Water Bills questions and comment

angel13

i have MANY water issues. we are in the part of the country where we pay one supplier of water and another company for sewerage this means they use readings provided by the supplier.

I lived in this house for 2 years then vacated for 6 months and then moved back in - this has cuased numerous billing problems for everyone it seems :mad:

anyhow I have spent numerous hours trying to sort out all the companies. the water supplier is STILL insisting I pay £36 for when I did not live in this house. The last letter made me feel like a liar as they are insisting I pay it and to then get reimbursement from landlord - as if I would put myself in that situation :eek: . They are now threatening to pass £36 to a debt collector which means in other words I have to pay them. What else can i do to get the bill passed onto the letting agency/landlord for when I did not live here? (I have also threatened them with ombudsmen and watchdog but did not work either)

Also means sewerage bill is stuffed as they go by data from supplier so they dont even recognising me as not being here either.

My other query is they state that they have taken readings - i.e 1 or 2 a year. But we have NEVER seen anyone - I had a period of illness so was in all the time and I am now in the house most days as well. We cannot find the water meter ourselves - we can see all the neighbours in the street by the pavement etc etc but ours is just not on our land anywhere where we can find it. So we do not understand how they are taking readings as we cannot even tell them where to find the meter, plus we would like to double check figures actually tally. any ideas anyone?

angel13

btw on average the annual water bill seems to be approx £800 (for both companies) which is ridiculous hence the reason i need to work out exactly how they are getting a reading which they then pass on to sewerage company. i used to be in south west with the dearest water company in the country and paid a fraction of this...

we are family of 3, 1 dog - i economise with the water, do quick washes on washing machine and mostly showers. so no idea how this can be correct?

tori.k

ive started a thread on this but does anyone actually have to pay? water is now a private company ,i dont know anyone who has signed a contract stating that water will be supplyed x waterboard and be paid for by x customer, so do they actually have the right to take people to court for monies owed?
have googled it but not come up with any answers...

Cardew

tori.k wrote: »

ive started a thread on this but does anyone actually have to pay? water is now a private company ,i dont know anyone who has signed a contract stating that water will be supplyed x waterboard and be paid for by x customer, so do they actually have the right to take people to court for monies owed?
have googled it but not come up with any answers...

These days you don't sign a contract for gas or electricity either.

If you have a few hours to spare read the Water Privatisation Act 1991.

Like gas and electricity under The Gas and Electricity Acts, if you use water you have entered a legally binding 'deemed contract' and have to pay the charges.

It is of course your absolute right to inform the company that you will not be using their water supply or sewerage facilities before you occupy the house!

If the Government did not have this provision of 'deemed contracts' in Parliamentary Acts, then the gas, electricity and water would be cut off when the old occupant left.

The new occupant would have to sign a contract for those services, and no doubt pay to be re-connected after a few days or weeks - provided your credit rating was good enough, otherwise you would have to pay a deposit..

Mmmmm I think the present system has advantages!

TLondon

Hi all

I'm not sure how to go about my situation, I had a water meter fitted a year ago, when the guy came to fit it he had to put two water meters in because of the way the pipes are set up, since then I have only been charged for the cold water and not the hot water!
Should I contact the water company and explain this to them and then end up having to pay a years worth of water in one go? Or keep quiet as they may not have logged the 2nd water meter into there records, The water bills I get only have the water meter number for the cold water on the bill and not the hot water?

Please advise

deanos

You dont get charged for hot water, all water entering your property is cold

TLondon

Thanks - the second water meter is fitted where the hot water comes from the boiler, as he was not able to use just one water meter and had to use two!

I have not been charged for the 2nd water meter yet, should I let them know? What If they havnt subbmitted the water meter number and it is not on there records

AnnaRogers

Hi guys

I am new to this country and foolish me last year I`ve paid almost £900 for unmetered 1 bedroom apartment. All my friends and colleagues told me that their average bills are around £200-£300 a year for the same property. I`ve called Thames Water and they assured me that I have been paying correct amount and only for my place, not for the rest of the flats in the house. I would appreciate if you`ll advise any independent body who can help me on this matter, because Thames Water does not want to cooperate. Thanks

Anna

Cardew

AnnaRogers wrote: »

Hi guys

I am new to this country and foolish me last year I`ve paid almost £900 for unmetered 1 bedroom apartment. All my friends and colleagues told me that their average bills are around £200-£300 a year for the same property. I`ve called Thames Water and they assured me that I have been paying correct amount and only for my place, not for the rest of the flats in the house. I would appreciate if you`ll advise any independent body who can help me on this matter, because Thames Water does not want to cooperate. Thanks

Anna

Welcome to the forum

You need to apply for a meter.

If for any reason Thames cannot fit a meter, then you will get an assessed charge - which will be £200 -£300.

If you live on your own you will get it for even less as you will get the single person charge.

If you have any trouble - and you shouldn't - contact the Consumer Council for Water http://www.ccwater.org.uk/

Where is your flat - in a fashionable part of London - Mayfair etc?

What is the Rateable Value(RV)? can be found on your bill.

If it is a conversion of a house to a flats(especially if it is an unofficial conversion) you can(wrongly) retain the RV of the original house.

If you rent - still apply for a meter without telling your landlord

AnnaRogers

HI, thank you for your answer.
The problem is that I`ve moved away from that flat in March 09. I just compared my recent water bills and my previous ones and was really shocked. Also I`ve asked my friends, their bills are 3 or 4 times less than mine. I was not aware of assessed charge scheme and thames water never advised. Any way, I know it is completely my fault, but in current economy it would be very helpfuyl to get at least something back. My apartment was in a fashionable part of Cricklewood... hehe, by the way, not in Mayfair:))) and I was very sensible with water usage and the plumber checked all the leaks. My RV was 829... I think. Yes it was a convertable flat and considering my landlord much probably unofficial.