Essex and Suffolk Water Debt

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Hi everyone, First time on this site. I am in debt with ES Water but they have now passed on the debt to a debt recovery agency. The debt collectors are threatening to take my house if Ido not pay them the full amount. My question to you all is, Are they bluffing?
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A DCA is not a bailiff, they cannot seize anything without a judgement against you.
It would be wise to make some arrangement to pay but only after you are certain that you won't get help from the water co's Charitable Trust - it may be possible, if you qualify, to get the debt paid off by the trust.
Plus you will have to pay waste and drainage anyway .
Your water company appears not to have an associated charitable trust from what I can see, but you can double check this by contacting them. The best help you are likely to get from them may be this:
SupportPLUS Arrears
If you have more than 2 years of arrears, you may eligible for our Support Plus scheme. The scheme runs for 2 years with a proportion of the historic debt written off quarterly if you continue to pay in line with their agreed payment schedule. This is a once only opportunity and we will maintain regular contact with you whilst you are on the scheme so that you can see how your debt is reducing.
This scheme requires an independent debt advice provider, such as Stepchange to undertake an independent financial assessment to determine eligibility. To find out more please contact us on 0345 782 0111.
https://www.eswater.co.uk/your-home/your-account/Difficulty-paying.aspx
You may also want to have a read of their Managing Debt PDF:
https://www.eswater.co.uk/_assets/documents/Managing_Debt_ESW_2014.pdf
If you didn't own the property I could advise differently, but as you do I would recommend coming to an arrangement. Can you afford to pay off the debt at £3.65 per week? This is the amount you would pay if you were on benefit and it should be acceptable. If not accepted, and it if eventually goes to court, the judge may consider refusal of a reasonable offer of regular payments to clear the debt as being improper - you could also have a look at OFWAT's Debt Guidelines:
https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/consumerissues/problemspayingbill/gud_pro_custdebt20070327.pdf
which outlines how water companies should behave. It would be better if you could show you really couldn't offer more than £3.65 P.W.
Looking at the very worst case scenario, a charge on your property would in practice mean that it couldn't be sold without the debt first being removed - or it may sell at a reduced price - I can look if you need to know. I don't know for sure whether or not a sale could be enforced in order to pay off the debt - but can also check this out if you need to know. In my experience it would be unlikely
If you believe chucking Tesco value water down the loo is cheaper than a supply from any company you want to check your figures carefully.
There are two issues here. The first is the debt. If they are offering a plan then presumably the debt hounds have been called off? If you can't afford £40 per month then start playing them the suggested £3.65 per week i.e. about £15 per month and see how they react. You might find they view getting any money is welcome. Also follow the advice above about getting help.
The second issue is going forward. Perhaps go for a meter. If you are the only one in the house then it is likely to be cheaper for you and most water companies will let you revert after a year if it is not cheaper (check whether your does). As for leaks you can check your meter against leakage. Typically water companies will be understanding about the first leak if there is one. In cold weather you shouldn't have to leave any taps running if your pipes and tank are properly lagged and this is not an expensive thing to do.