'My water company has raised my bills by 50% but is refusing to fit a meter - what do I do?'

5 hours ago 27

Reader Rachael got successful interaction with the Money squad aft her h2o measure went up by astir 50%...

I've conscionable been told my h2o measure is rising by astir 50%. We are retired, our kids person flown the nest and we unrecorded successful a four-bed detached house. Our bills are done the extortion adjacent though we hardly usage immoderate h2o - we don't person a hosepipe for our plot and we instrumentality abbreviated showers. But our supplier is refusing to springiness america a h2o meter. What tin we do?

Money blog exertion Jimmy Rice tackles this one...

Thank you for your question, Rachael.

The wide regularisation of thumb is that if you person much bedrooms than radical successful the house, oregon adjacent the aforesaid amount, you could prevention wealth by having a h2o metre - truthful you're close to privation one.

Since 1990, it has been mandatory for caller homes to person a meter.

Yours is an contented we perceive astir a batch with h2o companies refusing to acceptable 1 connected homes older than that.

Read each the latest Money quality here

Citizens Advice points retired that you person a close to beryllium charged for your h2o connected the ground of what you usage (tenants besides person the close to inquire for a metre if their tenancy statement is for six months oregon longer) - with 1 large but: "You person a close to person a metre installed escaped of charge, unless it's not applicable oregon is unreasonably costly to bash this."

It mightiness not beryllium applicable if the h2o proviso is shared, if determination is inaccessible pipework oregon the h2o institution cannot find a suitable determination for the meter.

"If you can't person a h2o metre installed for immoderate reason, your h2o institution whitethorn beryllium capable to enactment you connected a cheaper tariff to prevention money," Citizens Advice says.

How your h2o measure is calculated

Most unmetered homes are charged based connected the "rateable value" of their home. In a nutshell, earlier April 1990, each spot successful England and Wales was fixed a rateable worth based connected however overmuch the spot could beryllium fto for.

Which, clearly, isn't precise scientific.

What tin you do?

As Citizens Advice advises, inquire your supplier, which is apt to beryllium Southern Water, whether they tin enactment you connected a cheaper tariff successful lieu of a meter.

It is sometimes suggested that households inquire for an "assessed charge", though Southern Water bases its assessed charges connected the fig of bedrooms unless you're a azygous occupier - truthful this whitethorn not assistance successful your case.

Helpfully, Southern does tally done charges for metered, rateable worth and assessed complaint homes here - truthful you could get your calculator retired and enactment retired which enactment is champion for you.

What other could you do?

Water companies are obliged to assistance customers struggling with their bills and whitethorn run societal tariffs.

I've looked connected your behalf and recovered Southern offers further assistance if:

Your household income is low;
Everyone successful your location gets a means-tested benefit;
You've got 3 oregon much children nether 19 surviving astatine home;
Someone surviving with you needs much h2o due to the fact that of a aesculapian condition;
You haven't made a outgo to america for a while.

Finally, galore h2o companies besides connection escaped water-saving devices similar ablution heads - and though Southern isn't portion of this scheme, it's worthy talking to the institution astir immoderate assistance it tin offer.

Every Tuesday, we get an adept to reply your fiscal problems oregon user disputes. This diagnostic is not intended arsenic fiscal proposal - the purpose is to springiness an overview of the things you should deliberation about.

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