Surface water drainage rebates
What is surface water?
Surface water drainage is where rainwater is removed from properties.
Most rainwater falling on properties drains into public sewers owned by the ten water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. The surface water drainage charge covers the costs of taking away and treating surface water that runs from properties into a sewerage company’s sewers. This includes water that flows through gutters or which runs into the road and ends up in a company owned sewer.
What is a surface water drainage rebate?
If no surface water from your property enters a public sewer then you may qualify for a reduction in your sewerage charge ('surface water drainage rebate'). You should make an application to your company providing evidence that none of your surface water enters the public sewer. Your company should explain the kind of evidence that it would need to see. They will check whether you qualify and if you do, you will not be charged for surface water drainage on future bills and amounts paid in this current year will be refunded.
Why do I need to apply for a rebate?
The companies' charging schemes set out their requirement for customers to apply for a rebate, which they will apply from the beginning of the financial year in which the customer makes the application.
Generally speaking we consider this approach to be reasonable as it is not possible for a company to be aware of the surface water drainage arrangements of all the individual properties in its area.
Why can't the surface water drainage rebate be backdated?
Historically, companies have been entitled to raise full sewerage charges where customers' properties have a connection (for any purpose) to the public sewer. (There is a case law in support of this position see Yorkshire Water Services Ltd v Hall [1995]).
Using our powers to approve companies' charging schemes which came into effect from April 2000, we have required companies to separately identify the surface water drainage element of sewerage charges and to offer rebates to customers who can show that their premises are not connected to the public sewer for this service.
But it is not possible for a company to be aware of the privately owned surface water drainage arrangements of all the individual properties in its area.
There will be occasions when a company did know, or might reasonably be expected to have known, that a property or properties were not connected to its sewerage system for surface water drainage. Under such circumstances we would expect the company to apply a rebate with effect from the date that it knew it was not providing the service.
If you believe that your water company should have been aware that your property was not connected for surface water drainage, and you are unable to resolve this matter with your company, you may wish to contact the Consumer Council for Water.
