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Cheaper Water Bills Article Discussion

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  • We are under South-West Water in Torquay. Water sure is for people that use extra water because of needing to use a lot due to disability or more than 3 children. It is a capped ammount of approximately £490. What they don't tell you is that if you live in a block of flats where you cannot be on a meter this doesn't apply. Seems to me, unfair to be penalised just because you live in a housing association flat that have shared mains to separate tanks in the loft. I use more water because my husband has a disability that requires me to do more washing and bathing. We live on disability benefits and carer's allowance and our water bill is almost £600 per year. We could save £100 a year if we could have a meter. Why can't they give us the discount anyway, anybody know??
  • I read this article a few months ago and switched to a water meter in September of last year. I live in a two bedroom flat with my boyfriend in West London. Up until last year, Thames water were charging us £500 per year to supply water to our flat on a non-metered basis. According to their own website this would be the equivalent of 6 people living in a house, using a dishwasher daily and having more than 15 baths per person per week!! With two people in our two bedroom flat, this would involve us having 6 baths each per day!!!

    When I complained to Thames Water, they explained that there was nothing that we have no power to claim any money back for their blatant overcharging as the costs are 'set by the authorities'. Is there anything that I can do to reclaim the lost money?!?

    PS. I've now switched to the meter and my costs are only £120 per year!!
  • find out what their rateable value for a flat is as this is the primary reason for an amount billed,
    Also check out what location band you are in (they vary) you may well be in the most expensive band for your company.

    Its all about proving they were overbilling you.
    i'm one of them there water board feloows ;)
  • abandhev
    abandhev Posts: 27 Forumite
    Hi,
    We used the uswitch, and worked out that our bills should halve on a meter. We applied to have one fitted, can anyone tell me how long this should take for Southern Water to acknowledge the request, and how long it will take to install? Has anyone gone on to a meter from our area? We get a separate bill for supply and drainage, so does this mean that the drainage company will also lower their bill too?

    Thanks
  • rita-rabbit
    rita-rabbit Posts: 1,505 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    Chrysalis wrote: »
    I got my bill yesterday and it seems its very cheap.

    I live in a 1 bed flat and the bill is 145.73 for the year and last year it was 137.29 for the year for unmetered. 6.14% increase.

    Well done you. I live alone in a 1-bedflat with no garden. I have been asking for a meter for years but Thames water were very inflexible about times to come & make an assessment. Anyways stopping my Direct Debit recently really got their attention & they came around - after stating on the website they would not need access at this stage as they could make a decision from the outside of the property- & left a card saying that `they may cancel my request for a meter as I wasn't at home when they called'!

    Unsuprisingly as I was paying a similar amount to my Mother who waters the garden around her 3-bed fully occupied home I made a fuss. Recently I have `given them access' & was told that I could opt for Assessed usuage due to needing two meters (the council in their wisdom fitted pipework that means there are supplies of water 1) for kitchen water to come from the mains & 2) bathroom from somewhere else) & the old boiler housing. Anyways I have been quoted £200 for the year May 2008 to 2009 and sent a final bill for £214.76 for the remainder of last year! I received a telephone call from a call centre in India informing me of the decision but also two letters saying that as I had not given them access my request for a meter has been cancelled...
  • I'm a student in Sheffield and I live with 2 other students. Yorkshire Water just sent me a bill for 719.19 for water from the dates 11/07 - 06/08. They say if this isn't paid soon then they will file a county court claim. This seems like an extraordinary amount to pay. I worked out that we pay less for gas and electricity!! I rang Yorkshire Water and they said thats just how much it is. What I don't understand is that my friend who lives round the corner is only paying a quarter of that for the year and they live with 4 people. I don't know what do as I nor anyone else in the house has the money to pay such a bill..
    Thanks for any advice you can give.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,048 Forumite
    Rampant Recycler First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Send some more details please.

    I assume you are not on a meter?

    What is Rateable Value(RV) - dates etc The bill is probably for 11/07 to 04/08 and then the year from 04/08 to 04/09(you pay in advance)

    Flat? House?
  • Yes you are right. I got slightly mixed up on the dates.
    the Rateable Value for our three bedroom flat is £219. How does this value reflect the amount owed??

    They want us to pay 252.52 for the dates 01/10/07 - 31/03/08.
    If they are expecting another 466.67. What dates would they usually be upto?? I didn't seem to recieve the bill for the dates after the 31st of march.

    I am moving out the end of June. So what should I actually by paying??

    Thanks for any help you can give.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,048 Forumite
    Rampant Recycler First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    If you are not metered your water charges are based on the Rateable Value (RV)of your property.

    RV was the method of raising 'local taxes' prior to 1990. It then became poll tax and finally council tax. RV was a notional value for the rent a property could could command.

    If you look at the Yorkshire Water(presuamably?) website you will see the charges.
    There will be an annual standing charge for water and another for sewerage. These are normally quite small.
    The major charge will be xxxp for each £1 of RV for water and xxxp for each £1 of RV for sewerage.

    So it could be, say, £1.10 per £1RV for water and £0.90p for sewerage;

    so (219 x £1.10) + (219 x £0.90) = £438 + standing charges.

    For non-metered properties the bill is raised annually in advance from 01 April.
    So the £252.52 will be for 2007/2008 and the remainder for 2008/2009

    Contact YW and tell them that you are moving out end of June and request a bill to that date(give them the landlords details for period from June)

    You will be liable pro-rata for the 2008/2009 charge(25%)
  • Don't know if this is particularly relevant to the discussion or not but here goes! About 3 years ago I went over to a water meter with Yorkshire Water when my children left home and I was sole user in my property. First of all, they tried to set up a direct debit rate which would, if I hadn't challenged it, meant I was paying MORE than the old water rate over the course of the year. I made a phone call and argued them down to a more reasonable monthly rate. Since then I have consistently used less than the monthly direct debit charge, (even if only by a £1 or two...). I received a letter this month saying my monthly charge was going to go up by £1.30. Straight to the phone and ask the question, 'why?' I was told this was not because they anticipated an increase in my usage but because their prices were going UP by TEN PER CENT !"!!!!!*@*! I asked if the call was being recorded and then said: "So...you are telling me that your bill for something which falls out of the air FOR FREE is going up by 10 percent and my salary has just gone up by 2.3%?" "Yes" they said. Now speechless :huh:
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