Kelda Water

kimbella

Hi all

This is my first post although I have been receiving the MSE mail for a long time.

If anyone can help I would appreciate it.

I live in an ex MOD property that I rent privately Kelda water who supply us have just put the monthly bill from £25.00 to £48.00 and are also demanding £300 to pay the bill up to including March 2012.

The property is a 2 bed mid terrace with just two of us here and the bill is now £438.00 PA.

I called Kelda water and was told that they were changing the billing year to coincide with the tax year and basically tough.

They also said that the bill is not based on the old water rates but on the average of all the houses in this area be they 2, 3,4,5,and fact 6 bed properties is this allowed as I am subsidising the larger properties.

Another point is that they are refusing to install a water meter as this is the responsibilty of the MOD and they are not doing it.

I dont know what my bill should be but it sounds excessive.

Kind regards

Paul

PS Landlord is OK with meter

Gothicfairy

You have a private supply and unless you pay for a whole new supply you are stuck I am afraid. This is a big problem with MOD sites as they have private water and waste water and don't even like supplying any water company with their proper location for a secondary supply.


I am guessing you have no mains supply at all and there is nothing you can do without that.

kimbella

Thank you Gothicfairey

I assume what you mean is that I am really buying my water from the MOD and Kelda are just the payment route.

Paul

Ps Do you know the average price my bill should be or where I can find it..

Gothicfairy

Kelda are not a proper water company so to speak, they work with other groups and manly if I remember right Yorkshire water.

I don't know where you are in the UK so can only guess mind but either you are supplied on mains through Yorkshire water and Kelda sort out the billing and accounts ( kind of like they buy the water and supply you from that)
Or it is a totally private supply that the MOD installed and they have a septic tank / supply and Kelda now manage that as an ex property.

If it was me I would work out which water company supplies your area and call them and see if they even have your property listed.
If they don't then ask if they have any in your street / area and if the answer is still no then they don't supply you and you have no choice but to get the info from either the MOD or Kelda.

As for your average bill> well that all depends on how you are charged and a lot of MOD properties never had RV's for security reasons they were never meant to be sold or rented out so didn't need one and as such it would then be either metered or assessed but again as it is MOD it is not quite so easy to answer you.

macman

There is no 'average' price for water-prices vary by more than 150% depending on your region.

kimbella

Gothicfairy and macman

Both many thanks, I think I am going to fight it , I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Kind Regards

Paul

deanos

If the house is supplied by a bulk meter like many MOD sites then you wont be able to have a meter otherwise the water company will be getting paid twice

lawfulhippo

Gothicfairy wrote: »

Kelda are not a proper water company so to speak, they work with other groups and manly if I remember right Yorkshire water.

I don't know where you are in the UK so can only guess mind but either you are supplied on mains through Yorkshire water and Kelda sort out the billing and accounts ( kind of like they buy the water and supply you from that)
Or it is a totally private supply that the MOD installed and they have a septic tank / supply and Kelda now manage that as an ex property.

Kelda are Yorkshire Water, or rather Yorkshire Water are Kelda. Kelda Group is an umberella corporation which owns YW and Kelda Water Services (Defense), which is who kimbella will be dealing with.

I don't know where you live kimbella, but your water will either be supplied by a private treatment facility on MOD or ex-MOD land or by your local water company, and running through private mains before it reaches your property. Kelda WS have the contract for, basically speaking, the maintainance of the pipework and facilities for the MOD and the billing of those services on certain sites.

The easiest way to think about the situation is to imagine it like a set of flats where the landlord pays for the whole property. The "landlord" (in this case the MOD, using Kelda as a contractor) is responsible for the maintainance of their pipes and they pay the water co for the water they supply. The "landlord" then bills his tenants for the water, which he's free to do however he wishes. Whilst it's not really fair, they're usually going to just split it equally because it's easier and cheaper for them to administer. It would be the landlords job to fit a meter if they wanted to use this to work out the bill (which, obviously, it would seem is not part of the MOD's contract with Kelda). Because you don't pay charges to a regulated water company, you wouldn't fall under their free metering scheme (which makes sense, because as far as they're concerned you don't pay for your water, the MOD does and they've no will or business getting involved with the agreement between you and them.

Because it's not a part of the normal regulated water industry, there is, unfortunately, very little protection in this area. I knows this is a rubbish answer for you. My advice would be:
1) Ask Kelda to look at how you're paying. They're not in a position to change the amount, but it seems a bit harsh to ask for 300 quid right now. They might be able to make sure they've minimised your monthly payments. Give them a call, be super nice and make the person on the other end desperate to help you and you might get some where. No promises though because, as has been said, they're not a proper water company and so aren't measured in the same way.

2) Try to get the number for which ever part of the MOD is responsible for your house and pester them about getting a meter and being charged on that.

You could ask your local water company about having a new supply fitted. That will cost you though. How much depends on how far you are from a public main, but is likely to run into the thousands, possibly tens of thousands and it might not be possible if it would have to run over private land. I doubt you'd ever recoup your costs.

tl;dr: You're stuck between a rock and a hard place, I'm afraid.

kimbella

lawfull hippo

many thanks for your indepth answer and to everyone else

paul