South West Water Bill Is Super High

hardergamer

I'm a single disabled person living in a one-bedroom 70s flat, been bed bound for nearly a year, and my last water bill was £2260, that's more than all the rest of my household bills combined. I've asked for a water meter to be installed and after waiting nearly a year for a home inspection I was told (again) one can't be fitted, as my main water pipe feeds the flats above me, but I knew this already, and my social housing landlord had already refused one to be fitted.

What tariff do I need to ask to be placed onto? As SWW aren't helping me at all.

Also, my bill just for me has gone from £1100 per year in 2021 to just over £2260 now, it was £1800 last year, and it's going up around 37% more soon, and I can't even drink the tap water as it made everyone very sick here with Cryptospridium. As I'm in Brixham in Devon, I don't know anyone who will risk drinking this disgusting water, that now smells of bleach, which I presume is to fight off the bacteria, which again only weeks ago came back when tested.

Also, I just add, as I refused to keep paying my water bill earlier this year, SWW has asked UC to take payments directly from my UC, which UC had no problems doing at £107 per week!

QrizB

If you've requested a water meter and SWW can't fit one (I don't think your landlord has a say in this), you can ask to be put on an assessed charge.

https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/households/your-water-bill/assessed/

I'd expect this to be more like £300 a year.

Having said that, £2260 seems quite a lot for a one-bed flat. What's the rateable value (RV) on your bill?

Devongardener

I’m in Brixham too, on a water meter though and pay about £400 a year in a 2 bedroom bungalow. Even on water rates without a meter you shouldn’t be paying anything like £2000 for a flat.  Does your bill show that you have historical debts carried forward?
SWW will advise vulnerable customers, have to spoken to them explaining that you are bedridden?   

MattMattMattUK

QrizB said:

If you've requested a water meter and SWW can't fit one (I don't think your landlord has a say in this), you can ask to be put on an assessed charge.

The landlord cannot say no to one being fitted if there is a supply to the individual flats, they can say no if it is a shared supply which would require additional plumbing work to facilitate a meter being fitted. 

I agree the OP should ask to be moved to an assessed charge, but I also cannot see how their rateable value would be high enough to generate a water bill of £2,260 pa either though. 

Robin9

A question not normally asked (as it's difficult to compare apples with apples -  number of people, lifestyle etc)  Any idea what your neighbours are paying ? 

Something doesn't sound right.

badmemory

Could this be being charged as a business or maybe the whole building.

hardergamer

Hi all. Sorry for the late reply, I moved home, and then could not log back into this forum, but after lots of messaging etc., I'm back :) Also, they finally found out why I was so ill. I have Adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency (ACTH). Anterior pituitary gland Tumour, so I'm now on Hydrocortisone for the rest of my life, but it means I'm back on my feet, but I spend much time in the hospital.

Enough about me, and back to my post. First, £1800+ is the normal charge in the South Hams, with many I know paying much more, one of my brothers is paying over £3000, as he has a large 4-bedroom house in Dartmouth, and most people I've spoken to who are in work say they are paying around the same, and mine went up a little after moving to near Dartmouth, and again SWW came to my property to see about putting in a meeter, but looked at it and said not a chance, as the water piping is encased in asbestos, but, I now have a OT helping me, and with her help, and my GP SWW put me on the WaterSure scheme, which for a 1-bedroom flat is £15 per week, or £780 a year, but the new place was £2300 before this. I got CAB to help, too, and they assured me the price is correct.

I don't have a "RV" on any bill, or online, so I asked SWW, and after they broke it all down and explained it's, not a single RV, as you have a number for water and sewage, and even rain water used, and worked out by how much other people are paying in my postcode/town, and the nearby homes tax brackets, which is crazy, as the average home here is valued at £1.1 million, and my neighbours flats which are identical to mine are on the market for £260k to £280k.