Domestic Rateable Value for water bills?

Cult_Mark

Thames Water currently charge me £514.32 a year (paid as 8 months @£64.29) for my home water based on my domestic rateable value of 190. It's been the same rateable value on my bills for 30+ years (I have every bill - was just £120.56 in 93/94).

A recent newspaper article said Thames wanted to increase their prices by 53% to an average £667 by 2030 (that would be from an average £436). So what's my problem?

Well my bill is already more than the current average, yet my house is a back-to-back end-of-terrace one-bed house in Slough, so I can only think my rateable value has been wrong ever since I first moved in.

Questions:
1) Where can I check the rateable value for my house?
2) Can I check on the same website that it is the same for otherwise identical back-to-back end-of-terrace one-bed houses in my road?
3) Can I check on the same website that it is also less than for 2 / 3 / 4 bed houses in my road?

With thanks in anticipation. 

Mystic_CT

Hi Mark,

Forgive me if I'm incorrect, but I'm guessing that you need to ascertain which Council Tax Band your property is in? If you do know it then check your neighbours are in the same tax band as you. Good luck.

daveyjp

Water bills are based on the old system of property rates which was the system used to pay for council services (local councils also managed the water supply and sewerage system there was an extra charge to the council for water services).  It was an estimate of the rental value of your property at the time it was valued, which will be decades ago.

The rates system was replaced with council tax in 1990 and water meters became mandatory for all new houses.  Homeowners were given the option of having a water meter fitted, but the old RV was kept for water rates for those not wanting a water meter.

 The council tax banding has nothing to do with the original rateable value of your property.

Records of how these original rateable values were calculated will now be long gone and the figure can't be challenged or appealed.  Your only option is to go to a metered supply.

DullGreyGuy

Mystic_CT said:

Hi Mark,

Forgive me if I'm incorrect, but I'm guessing that you need to ascertain which Council Tax Band your property is in? If you do know it then check your neighbours are in the same tax band as you. Good luck.

No, water used to be paid as as part of your domestic rates, domestic rates were briefly replaced by the poll tax before we moved on to council tax.

For those without a water meter they still use the old domestic rating system for calculating the cost. The old rates were basically based on how much rent you could get for the property if the tenant was responsible for repairs at some arbitrary time in the past. 


To the OP - why dont you have a water meter? Even if they cannot fit one you get a lower bill just by asking for one. 

Rateable values of businesses are published online but dont think domestic properties are. Normally it would be a challenge of the VOA if you disagree with their assessment. 

micronaut

Just wanted to bump this post in light of the recent announcement of the extortionate hikes.  Has anybody ever looked into a campaign to get rateable values re-assessed? My bill is increasing to £1,400 per year for a regular semi-detached property, while my neighbours are paying £700.  It seems like there is an easy win for the government here to get properties re-assessed to bring water bills down?

MattMattMattUK

micronaut said:

Just wanted to bump this post in light of the recent announcement of the extortionate hikes.  Has anybody ever looked into a campaign to get rateable values re-assessed?

It will not happen, the work involved would cost hundreds of millions for zero gain.

micronaut said:

My bill is increasing to £1,400 per year for a regular semi-detached property, while my neighbours are paying £700.  

Why stay on rateable, get a water meter.

micronaut said:

It seems like there is an easy win for the government here to get properties re-assessed to bring water bills down?

An easy win? Spend hundreds of millions on trying to reassess 24.5 million domestic properties (England and Wales) so that a few people who do not want a water meter get slightly cheaper bills? That sounds like a total loss, not an easy win.

daveyjp

micronaut said:

Just wanted to bump this post in light of the recent announcement of the extortionate hikes.  Has anybody ever looked into a campaign to get rateable values re-assessed? My bill is increasing to £1,400 per year for a regular semi-detached property, while my neighbours are paying £700.  It seems like there is an easy win for the government here to get properties re-assessed to bring water bills down?

If neighbours are paying far less they must be on a meter.  Your bill may have an indication of your annual charge on a meter based on the number in the household.   In my area the bill for a property with 2 residents is typically £550-700.

Alfie_J

RV should not change.
OP: Have you checked that the RV on previous years bills is the same as your latest bill (i.e. 190)?

matelodave

I think that those who clamour for a change in stuff like the old rateable values should be careful for what they wish for. They may feel that they are getting a raw deal but it's been proved time and time again that when there's a revision of something like that, then not many people benefit but the vast majority end up paying more.

A bit like the bloke who wanted pension parity with women - he got what he wanted, all women ended up having wait until they were 65 rather than his hope that men would go down to 60.

If you want to reduce your water bill then get a meter and you can control your costs by using less water - easy fix and it doesn't adversely affect the rest of us.

My bill would be well over £1000 if I was on RV, but by being on a meter it's nearer £400 and we aren't all that frugal having a garden watering system and washing cars at home.