To refuse to pay our water bill?!

[Mooblies]

We're just moved from a 3 bedroom house to a smaller 2 bedroom house.

Our water bill at our previous property was £30 per month. We have just spoken to the water company and apparently we will now be paying £800 per month as the new property is on a meter and cannot be taken off a meter.

We are already paying an extra £170 per month rent (it's gone up so much over the last 5 years!) and are really upset at having to find and extra £500 or so a year for water

Typo surely??? £800 a year?

Will be based on previous occupant's water usage. or their estimate of yours.

We have a 5 bed house with 4 occupants. We pay £60 a month on a water meter. I think it's based on the number of occupants of the house.

I really hope you mean £800 per year...

You pay for water on a meter in the same way as you pay for gas and electric, so the figure they have suggested is an estimate.

In my old 2 bed house we never paid more than £30 per month for a family of 5 and when we moved the water company owed is money. £80 per month is a massive over estimation but of course you don't want to end up in arrears.

If I were you I would arrange a direct debit with them for £40 per month and review as necessary.

Do you mean £80 per month? As I understand it, you can only have a meter taken away within six months of having it installed if you were the person that requested it to be installed. So you can't get rid.

Nor can you refuse to pay your bill. You can ring the company and arrange some kind of payment plan but you'll end up in court and with CCJs if you don't pay.

Oh, and YANBU to refuse to pay the bill provided you accept they ANBU to disconnect you.

Sorry £800 per year!!

I would let the meter decide how much you'll be paying. Give the company regular meter readings, pay when the bill comes in and not by DD and you'll be certain you're not going into credit.

Well, obviously if you don't pay the bill, you'll end up with ccjs and court costs and the like. Plus they may restrict your water supply.

I'm not sure if they can disconnect completely, can they? But regardless, it won't be nice!

i understand though, that you're not actually saying you aren't going to pay the bill, you're just having a moan about it and the extra cost. Which is a lot! It must have been a hell of a shock.

You have to pay it and you're stuck with a meter. I suggest you research ways to minimise the water you use and see how it goes.

You cannot refuse to pay but you can ask for the meter to be read the next month and ask if they can reduce the payment based on your own usage.

Also if you have anyone with ibs or a chronic illness such as Crohns disease you can go on a fixed rate usually no more than 30 per month. This is what my mum is on. Just thought it was worth mentioning.

We have a 3 bed and we pay £65 a month. Our washing machine is always on about 3 times a day though and we have ds 4 months and dd age 9 years so there's always water being used somewhere !

Have you looked into WaterSure? I'm not sure if you'd be eligible, but it may be worth a look.

Mooblies water is a funny one in that it can ger serious for non payment, a bit like council tax.

Non payment will result in CCJ's very quickly (no good for future house rentals) and even jail as an absolute last resort.

I urge you to pay your water bills but reckon they've proabably over estimated your usage at this stage.

I pay £76 per month for both waters. Am on a meter too.

£8 a week here on a water meter 2 bed house family of four plus 9 childminded children so often find taps left on etc please don't worry we have a massive credit on that amount of money which we keep for emergencies. Our payment could be £6 a week but I like to have a buffer.

YABU.

Call them and ask for an estimate based on how many consumers are in your home. Babies and children use the same amount as adults.

Then ask for quarterly readings to be taken to establish use vs estimation.

Then pay every penny of what you owe for the water your household has used.

Also google water saving advice to make sure you are not wasting water unnecessarily.

You can also ask for a leakage test - quite simply, a man with a listening hose comes and stands over your water meter. You ensure all water is turned off and he listens for leaks and checks the meter doesn't rotate. If there are leaks, most Water Companies repair them free of charge.

I've worked for a Water Company before I had kids, my DH still does. This is 100% what action you should take.

pretty sure they can't disconnect you, I think it's to do with the human rights bill. But obviously they can make your life very difficult in other ways if you don't pay.

If it's based on an estimate, you are not obliged to pay in advance for water (or gas or electric for that matter) that you haven't yet used. Direct debit discounts are usually given to persuade customers to pay in advance, but quarterly in arrears used to be the norm and should still be available.

Standing charges for supply and sewerage will still have to be paid in advance, but they are usually a smaller part of the bill.

Budgeting when you've just moved house can be overwhelming, I feel for you.

They can't disconnect you but they can turn the pressure down to a trickle.

They can't disconnect but the can reduce the water to your house and because they can't cut you off. They process with legal processes faster that gas companies.

There's no way it'll cost that much, we're on a meter plus I work from home dog grooming so there's 2 adults showering every day plus around 8 dogs being washed and I pay £25 a month.

Was it the landlord or water company who gave you that estimate?

In a way, YABVU since £800 a year is not expensive for water. We have to pay £170 a month. On the rates (and it would be more if we were on a meter since we have more occupants than the number of bedrooms in the house.) We live in the most expensive area for water in the country, I'm guessing you don't - but I'm also betting that the other areas will be gradually increasing till everyone is paying the same sort of levels as we are.

On the other hand, YANBU since water should never have been privatised, it should be renationalised and we should all pay a fair amount that doesn't factor in the need to 'reward' shareholders (and, frankly, FOR WHAT )

I think the general thing is that everyone is going to be metered soon enough.

Just be watchful of what you use and you will have your bill much reduced. You will only be paying for what water you take in and out so it is down to you really. Ask them to read the meter now and in a months time and adjust accoringly.

Also you don't hve to pay direct debit so whjatever the amount they are 'guestimating' you will use could be way out in anycase and by the time you get your first bill it will be cheaper.

My 76 per month is for a 4 bed house and I use a good deal of water.

They will not disconnect you, nor would they turn your water pressure down.

The worst is you would get a County Court Judgement against the billholders - but that's at the end of credit proceedings.

Please also note that other MNers amounts are irrelevant as they are based on either water and wastewater or just one of those. Some companies supply both, some companies supply just one.

YY every property will be metered by the end of the decade. Quite right too.

Errr it can cost that much depending where you live. We live in south west and average for a five person household on a meter is around 80quid a month. We have highest rates in the country. Bloody extortionate! They can't cut you off but government looking to introduce a scheme where they lessen flow to your home meaning you won't be able to shower or use garden hose!!! And water companies send bailiffs round veryyy quick

Thats a massive bill. We are a family of 4 in a 4 bed property with up to 10 minded children a day in the house too. Our metered water is approx £14 a week and we are in credit.

moleskin we are in the south west too