Water Bills questions and comment

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  • Your situation sounds very similar to that of a couple I know in a 2 bed apartment. They did the leak test by turning off the stopcocks and the meter was still moving but the letting agent was useless (Leaders in Southampton) and sent a plumber who said there was no leak. So they then got a reputable plumber in who fixed the leak. The water company gave him a refund of £400 on the £650 they had paid. I'd chase it up or issue an ultimatum to the landlord because it's not going to go away. Our nextdoor neighbours have just moved to a meter and got a high bill. Turned out they had a leak but it was in a disputed area, just outside their property. Its all getting tricky!:eek:
  • Hi there

    We moved into a new property in London at the end of July and have been issued with a bill from Thames Water for £261.24. This seemed pretty high compared to what we were paying in our last flat in Manchester. The customer services person I spoke to stated that the bill covers the period from our moving in date at the end of July to the end of the financial year in April.

    There is no water metre for the property, so we are being billed on an estimate. We live in a 1 bed ex-council flat in Peckham. Does this amount seem like a lot to be paying or is this what we should be expecting? If I pay off the bill now (they're threatening us with Debt Collection Agencies) will I be able to get a partial refund if we later choose to get a water metre?

    Thanks
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    Hi there

    We moved into a new property in London at the end of July and have been issued with a bill from Thames Water for £261.24. This seemed pretty high compared to what we were paying in our last flat in Manchester. The customer services person I spoke to stated that the bill covers the period from our moving in date at the end of July to the end of the financial year in April.

    There is no water metre for the property, so we are being billed on an estimate. We live in a 1 bed ex-council flat in Peckham. Does this amount seem like a lot to be paying or is this what we should be expecting? If I pay off the bill now (they're threatening us with Debt Collection Agencies) will I be able to get a partial refund if we later choose to get a water metre?

    Thanks


    It shouldn't be a estimate as when bills are based on Rateable Value(RV) the Exact bill for the year is known. They are due in advance from 01 April although they normally let you pay 50% in April and 50% in October - or by monthly DD.


    You can check if this is correct by looking at your RV(on bill) and Thames website.


    Yes you will get a refund if you get a meter.
  • Hi I'm with Southern Waters. Twice I asked them to read my meters and twice I had estimated reading. Each time I call I get different answer. Last time they told me that I used less water, I asked for reading off my meter and they said it's estimated. I asked how they assumed that I used less water, they couldn't give me the answer but my bill showed higher price for that period. I'm a so confused.
    How can I make them to read my meter?
    Dagmara
  • Neil49
    Neil49 Posts: 3,056
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    Dagsi wrote: »
    Hi I'm with Southern Waters. Twice I asked them to read my meters and twice I had estimated reading. Each time I call I get different answer. Last time they told me that I used less water, I asked for reading off my meter and they said it's estimated. I asked how they assumed that I used less water, they couldn't give me the answer but my bill showed higher price for that period. I'm a so confused.
    How can I make them to read my meter?
    Dagmara

    Can't you read it yourself and tell them what it is?

    I'm not with Southern Water but do they do online readings?
  • Hi, didn't want to start a new thread as this seems the appropriate place.

    Just recieved my latest water bill from Yorkshire Water. As it turns out, they have overestimated my actual usage, by a third. When questioned, they said it was because usage over summer was likely higher. Erm, yes ok, but this was from October to Jan, cold wet months.....Would they not know this? Hmmm.

    When I checked my actual reading on the meter, and compared my usage with the same period last year , i'd used 2 units less.

    Naughty naughty.

    I also noticed the price of water per unit, had gone up by 4.5%. I checked on their website, to find their wording interesting. it says:-

    "From 1st April 2018 the average amount we charge our customers for water and sewerage goes up by 3.3% and we’ve ensured this increase is lower than the rate of inflation."

    Clearly, 4.5% is not 3%, but thats where the 'average' bit comes in eh.

    Again, naughty naughty. Not impressed.

    I'm sure i read somewhere lately, that OFWAT were supposedly applying 'pressure' to water comapanies to drive down prices.
    Working then eh.
  • I have switched to a water meter. I was a little concerned, but now wish I had done it years ago. I was paying £124 a month. I was put on a temporary monthly payment of £35, and now the first bill has come in, I am paying £18 a month with an estimate going forward of £21 a month. Thank you! Saved about £1200 a year....
  • Hi all,

    Just received our first water bill since moving into our new flat. It's a 2-bed and we're two adult sharers whose usage is probably low to moderate (we don't take loads of baths or super long showers, only put full loads of washing on a couple times a week, turn taps off when shaving, brushing teeth etc, and we're out of the house most of the time).

    Thames Water are trying to tell us that we have used 47 cubic metres of water (that's 47,000 litres or the equivalent of 940 baths) in 36 days to a cost of £113.60! :( Even with the increased water use that comes along with sorting out a new living situation (deep cleaning, washing items from storage etc), it seems absolutely bonkers to us.

    I called Thames Water and the customer service person agreed that it seemed high. They're sending out an engineer to do a read within 15 days, but we were encouraged to pay up anyway. On our bill it says an 'initial read' was taken on 7th April, and an 'actual read' was taken on 13th May - this is the correct billing period. But, I believe that 'initial read' was an estimate. Nobody came out to actually read the meter on 7th April and we didn't read it ourselves on move-in day because we were incorrectly told we were unmetered by our landlord (he has lots of properties and got confused). So, maybe it's possible that their actual read on 13th May is correct, but they're gauging our usage unfairly based on an estimate. Is that even something that can happen? If so, I'm not sure how it's possible to sort this out.

    Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
  • Overseer
    Overseer Posts: 22
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    The engineer's report should solve the issue. If not, take your bill to CAB Citizens Advice Bureau, they're there to help. Meantime, If the bill is too large to pay just now, I personally would only pay your own calculation to the account. That way you are showing your intention to make payment when the correct calculation is arrived at.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    wanderer83 wrote: »
    So, maybe it's possible that their actual read on 13th May is correct, but they're gauging our usage unfairly based on an estimate. Is that even something that can happen? If so, I'm not sure how it's possible to sort this out.

    Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!


    Welcome to the forum.



    This happens a lot and often for a far bigger amount. You are clearly paying for the previous occupant's consumption who either hasn't told Thames the meter reading when they left, or gave an incorrect meter reading.



    However it isn't the water company's fault as the water has been used. Unless you or the landlord inform them of meter reading on the day you moved in, what else can the they do except estimate or accept the reading they were given?
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