Gobsmacked at SWW bill

allotmentprincess

My first post - so be kind to me

I've just moved to Exeter in Devon to study. I rent a small one-bed flat (2nd floor) with a shower, no bath and no washing machine. The landlord told me on the day I moved in that the water bills were around £60 a month but because a meter couldn't be fitted (the flats are converted and he refuses to redo the pipework to accommodate a meter for my flat) I'd have to apply for an assessed charge. I've just received my first bill, for the 199 days until end of March 2010: £410, so around £750 for the year. The average SWW unmetered bill for 09/10 (according to their website) is £697. So why, in my tiny little flat, am I paying even more?

I am speechless with rage. All I can do is apply for an assessed charge, which should bring the bill down a bit. I feel utterly powerless, and suffice to say I probably would not have taken the flat on if I had known that I could be paying this much extra. My gas and electricity bills combined are less than this!

I see from local news reports that I am not alone in my anger at these high charges, and that there is some debate going on in parliament. But any debate in parliament will take a long time to pass into legislation (if it ever does) and meanwhile we will continue to pay these outrageous amounts.

I will be taking this up with my local MP once I've got the assessed charge information through. There I was thinking it was just the local house prices that meant local folks couldn't afford to live here any more, but I should think the water bills have a part to play in people's decision to move out of the region too!

Rant over. I would be interested to hear from other SWW customers who are in the same situation but who have managed to appeal or reduce their bills.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

The problem of the very high charges in the South West have been discussed often on MSE - the charges are over double of some other areas.

That said £750 is still extremely high for a small 1 bed flat.

If the flat is in a converted house, I would be very suspicious as it is quite common(particularly in flats that have not had formal planning permission) that you are paying based on the Rateable value for the original house. i.e. you are paying the water charges for the whole house.

Check with other occupants of the building - if the landlord or relatives live in the building, I would be twice as suspicious!!!

allotmentprincess

Thanks for your reply

I was told by SWW that an assessor had come round in January 2008 to reassess the flat as it can't have a meter, but I think I will insist on having a new assessment done. I'll be speaking to my neighbours later today to find out what they are paying and whether they have meters. The landlord doesn't live in the building but he is definitely reluctant (to put it mildly) to do any work to allow a meter to be put in, mainly because of the disruption to the other two flats. The bill is based on a rateable charge of £150 (which is what SWW give as the rate for a one-bed flat), but presumably one with a bath, washing machine etc.

Anyway, we'll see what SWW say when they send the assessed charge details over. They'd better be prepared for a fight! It makes me wonder how anyone on a low income can afford to live in the area.

Cardew

The Rateable Value(RV) of your flat would have been awarded as long ago as 1973 and certainly before 1990 when the RV system was discontinued. The RV was the basis of 'local taxes' and was superceeded by the Poll tax and then Council Tax. Incidentally the RV was based on the notional rental value of the property.

So if your building was converted to flats after 1990 it would not have had a RV and looks dodgy!

The RV was assessed and awarded by the council and given to SWW. So SWW would simply have no option but to use that RV

allotmentprincess

From the look of the conversion, it was done a long time before 1990!

I was thinking about this some more last night. I'm sure this point has been raised before but if the same billing principles were applied to our gas or electricity supplies, there would be an outcry. There's nothing fair or just about how we are billed for our water, it's basically like it or lump it.

Cardew

allotmentprincess wrote: »

From the look of the conversion, it was done a long time before 1990!

I was thinking about this some more last night. I'm sure this point has been raised before but if the same billing principles were applied to our gas or electricity supplies, there would be an outcry. There's nothing fair or just about how we are billed for our water, it's basically like it or lump it.

Agreed.

All properties should be metered(or have an assessed charge) so you pay for what you use.

The unfairness for the South West came about when Maggie privatised the Water industry.

The South West had a large area, and a neglected Victorian infrastructure. With relatively few customers and industry(compared to other areas) their charges are well over double that of other areas.

For instance in the Severn Trent area(by no means the cheapest) a flat with an RV of £150 could pay less than £250p.a.

allotmentprincess

In south London (Vauxhall) I was paying about £180/year, unmetered, for a two-bed flat. Granted I was paying a hell of a lot more for the flat but at least the water bill wasn't causing me sleepless nights.

I've got the meter installation request through from SWW now and have sent it back, so we'll see what happens now.

tori.k

SWW are a law unto themselves my old 2 bed flat cost £50 more than my mums 4 bed house that was in the next street (both unmetered) https://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/.../SWW...profits.../article.html

this is why your bill is so high....i've also sat with a woman in tears after she asked them to cut her water off because as a single working mum of two (min wage) she got behind and couldnt afford to pay it, they told her they are not allowed to cut her off and to help her out took her to court and charged her an extra £250....that says it all

Kavanne

Southern Water tried to bill me based on 4 people living in 4 bed house when in fact the house is 2 flats now which I kindly pointed out to them and finally got them to go to £40 a month to £26.