To think water company is taking the piss?

[canigooutyet]

My water used to be tacked onto my rent. This has changed this year and just received the bill. No chance of a water meter to reduce the costs as its a block of flats according to them (not sure if this is true or if they are trying to pull a fast one)

£44.50 a month for two of us. My electric is cheaper than this!!

Ours is roughly 30£ per month for family of 4 in London, no idea why so much lower

My DF in a rural area living alone is paying more

To think water company is taking the piss?
That’s their job, surely?

Seems high for a flat? We pay £41 for 4 of us in a house in the south east. Not particularly careful with the water...

@Happynewtier

I'd press on for a meter. We're metered (in SW which is apparently high) in large 4 bed house, 2 adults, 2 kids, a large garden and 4 dogs that need regular washing, and our bill never works out more than £30pm.

Some properties can't be metered.

So the OP can press on as much as she like but she still won't have a water meter installed as they can't install one if her property has water piping joined in difficult places to meter. (In theory they could put in 2 or 3 meters but in practice they won't due to the size and location of where they would have to be installed. )

She will just be put on an assessed charge which is normally lower than water rates.

[quote RedMarauder]@littleblackno Water bills vary within London even if they are all supplied by Thames Water.

I lived in a 4 bedroom house that had a much lower water bill than a 2 bedroom flat in a different borough.[/quote]

Yes because of the 'rateable value' whatever that is, which was set back in 70s or 80s. It's really unfair.

My water bill literally doubled to nearly 600 a year, when I moved a mile up the road in London, from a 2 bed garden flat, to a 2-bed flat in a small block with a communal garden. Both Thames Water. It's so, so much cheaper now we have a water meter.

I can't believe people are saying that's reasonable!

I pay £25 a month for 2 people in a 4 bed detached.

I'm in the South East, with SE Water and on a meter.

I'm surprised at some of the higher costs up thread from people in the same area as us.

We shower every day, probably use the dishwasher every other day and do about 3-4 loads of washing a week. Very rarely have a bath.

We don't wash the cars at home but do use the hose pipe in the garden in summer.

No hot tubs or paddling pools.

Both WFH so all drinks are at home.

Oh and mine is much cheaper on the water meter even though there are 3 of us and we like a bath. Definitely get Thames Water to either check whether you have an individual supply again, OP, or get the reduced rate as mentioned by PPs.

@pam290358

Get a smart meter fitted. That way they don’t have to enter the property to read it.

I've been trying to get one for years for gas and electricity. Even changed suppliers but keep getting various excuses. But then we only got fibre in the area just over a year ago

@GappyValley

£22 each for a limitless supply of clean safe water, and all your sewage taken away?

It’s an absolute bargain.

How much do you that service is worth?

Not sure really how much I think it's worth. I just don't like getting ripped off by companies and wasn't sure if Thames are. With other utilities at leAst I can properly compare charges and switch as and when.

Be grateful you don't live in the South West then. Ours is 75 per month with South West Water.

We just got a 600 pound bill for the year also in London. 3 people, Not metered. This thread has helped my initial annoyance with the bill.

[quote PattyPan]@littlepattilou it’s not good value when you look at it in the context of people like me being with the same company and paying half what they are for the same sized household![/quote]
As a few people have been said, get a water meter then.

Funny though, when people complain about how expensive their water bill is, and you suggest they ask for a water meter, they don't seem too keen.

Funny that.

£44 a month for limitless water is good, even if there's just one person, and it's ridiculous to suggest it isn't.

@DynamoKev

To think water company is taking the piss? That’s their job, surely?

Brilliant!

£41 a month here. Two adults.

@littlepattilou except OP has asked for a meter

[quote PattyPan]@littlepattilou except OP has asked for a meter [/quote]
I was directing my comment at you.

£80 p/m one adult and two children. South West Water 🤬

@user1495884673

If they are charging for wastewater as well, then they are literally taking the piss.

I'll get my coat...

@user1495884673. My first through when I saw the title of the post was ‘I hope they are, that’s their job’.

Mine used to be £88 per month for one adult and one child in a 2 bed flat!! This was South West Water who charge an extortionate amount. I seriously thought I had a leak but all my neighbours were paying the same. I’ve now moved to a different provider and it’s £39 per month for 4 adults in a 4 bed house.

This data shows that water is expensive here, but we don't have it as bad as Denmark and Germany.

www.waterworld.com/international/article/16200748/worldwide-survey-reveals-water-costs-rising

My water rates with SWW for me in a small cottage on my own based on rateable value was £622 in 2011, increased from £548 the previous year. My bills on a meter supply are around £200 now.

Seems excessive. Press for a water meter, and check the appeals process (is the regulator still called OFWAT?)

@peak2021

Seems excessive. Press for a water meter, and check the appeals process (is the regulator still called OFWAT?)

The consumer regulator is the Consumer Council for Water. They are the people you complain to over your own individual billing and metering issues after you've made a formal complaint to your water company which isn't resolved.

OFWAT is the industry regulator e.g. the one you make genetic complaints about things like anti-competitive practices.

As promised an update
So spoke to a wonderful person today and I have an appointment for someone to come out in a couple of weeks to assess my property.
Was asked loads of questions
Income is too much for the low household income discount.

Have registered with their priority service due to health conditions and have to send them so paperwork. As anyone knows who seen me posting or check my history, knows not only do I have pets lol, but I also have chronic kidney disease, mh, and a plethora of other illnesses. So at least I get some help if services are disrupted.

the flats management have also sent us a newsletter to say they are trying to get to the bottom of it all because as far as they are aware none of the properties have been assessed!! they had a flood of calls over the weekend about this.

thank you everyone for the amazing advice you've give me and I suggest if anyone is struggling contact their water companies to find out if they can help reduce costs and to get their property individually assessed.