If you do not pay your bill
If you do not pay your bill or contact the company to discuss any difficulties you may be experiencing, your company will take action against you to recover the debt. This could take a number of forms. Your company could:
- send a reminder notice
- telephone you to request payment
- pass your debt to a debt recovery agent
As a last resort, the company can take you to court to recover the money you owe. However, as a household customer, they cannot disconnect you.
It is important that you contact your water company as soon as you are aware that you may not be able to pay your bill. Coming to an early arrangement with your water company will remove the risk of further legal or court costs being added to your account. It will also mean that your credit rating is not affected. We expect your water company to deal with your individual circumstances sensitively. If you are unhappy with your water company’s response, you can ask the Consumer Council for Water to look into the issue on your behalf.
Companies are required to follow our guidelines on dealing with household customers in debt, so that they deal with you sensitively whilst being able to recover the money that is legally due to them. There will be more information in your water company’s code of practice on debt. You can ask your water company to send you a free copy.
If you would like independent advice you can contact the Consumer Council for Water. For matters not related specifically to water you can also contact the Citizens Advice Bureau.
