Water - rateable values

dag_2

Does anyone know if there's an easy way to find out a property's rateable value, before signing the tenancy agreement and moving in?

You can find out the council tax banding before you move house by looking at http://www.voa.gov.uk - I'm wondering if there's anything similar for water and sewerage rates. Thanks.

loon_2

the only thging i really know about water rates is that the last times the rates were evaluated was in the eighties, when either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on property, flats were in.

this means that your rates in a flat are more than in a house. however, in most cases, installing a meter usually works out cheaper.

robnye

have you tried giving the water board a call..... or even the local council

whilst homes are covered by council tax, i beleive they still record the rateable value

dag_2

Thanks for the advice. So I guess the only way to find out what the rates are going to be is to phone up the water company beforehand, yes? And there's no single national database?

I'm nervous about installing a water meter, because you can't change back. In particular, it might annoy the landlord. Are water-metered flats harder to let than unmetered flats? I would far prefer to rent a flat without a water meter than one with.

I believe that if the water rates are included in your rent, and you're on housing benefit, there are standard deductions for water rates that are the same throughout the whole of the UK, regardless of who your local authority or water supplier is. But what if the accommodation is self-contained?

Maybe the rules are similar to council tax. I believe that self-contained tenants generally have to pay their own council tax - but if you live in a houseshare, flatshare or bedsit, your landlord must pay the council tax, and charge it to you in the rent. The main exception to this rule is self-contained flats in a house which has been converted into a mixture of self-contained flats and bedsits.

blah blah blah - in a nutshell, are landlords of self-contained flats allowed to include water rates in the rent?

It strikes me as unfair to charge water rates to a tenant, based on the rateable value of a property that they don't even own - so I figure the law might provide a way around it. But I don't know the law.

Thanks for the help.

svmitche

I believe that if you go over to a water meter and are unhappy with it, you can change back up to twelve months after installation at no charge.

We live in a rented property. All of the properties we have rented except for this one have had water meters installed and it has worked out better for us. Because of this, we have explored with the landlord, the block management company and the water board the possibility of installing a water meter. The only difficulty that has so far been expressed is that the meter would have to be in the building and not in the pavement outside, as is traditional for meters.

Also, my first flat was a self-contained new build and the water was included in the rent. I think the landlord can do what they like in terms of bills. A friend of mine lives in a self-contained flat and all her bills including council tax are in the rent.

Also (sorry, another edit) I agree that charging on rateable value for a property you do not own is unfair, so Council tax and water rates are poorly conceived. But that's another thread entirely! ;D

dag_2

Thanks for the info.

Also, my first flat was a self-contained new build and the water was included in the rent. I think the landlord can do what they like in terms of bills. A friend of mine lives in a self-contained flat and all her bills including council tax are in the rent.

Wow - thanks. How long ago was that first flat?

I might be wrong on this - but I think that back in the days before water was "privatised" and poll tax was brought in, water rates were not charged separately from domestic rates. So I want to check - thanks.

I say "privatised" in quotes, because water rates feel very much like a form of taxation to me, despite their private sector status - they're pretty much compulsory, and you can't really shop around on them without moving house.

svmitche

Hi sorry not to reply sooner. The first flat was only two years ago, but my friend only moved a couple of months ago.

Phonix

I'm not used to living on my own but there will come a point when I'll probably have my own flat. I was shocked to see how much people pay for water in this country. I see for some it costs about £30 a month.

Say I were to live in a taxband a flat. Now I know the average rate is regionally dependent. however what's the average cost on this sort of property likely to be?

So my questions are.

Average water rates/annum nationwide on,

Band A?
Band B?


Cheapest place for water?

I though council tax is expensive, I didn't expect water rates would come to almost half as much as council tax. :mad:

MyUserNamesTaken

dag wrote:

Thanks for the info.



I say "privatised" in quotes, because water rates feel very much like a form of taxation to me, despite their private sector status - they're pretty much compulsory, and you can't really shop around on them without moving house.

This will be changing in the future. Eventually, you will be able to shop around for better water suppliers without having to move house.

Single people or couples living in flats would definitely be better off on water meters. My advice is that if you're living alone, or living with a partner, give your water company a call and ask them to send you a water metering pack. It contains all the info you need to work out if you'd be better off on a meter. Also, if you want to find out the current water rates for a particular property, give the local water company a call. If you explain why you want to know, they should be able to tell you. Obviously, they can't discuss anything else with you, like present customer details, etc, due to the DPA.

MyUserNamesTaken

svmitche wrote:

Also (sorry, another edit) I agree that charging on rateable value for a property you do not own is unfair, so Council tax and water rates are poorly conceived. But that's another thread entirely! ;D

This is another reason behind water metering. Water companies are aware that charging for water based on the RV of a property is grossly unfair, hence the move over to CM and charing people for what they actually use. Blame the Government for the RV system.

Saying that, although it is unfair charging for water based on the rateable value of a property, I don't agree that not owning the property should enter into the equation. It's unfair regardless of who owns the property. At the end of the day, the person living in the property is using the water, thus should pay for it (be it directly, or indirectly through rent). It doesn't make a difference if you rent the property or own it; you're still using the water.

funkymonkey

i have a tiny little one bed corner house ( with a gorgeous galley bedroom so im not complaining)

my water is £102 per year and my sewage £170 per year

must say though i do use a lot of water and in my one bed flat last year i paid £160 just for water and that was metered.

even though i may save more with a meter now that i have a nice new washing machine and shower instead of a bath - i like the consistency of knowing what i am paying each month.

wish gas and leccy was the same!