Paying more on meter than neighbour with no meter
evoke
Posts: 1,286 Forumite
in Water bills
I live in a 3-bed semi and have a water meter. My water bill is significantly higher than my neighbour's water bill. I have a meter but they don't have a meter.
I live alone and the neighbour has a family of five. My water meter was installed back in 2004, before I purchased my property.
How can this be fair? I have to conserve water whilst they have inflatable paddling pools in the garden during the summer and can use as much water as they like! Is there anything that I can do do redress this unfairness?
My water company just tell me that everyone will be on a water meter over the 'next 5 years or so'.
I live alone and the neighbour has a family of five. My water meter was installed back in 2004, before I purchased my property.
How can this be fair? I have to conserve water whilst they have inflatable paddling pools in the garden during the summer and can use as much water as they like! Is there anything that I can do do redress this unfairness?
My water company just tell me that everyone will be on a water meter over the 'next 5 years or so'.
Everyone is entitled to my opinion!
0
Comments
-
Water bills are not fair - period!
Why should someone living in the South West of UK pay over 3 times as much as - metered or unmetered - as some other parts of UK?
The root of the unfairness* of those without meters paying charges based on the Rateable Value(RV) goes back to the Water Act that introduced privatisation of the Water companies in 1990.
The aim of the Bill was that all properties would be metered, but allowed existing customers to choose initially between metered or unmetered charging.
However, the bill enabled water companies to enforce fitment of a meter when the property was sold; or the account holder changed in the case of tenants.
The problem was that the financing of the water companies means that there is no financial incentive for the companies to fit meters, or penalty if they failed to enforce that provision. Hence lots of companies simply didn't bother to fit meters and change of occupant did not mean a meter was fitted.
* Bear in mind that for many people having a meter is much cheaper than charges based on the RV. I would pay over £1,000 more if my charges were based on the old RV.
It is also pertinent to add that compulsory metering will not necessarily mean a reduction in water charges. For every household like your neighbour who will pay more, there are households that will pay less when a meter is compulsorily fitted.0 -
Thanks for the informative reply.
I had a long conversation with my water company this morning about this. Apparently there is a plan to move everyone in my street to metered water. However, it's a very, very long-term plan and they didn't want to tell me a time-frame.
I then asked whether I could go back to an RV-based system for my bills. They said no. In fact, they looked up typical costs for my street and I'd end up paying more on an RV-based billing system, so I'm slightly better off with a meter.
So, from a billing system perspective I'm happy with things.
My main gripe is that the majority of residents down my street enjoy unlimited water consumption all year round and pay less than I do, where I have to carefully watch how much water I use.Everyone is entitled to my opinion!0 -
Thanks for the informative reply.
I had a long conversation with my water company this morning about this. Apparently there is a plan to move everyone in my street to metered water. However, it's a very, very long-term plan and they didn't want to tell me a time-frame.
I then asked whether I could go back to an RV-based system for my bills. They said no. In fact, they looked up typical costs for my street and I'd end up paying more on an RV-based billing system, so I'm slightly better off with a meter.
So, from a billing system perspective I'm happy with things.
My main gripe is that the majority of residents down my street enjoy unlimited water consumption all year round and pay less than I do, where I have to carefully watch how much water I use.
IMO the fair system is for everyone to be metered where possible. The loophole allowing new account holders(after April 1990) to retain RV charging should have been closed by the water companies and by now the vast majority of properties would be metered.
However there are many other issues of unfairness in our water/sewerage system of charging.0 -
W pay around £350 a year on a meter. We use around 70cu.m a year so it works out at about £5 per cu.m for water & sewerage combined.
It would be costing us around £600 if we'd stayed on the RV regime.
Thats with Anglian Water - the unmetered standing charge for water and sewerage on their own is £519 without adding the RV poundage.Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0 -
Thanks for the informative reply.
I had a long conversation with my water company this morning about this. Apparently there is a plan to move everyone in my street to metered water. However, it's a very, very long-term plan and they didn't want to tell me a time-frame.
I then asked whether I could go back to an RV-based system for my bills. They said no. In fact, they looked up typical costs for my street and I'd end up paying more on an RV-based billing system, so I'm slightly better off with a meter.
So, from a billing system perspective I'm happy with things.
...So how are your neighbours paying significantly less than you if they are (presumably) paying on RV?? Have you actually seen their water bill?
I've had a water meter for 5 years and I've "saved" ~ £2k vs what I would have paid on the old RV method.:)0 -
brewerdave wrote: »...So how are your neighbours paying significantly less than you if they are (presumably) paying on RV?? Have you actually seen their water bill?
I've had a water meter for 5 years and I've "saved" ~ £2k vs what I would have paid on the old RV method.:)
It is perfectly possible for properties to have very low Rateable Value(RV) and thus pay very low water charges.
Bear in mind that the majority of properties in England had their RV assessment in 1973, or between 1973 and 1990 if their properties were built in this period. That RV assessment was based on the notional rent the property would command.
As I have posted before I know of large mansions that were almost derelict in 1973. They had a 'peppercorn' RV then because nobody would want to rent such a property. However they have since been modernised and are Band H for Council tax but have a lower RV than a Band A flat on an estate.0 -
brewerdave wrote: »...So how are your neighbours paying significantly less than you if they are (presumably) paying on RV?? Have you actually seen their water bill?
I've had a water meter for 5 years and I've "saved" ~ £2k vs what I would have paid on the old RV method.:)
We have just had our first metered bill and going on this we (just a couple in 3 bedroomed semi) will have saved around £1600 in the same time.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
- 607.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173K Life & Family
- 247.8K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards