No discount if you're single and on low-income (Yorkshire Water)?

Conrad3000

Hi all.

It seems you only get a discount if you've got children + low income or claim benefits.

What about if you're single, no kids, and on a low income (and no benefits)?

Can't find anything on this.

Disgustingly unfair.

GingerTim

Have you got a water meter? A one-person household's metered bills should be very low.

Conrad3000

GingerTim said:

Have you got a water meter? A one-person household's metered bills should be very low.

I was thinking that as the only alternative.

Also the bill is due next month and it might take a few weeks for the water meter to be placed in the property.

If I've already paid for the year, how would they work out how much I should really be paying?

GingerTim

I'd get the meter asap - I pay £13/month.

You might be able to ask to be put on assessed rates (based on the size of the property and the number of occupants), but that's typically for when a meter can't be fitted.

fatbelly

I had a meter installed a few years ago and it cut the bills to about a third of what they were.

Even better, it was a complete debacle of them digging up my garden without notice, leaving the new meter submerged in (running) water, having to come back and sort out new piping that involved excavating the main road where I live and putting traffic lights out there for two weeks.

The compensation I got, paid for a year's water at the new rate.

You can have a look at your local supplier's website fir schemes, but generally they apply to

• Those in water arrears

• Those with 3 or more children

• Those on means tested benefits

• Those with a disability requiring extra water usage

• Those who have asked for a meter but for technical reasons one cannot be installed

Grumpy_chap

Conrad3000 said:

Hi all.

It seems you only get a discount if you've got children + low income or claim benefits.

What about if you're single, no kids, and on a low income (and no benefits)?

Can't find anything on this.

Disgustingly unfair.

The water companies have to follow set rules with regard to the discount schemes and the flexibility to do more is very constrained.  Those rules are set by the regulator (OFWAT) which, ultimately, means the Government.  If you feel the rules are not appropriate, the route to seek change would be via contacting your MP.

How do the social tariffs for water compare with other utilities?

Altior

I live alone, moved into a brand new build, the supplier Anglian had a tariff called SoLow, aimed at households like myself who use hardly any water. It was phased out and now I am on standard pricing. My bill went from £7 pcm in 2011 to £40 pcm currently. A big chunk of it is a fixed cost. No doubt set to rise again in a couple of months. 

This BBC article states - The only water tariff in England and Wales that has no standing charge is being withdrawn at the end of the month. Most customers will see their bills rise, but why can't they just switch? 

So it seems most likely the answer to the implied question in the OP is, there's no prospect of a discount. 

Green_hopeful

Altior said:

I live alone, moved into a brand new build, the supplier Anglian had a tariff called SoLow, aimed at households like myself who use hardly any water. It was phased out and now I am on standard pricing. My bill went from £7 pcm in 2011 to £40 pcm currently. A big chunk of it is a fixed cost. No doubt set to rise again in a couple of months. 

This BBC article states - The only water tariff in England and Wales that has no standing charge is being withdrawn at the end of the month. Most customers will see their bills rise, but why can't they just switch? 

So it seems most likely the answer to the implied question in the OP is, there's no prospect of a discount. 

Are you on a meter? We are with Anglian Water and pay £30 per month. Our water usage is relatively high because we are all at home all day. Three people and we use 8000-9000 litres per month   

singhini

Conrad3000 said:

Hi all.

It seems you only get a discount if you've got children + low income or claim benefits.

What about if you're single, no kids, and on a low income (and no benefits)?

Can't find anything on this.

Disgustingly unfair.

Steady now, a few years ago when i pointed this out i got blasted on this forum (i even had a thread shut down by the forum administrators).

My experience as a single, no kids, low income (and no benefits) person was that i did not qualify for any of the grants/schemes i applied for as there "means tested"

Also when i lost my job and signed-on to claim JSA i only received it for 6 months and was not moved on to UC as i have savings (even though i was a 40% tax payer having paid nearly £25,000 in Income tax and NI contributions in that year and previous years. Government got £25,000 a year for numerous years and i got less than £2,000).

Just to warn you, if you are truly single with no kids you might want to look into Inheritance Tax planning now as you only get the £325,000 basic IH allowance (you can't take advantage of the £175,000 residence nil-rate band). 
You also can't pass on your allowances to you other half (since there isn't one) meaning you cant take advantage of the £1,000,000 married couple allowance.
Unfortunately i don't have the time to go into the upcoming pensions and IH tax changes Rachel Reeves recently announced (but as far as im concerned its all Disgustingly unfair!)

lr1277

If you are not aware, getting a water meter maybe affected by whether you are the home owner or a tenant.

If you are a homeowner, you might ponder whether the meter will affect the resale prospects of your property.

If you are in a property that is designed for 1-2 people then a water meter might not be an obstacle to many buyers.

But if you are in a property designed for 3+ people where some of them have high water needs then your property becomes less desirable.

If you are a tenant, you need your landlord's permission. And your landlord may take the above factors into account when making their decision.

teaselMay

The opposite is also true though. A house that on paper is designed for 3 people but likely to be occupied by 1 or 2 is likely to be considerably cheaper with a water meter. As a single occupant I'd not consider a house that didn't have a meter or the possibility of having one fitted.