Way too high unmetred water bills?

mark_dumpleton

Hi,
Just moved into a new house, rented student house so getting a meter fitted is out of the question really.

Setup our water with Anglian Water, the house is a 3 bed semi detached in Norwich, near the university and just out of the city centre.

Got the direct debit form through, and we're being charged £51 per month until February. Now, is it just me or is £51 FAR too much? That's over £600 a year for water and sewage. I presume that we will be charged the same amount next year, because I don't see how they could charge you for a whole year's water if you've not been there for 6 months.


Anyway, any help would be massively appreciated.
Thanks
Mark D

zzzLazyDaisy

You don't have a water meter, so your bill is calculated on your property's rateable value (in simple terms, if your house was sold on the open market, it would fetch more than a grotty terrace in a run down area in the suburbs - and on that basis your water bill will be much higher than theirs).

As an example, my cousin's water bill for a 4 bed semi in a leafy area of surrey was £75 a month. My friend's water bill for a 2 bed terrace in a not-so-nice area of Stoke-on-Trent is £75 a year.

EDIT - it is worth checking if this is a 10 month year or a 12 month year.

mark_dumpleton

Well how would I go about finding the RV of this property?
Well it's not in a big posh area, it's on a road where most houses are terraced. Also, this is Norfolk and more specifically Norwich - prices aren't going to be anywhere as near as high as in Surrey, surely?

withabix

There's nothing you can do about a Rateable Value water bill. (apart from get a meter fitted)

Norwich City Council will be able to confirm the Rateable Value.

The multiplier from Anglian Water is fixed (£water bill per £Rateable Value)

If the RV is correct on your bill, then your water bill will be correct.

zzzLazyDaisy

mark_dumpleton wrote: »

Well it's not in a big posh area, it's on a road where most houses are terraced. Also, this is Norfolk and more specifically Norwich - prices aren't going to be anywhere as near as high as in Surrey, surely?

No, but your bill is also nowhere near as high either!

withabix

Also, to add that Rateable Value on domestic properties has not been open to apeal since 1990.

mark_dumpleton

withabix wrote: »

Also, to add that Rateable Value on domestic properties has not been open to apeal since 1990.

Lol, brilliant! =P

zzzLazyDaisy

Just to put this in perspective, you might feel better about this if you compare your bill to what might have been the case with a water meter.

I live on my own and have a water meter. My bill is £35 a month.

A couple, living together, sharing the cooking, dishwashing, use of the washing machine etc, would probably have a similar bill, because apart from baths and toilet flushing, most of the water usage is shared (baths too, sometimes ).

But four students, living separate lives, coming and going independently, are likely to use far more water each - and especially so when you factor in mates staying over and using the facilities.

So with four independent adults in the house you could very easily end up worse off than the £14 a month each that you are currently paying. Also, imagine the arguments about who is the most wasteful with water when it came to splitting the bill!!

Cardew

Just a point of clarification.

The RV does not correspond to the value of your property - it didn't prior to 1990 and it doesn't now.

The RV was based on the notional rental value of your property at a date in the period between 1973 and 1989 when it was last valued.

That rental value, and hence RV, depended on many factors. Location, modernised or not, garage, CH etc etc at the time when it was last valued

In extreme cases a mansion in acres of land and worth £millions could have a lower RV than an estate semi. When last valued in 1973 the mansion could have have been completely unmodernised(no CH etc etc) and with the high running costs and upkeep would not have commanded a high rent.

butler_helen

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

You don't have a water meter, so your bill is calculated on your property's rateable value (in simple terms, if your house was sold on the open market, it would fetch more than a grotty terrace in a run down area in the suburbs - and on that basis your water bill will be much higher than theirs).

As an example, my cousin's water bill for a 4 bed semi in a leafy area of surrey was £75 a month. My friend's water bill for a 2 bed terrace in a not-so-nice area of Stoke-on-Trent is £75 a year.

EDIT - it is worth checking if this is a 10 month year or a 12 month year.

I moved from a flat to a house a couple of streets away and my water bills halved (RV's at both).

My parents pay less than I do for a bigger house in the centre of Oxford- it's all very random!

Swipe

If it were just you in the property I'd agree but £14 a month each isn't that big of a deal is it? Even if you did get it changed you'd probably only save a couple of quid a month each.