Southern Water 50% Increase In 3 yearsI have lived at my address for 3 years

ScaredWitless

I have lived at my address for 3 years.

I am on a water meter supplied by Portsmouth Water.

My meter is usually read in July and January each year.

My concern is Southern Water.

Every time my meter is read they up my bill.

They up my bill twice a year which I feel is unreasonable.

At the start I was paying £13, now it looks like I'm going to be paying £21.

It means I have had an almost 50% rise in my bill over 3 years.

When I get my bill through, they also claim I always have an outstanding balance.

I pay fortnightly on a payment card.

The bill is saying I owe a balance of £59.73 and they will have to increase payments yet again.

I'm not on the qualifying benefit to have my bills capped.

Is this justified!?

Cardew

Water charges themselves have increased very little over the last 3 years.

It would appear that the reason for the increase in your bill is you are not paying sufficient to cover the amount of water you are using. Look at your bills and check your meter reading is correct.

ScaredWitless

I pay £10 a fortnight to Southern Water on a payment card.

This was with their agreement and they set the payments accordingly.

Portsmouth Water supply the meter readings to Southern.

I have asked Portsmouth Water to investigate this matter as to why Southern Water seemingly increase my bills.

I have also complained to the water regulator over the issue.

My bills have increased around 50% with Southern Water and its unreasonable.

When I lived in an unmetered property, my bills only went up once a year.

It would appear I am now paying far more then when I was not on a water meter.

The other issue is that I don't have a washing machine or dishwasher, so my water consumption should be low, especially during the winter period.

matelodave

Do you check your meter when the bills come in to see if they are correct.

It's not difficult to work out how much you should pay, just mutiply the consumption in cubic meters by the tariff and add the standing charge.

If your bills correspond to the meter readings and you have arears then you aren't paying enough.

Cardew

ScaredWitless wrote: »

I pay £10 a fortnight to Southern Water on a payment card.

This was with their agreement and they set the payments accordingly.

Portsmouth Water supply the meter readings to Southern.

I have asked Portsmouth Water to investigate this matter as to why Southern Water seemingly increase my bills.

I have also complained to the water regulator over the issue.

My bills have increased around 50% with Southern Water and its unreasonable.

When I lived in an unmetered property, my bills only went up once a year.

It would appear I am now paying far more then when I was not on a water meter.

The other issue is that I don't have a washing machine or dishwasher, so my water consumption should be low, especially during the winter period.

The '£10 a fortnight' was an estimate( i.e. a guess!) of your water consumption; and the estimate was too low.

Had they estimated £20 a fortnight, you would have seen a reduction in your payments;)

Unmetered properties have charges based on the Rateable Value and the water company can calculate exactly how much you will pay for the year ahead.

With a meter the charges are based on how much water you use.

Some people are better off without a meter, however the majority are better off.

ScaredWitless

I am worse off with a meter

I only get £110 a week ESA.

I cant afford any more then wha tI'm paying.

Cardew

ScaredWitless wrote: »

I am worse off with a meter

I only get £110 a week ESA.

I cant afford any more then wha tI'm paying.

You cannot return to non-metered charges.

You might be able to get help with your bill under the 'watersure' scheme.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/water/water-supply/problems-with-paying-your-water-bill/watersure-scheme-help-with-paying-water-bills/

zaax

Do you have a leak? Turn everything off and see if the meter is still going around

ScaredWitless

I'm on contributions based Employment and Support Allowance and its not a qualifying benefit.

I might ask Portsmouth Water to come and check the meter for leaks.

The water regulator was kind enough to ring Southern Water and speak to them

The outstanding balance of the bill is £60 which I don't understand why as I always pay.

I could always ask them to find out where there is an outstanding balance to begin with.

bumpercars99

You should NOT request the water co to attend to check your meter. If there is nothing wrong with it (likely!) they will charge you. They are not responsible for any leaks on your property. You can check for leaks yourself.

Find your meter - check it is yours by comparing the serial number on it to the one on your bill. Write down the whole reading - all the numbers including any that are a different colour. Don't use ANY water for as long as you can manage - at least a few hours. Make sure you don't forget and set off the washing machine or flush the toilet or something or turn on any taps. Check the meter again and none of the numbers (especially check any coloured numbers) should have changed. If they have then there is probably a leak.

I am presuming that you are renting so if there is a leak, you should phone your landlord and tell them so they can investigate and have it repaired. Post back if there is a leak and we can help you with what to say to the water company but you should wait until any leak is repaired before speaking to them.

On the topic of your bill, it is important that you are paying at least what you're using going forward. You can ask the company to allow you to pay off the debt you've built up over a longer period to reduce your payment but it is very important that your payment is at least as much as you are using now or your debt will get bigger and bigger. I'm afraid the fact that a meter may be worse for you is not relevant at all. If there is no leak, try being more careful with the water - particularly by not getting carried away in the shower and I know personally I waste a lot washing up in running water instead of using the basin (slapped wrist)

You need to find out how much your annual water usage is in cubic metres - it should say on your bill?