) then you can ask to go on the assessed household charge. If you only have 1 bedroom you might be looking at £199 per annum. So you might be able to get your bills reduced without upsetting your landlord.

FFM

Cardew

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

£25 a month sounds about right for a flat that's with Thames Water. That's what OH and I were paying two years ago lol!

Also, I don't think that you can get a water meter put in without your landlord's permission, and a lot of landlords don't want them, I know our current one doesn't (well, you could get one put IN, but your landlord might not be pleased when s/he finds out ...). I wouldn't go getting one put in without asking first, as it's not something they put in and then take out if the next tenant doesn't want it, once it's in it stays and it's not a decision you as the tenant can make.

Don't forget that the water companies have the right to insist that all new occupants(and that includes tenants) have a meter fitted; so the landlord has no say in the matter.

Some companies enforce this 100% and others don't. It makes little commercial sense for a company to insist on having the expence of fitting a meter only to find that the occupant pays less!!

In any case the landlord probably won't find out about the meter untill the OP leaves.

olly300

Cardew wrote: »

Don't forget that the water companies have the right to insist that all new occupants(and that includes tenants) have a meter fitted; so the landlord has no say in the matter.

Thames Water will only put a compulsory water meter in on the change of legal owner of a property not on a change of tenant. And it's not in the entire Thames Water region.

And it generally takes Thames Water longer than 3 months to do a survey for one. Whatever they state on their website or they state on their phone. This is because they use outside contractors and depending on the location of the contractors they can be used by more than one water company.

As a tenant it's legal for you to have one against your landlord's wishes if your tenancy is for a period of 12 months or more.

Thames Water also don't like refunding customers. I asked them on the telephone last week and the person at a the other end stated this very clearly. (I am currently finding out if this stance is legal.) I also experienced this when nearly 2 years ago I moved to somewhere where I didn't have to pay water rates. Thames Water instead of refunding me, put my name on the account of that person until we both threatened to take complaints further if they didn't sort the mess they created immediately.

funkyfunkymonkey

olly300 wrote: »

And it generally takes Thames Water longer than 3 months to do a survey for one. Whatever they state on their website or they state on their phone. This is because they use outside contractors and depending on the location of the contractors they can be used by more than one water company.

Whatever their 'reasons' may be, they are expected to meet these deadlines: http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/Content/how_do_i_get_a_meter

Ofwat states "Companies are expected to fit meters within 3 months of your application and your measured charges will start from the installation date. Some companies will pay compensation if they fail to meet the 3 month deadline."

Thames will be monitored against this 'Level of Service' and they should be aiming to meet it. Generally the companies are all trying to meet their performance levels as it reflects in their position in the Water Company League Tables.

FFM

Cardew

olly300 wrote: »

Thames Water will only put a compulsory water meter in on the change of legal owner of a property not on a change of tenant. And it's not in the entire Thames Water region.

Thanks.

However that is their current policy, and could of course change.

Incidentally how do they know if the account holder is an owner or a tenant? any ideas why not all Thames Water region?

Gingernutmeg

We've just moved into a place and the landlord (who incidentally used to work for Thames Water) definitely does not want a meter fitting. We've had nothing but hassle from Thames Water and their contractors - they've even threatened to turn the water off - but as a tenant, I will not take responsibility for any alterations to my landlord's property, especially as I know that the landlord doesn't want this alteration to take place. We (and our landlord) have had to point out a number of times that the house hasn't changed owner, it's just got a new tenant in and they cannot insist on fitting a meter. Thankfully they're leaving us alone now but it's a hassle we don't need. This is in Wilts, btw, if that's any help, we've moved around London for the past four years and we've never had this hassle from Thames Water there.