Severn Trent Water - BAND D in Stafford - How much?

BigWoz

Hi all
Wonder if anyone can advise me on my water rates at all?
Not on a meter - yet! Paying water rates (obviously based on rateable value - RV) to Severn Trent Water, and paying £70 a month.
Having had a quick chat at work, this does seem quite expensive - anyone have any figures for me to compare against? Pref in Stafford or local?
And how can I find out what my RV is
Any help appreciated

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

Bands on Council Tax are nothing whatsoever to do with Rateable Value(RV). In theory a Band H mansion could havea lower RV than a Band A property.

Your RV is on your Water bill - or ask Severn Trent.

For RV bills there are 8 charging zones in the Severn Trent area, all with different prices for both water and sewerage. Also there is the possibility of you paying for surface water drainage which depends on the type of property.

ST tend to get you to pay in 10 or 11 monthly installments. so £700 to £770 a year. I suspect your RV will be between £350 and £400.

If you have average water consumption, you would be cheaper on a meter with 5 to 6 people in the house(as long as you don't constantly water the garden.)

Gothicfairy

Actually for RV bills STW break the payments up into 8 installments, you only get longer if you are on a special plan.
Metered accounts are over 11 installments

So you are paying around £560 per year

BigWoz

@ Cardew
Thanks for that (and yes as you can tell I am a newbie to the Forums (although I've been redaing them for ages) - I was under the impression the RV related to the Council Tax banding (whilst i realise it's from the 88 or 89 year value).
Not sure how a bigger mansion could have a lower RV than the band a property? How can this be right?

@Gothicfairy
U r right - we pay over 8 months, so its about £560. But I still feel this is way too much.

I realise there are zones within ST that are charged differently, but it still feels too high?
But where can I find the correct RV to compare to what is on my ST bill?
Any ideas at all?
Have been looking at getting a meter - we only have 4 in the house and use a normal amount of water

Cardew

BigWoz wrote: »

@ Cardew
Thanks for that (and yes as you can tell I am a newbie to the Forums (although I've been redaing them for ages) - I was under the impression the RV related to the Council Tax banding (whilst i realise it's from the 88 or 89 year value).
Not sure how a bigger mansion could have a lower RV than the band a property? How can this be right?

@Gothicfairy
U r right - we pay over 8 months, so its about £560. But I still feel this is way too much.

I realise there are zones within ST that are charged differently, but it still feels too high?
But where can I find the correct RV to compare to what is on my ST bill?
Any ideas at all?
Have been looking at getting a meter - we only have 4 in the house and use a normal amount of water

The RV was was assessed on the notional rent that a property could command and the last general rating assessment was carried out in 1963.

It is really important to note that it was based on Rent and not value.

The criteria used was heavily dependant on modern facilities(in 1963!) - Central heating, garage, modern bathroom/kitchen, on a bus route, school catchment area etc etc..

Whilst I used the Band H mansion v Band A property as an extreme example, I have actually seen this situation.

For instance a huge mansion with large grounds that was almost derilict, would not have any tenant wanting to rent as they would have huge outgoings for upkeep etc. I know a couple of these mansions that have an RV of around £50.

Of course since 1963 they have been modernised and are now worth over £million.

On the other hand a small property in 1963 is now in an area that has become rundown and undesirable. I think we are all aware of some inner-city properties that can't be given away.

Whilst that is an extreme example, there are loads of cases where 2 identical size houses in the same street had different a RV as, say, one had a garage and was modernised.

Since 1963 the house with the lower RV has been improved/extended and is now worth more than the house with a higher RV and thus in a higher Band.

There is no official record of the RV of the property kept anywhere other than the water company, and no mechanism for changing the RV.

With 4 people in ST area you should pay under £560 if you have average use(approx 240 cubic metres).

Gothicfairy

Your local council should have a list of all the RV's as they used it as a base of charge for the water bills when you paid the council for that service.

The last revue for RV's was finished in the beginning of 1990 so after that date they became fixed and there was and is no option of changing it.

If you go to the STW web site you can fill in a calculator which will show you how much your water bill should be with a meter ( or call them) go through that and then see which works.
You get a year (or 2 bills) with STW to revert back so there is nothing stopping you from trying it.

Cardew

Gothicfairy wrote: »

Your local council should have a list of all the RV's as they used it as a base of charge for the water bills when you paid the council for that service.

The last revue for RV's was finished in the beginning of 1990 so after that date they became fixed and there was and is no option of changing it.

On MSE several people have reported that they tried their local council and they did not retain the RV listings - I hesitate to call it a 'database' as I doubt that many councils computerised their records at that time.

I am not saying all councils will have disposed of the RV records, but I suspect the majority will have done so.

If the OP really wants to check up on the Water Company, he might be able to trace the RV by contacting the solicitor who dealt with buying his property - the RV might be in the Q & A that vendors had to fill out before sale and with the old deeds.

Or ask neighbours in similar houses.

BigWoz

OK, once again, thanks for your advice.

Will give these things a thought, and see if I can get any further guidance from my council at all.

Will also try my immediate neighbours.

Once again, thanks for your help

Swipe

£700 a year sounds right as it was about that for my 3 bed bungalow (rural village not too far from Stafford). I cut that by a third by going to a meter.

lincroft1710

The RV was was assessed on the notional rent that a property could command and the last general rating assessment was carried out in 1963

NO! The RV used for water bills dates from 1 Apr 1973 and if changes happened to a property after this date the RV was altered. With effect from 1 Apr 1990 the rating system was scrapped for domestic properties so whatever the RV was on the 31 Mar 1990 is the RV on which bill calculated.

I'm ex Valuation Office Agency and some VOAs may still have the 1973 Valuation Lists which contain the RVs. They did charge for providing this info though.

Cardew

lincroft1710 wrote: »

The RV was was assessed on the notional rent that a property could command and the last general rating assessment was carried out in 1963

NO! The RV used for water bills dates from 1 Apr 1973 and if changes happened to a property after this date the RV was altered. With effect from 1 Apr 1990 the rating system was scrapped for domestic properties so whatever the RV was on the 31 Mar 1990 is the RV on which bill calculated.

You are correct - the 1963 was a typo; I have put 1973 in other threads.

In fact 1973 was the last general re-valuation exercise in England I believe. Obviously houses built between 1973 and 1990 were allocated a RV; alsoas you say if the property was improved(and it was discovered!!) the RV could be raised.

Some people also appealed against their RV prior to 1990 and got it reduced.

In theory if you are charged on the RV system and you carry out improvements/extensions etc you should report it to the Water company and get a meter fitted!!!!!!