Unmeterable water? Save with "assessed household charge"

sardarji

Do you share a water supply? For instance, in a block of flats, which often get hot water from a single communal boiler. If so, your home almost certainly cannot be metered, and you may well be paying on the old "rateable value" system, which is often far more expensive than a metered supply would be.

But there is a way out: the "assessed household charge" which depends on how many bedrooms you have. Often this method, like metering, will save money, as against "rateable value". Water companies with lots of flats in their area do not (surprise, surprise) noisily publicise its existence. But they are all required to offer it. So:

Even though you (and quite likely the water company) know very well your home cannot be metered, ask them for a meter. They will--in due time--come to inspect and send you a letter saying officially that (surprise, surprise) your home is unmeterable. As soon as they do, find out what the assessed household charge would be, and if it would save you money ask at once to be placed on it. They will adjust your water bill accordingly (or at least they should), from the day you ask, so don't dilly-dally.

Cardew

This has been covered in numerous threads on this part of the forum.

It is not just where hot water is from a communal boiler, but in many cases(even with their own boiler) the flats are on a shared water main and a meter cannot be fitted.

The assessed charge can be based on number of bedrooms, as you state, but can also be on number of occupants and usually there is a special rate for a single occupant.

You are absolutely correct about the failure to give publicity to this provision; especially as it doesn't affect the revenue and profit of the companies - revenue lost from placing customers on an assessed charge is compensated by slightly increased charges for all customers.

deanos

Thousands of properties share supplies and have a meter, it depends on the water company how they work out the assessed charge, some by how many bedroom's, some by amount of people and some by a series of questions

They advertise meters in most of the bills don't they so its very publicised, definitely not a secret or something they tey to hide

sardarji

Cardew and Deanos: thank you both.

Cardew: I'm glad to learn the AHC has been often covered in MSE, but the facts certainly bear repeating--most MSE threads soon disappear to 'page 94' as newer threads arrive. And just ask around and you'll find plenty of households, I'll bet, that have never heard of the AHC, even now.

Deanos: I'm surprised to hear that households sharing a communal water supply within one building (and continuing to do so), can nonetheless be fitted with a meter. Maybe because I'm not familiar with recently built blocks of flats. Certainly it's impossible in many older ones. And was widely known to be so among flat-dwellers.
Secondly, yes indeed water companies may indeed advertise meters, but that is not the same as advertising the assessed household charge. The companies were forced to have the AHC available to unmeterable households back in about 2002, I think. Yet Thames Water, far the biggest water-supplier to flat blocks, for year-after-years, made no reference to the AHC in its publicity pamphlet (let alone on the back of its bills) except buried in an article (one of several, mostly binnable puff) entitled "Thinking about a meter?" Even if Thames customers read any of these puffs, this was precisely the article that no household that was unmeterable, and knew it, would be likely to waste time on. Thames has now changed its ways, but not before time. And not before collecting large sums that victims of its lack of information need never have paid if only they'd been straightforwardly told the facts.

deanos

By shared i mean properties that share one supply, eg a row of terrace houses , i presume you mean properties that share a hot water heating system then yes you are correct

mart.vader

deanos wrote: »

By shared i mean properties that share one supply, eg a row of terrace houses , i presume you mean properties that share a hot water heating system then yes you are correct

I'm not sure if you mean a central heating system, but that is irrelevant to the question of metering.

A row of terraced houses (or flats) on one supply can be metered as a group by one meter on that supply, but to be individually metered, the meters must be fitted after the point where the pipe branches to feed the individual house (or flat)

Properties that share either a hot or cold water tank/cistern can't be metered.

deanos

Yes that's exactly what i mean

aidrenegade

I'm with Thames Water and I live in a room in a rented flat share in a old victorian house converted to 4 flats. I've been advised by the landlord that there is only one external stop tap for all 4 flats.

Is this classed by Thames Water as a shared water supply? All flats have their own hot water tanks / central heating. I know I must have the landlords permission to fit a meter but he doesn't want meters fitted. He is interested in getting lower assessed rates though. Currently, our £476 charge would go down to £316 based on 3 persons in my flat.

Just want to find out as much as possible before asking Thames Water to inspect our property.

mart.vader

aidrenegade wrote: »

I'm with Thames Water and I live in a room in a rented flat share in a old Victorian house converted to 4 flats. I've been advised by the landlord that there is only one external stop tap for all 4 flats.

Is this classed by Thames Water as a shared water supply? All flats have their own hot water tanks / central heating. I know I must have the landlords permission to fit a meter but he doesn't want meters fitted. He is interested in getting lower assessed rates though. Currently, our £476 charge would go down to £316 based on 3 persons in my flat.

Just want to find out as much as possible before asking Thames Water to inspect our property.

mart.vader wrote: »

"to be individually metered, the meters must be fitted after the point where the pipe branches to feed the individual house (or flat)

Properties that share either a hot or cold water tank/cistern can't be metered."

Personally, I doubt that your LL is correct.

There may be only one stop-valve in the footway, but in most Victorian conversions there is room to fit meters on each pipe after the common pipe branches to feed each flat.

nettles

I have just had a letter from southern water saying they can not fit a meter. I have no idea why - we are in a house, on a reasonable size road. I havent asked for a meter, but they sent a letter a while back saying they were going to fit a meter as part of a metering programme, now they say they cant. My bill is going up from £26 a month, to £39 a month - at the 'discounted' rate. Its a 2 bedroom house and there are 3 of us.
I don't understand why it is going up so much - any ideas??