This set of pages sets out our guidelines for water only and water and sewerage companies in supporting residential customers in England and Wales pay their bill, access help and repay debts.
Our guidelines include principles and minimum service expectations for these companies in supporting:
- all residential customers in England and Wales to pay their water, wastewater or combined water and wastewater bill;
- customers in vulnerable circumstances, including those at risk of falling into debt;
- customers who have their accounts managed by agents such as local authorities and housing associations;
- customers in debt; and
- customers in debt and facing debt recovery action by water companies and third parties.
Our guidelines apply to all residential customers including customers in mixed-use premises with a shared supply for which the principal use of the premises supplied is as a home.
If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact us. We also welcome direct feedback on how our guidelines are working and where customers are experiencing both good or bad service from their water company and those representing water companies.
Click on the buttons below or use the links in the side bar to view each section of our guidelines. You can find more information on how else we are encouraging companies to deliver better services for customers on other pages of our website.
A full electronic copy of ‘Paying fair – guidelines for water companies in supporting residential customers pay their bill, access help and repay debts’ is also available to download.
Summary of our principles and minimum service expectation areas
Principles |
What it means |
Minimum service expectations – summary |
For supporting all customers |
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| 1. Help make it easy for all customers to pay their water bill | Companies should seek to understand what will make it easier for different groups of customers to pay. This includes providing a reasonable range of payment frequencies and methods, for all customers. The entire range of options should be properly and widely advertised to ensure that customers can select the arrangement which best suits their circumstances. | • Ensure information about customers is correct, up to date and is used
• Make payments possible in person from different locations • Offer flexible payment and billing frequencies to match customers’ circumstances • Offer choice and availability of payment methods to suit customers’ needs and preferences • Encourage customers to use digital payment methods if they can • Advertise payment options to all customers in a variety of formats, languages and for those with specific communication needs • Use customer bills and payment transactions to improve customer understanding of options • Respond efficiently to customer requests to change payment arrangements • Seek better ways to engage with different customers • Show customers how their views on billing, payment and support are encouraging improvements to services • Make payment, help and debt services inclusive by design • Consider how customers’ ability to pay affects their service experience • Use best practice when using credit reference agencies Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support all customers’ |
For supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances |
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| 2. Make sure customers who are eligible for help receive it when it is needed | Companies should establish and implement clear and effective policies, procedures and systems and a helpful culture to identify customers in vulnerable circumstances, including customers at risk of falling into debt and other life events such as financial abuse or a bereavement, and take proactive action to offer them support. | • Use all reasonable efforts to predict and support customers at risk of falling into debt
• Identify and support customers in vulnerable circumstances • Use data sharing arrangements to identify customers in vulnerable circumstances • Communicate effectively and sensitively with customers in vulnerable circumstances • Offer customers the option for their account to be managed by authorised third party individuals • Use approaches to debt management for customers in vulnerable circumstances that are appropriate to their circumstances • Make it easy for relatives to close or amend the accounts of a loved one who dies Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support customers in vulnerable circumstances’ |
For supporting customers paying through third parties |
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| 3. Treat customers that have their accounts managed by agents as customers of the company | Customers whose accounts are managed by local authorities, housing associations or some other form of billing agent should, wherever practicable, receive the same level of service and care as those whose accounts remain with the water company. | • Have clear agreements with agents
• Make customers aware of their rights • Consult tenants where charges are collected as part of the tenancy • Act quickly to help resolve disputes between customers and agents Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support customers through third parties’ |
For supporting customers in debt |
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| 4. Be proactive in contacting customers in debt | Companies should be proactive in making contact with customers to identify whether they are in payment difficulty. Companies should regularly review their contact methods to make sure they meet the needs of customers. Companies should use every contact as an opportunity to listen, gain more information about the customer’s ability to pay and share ways they can be supported. | • Show customers empathy
• Proactively offer other alternative payment options to customers in debt • Send clear reminders that provide advice and next steps • Contact customers using different methods and stop chasing them if they are getting debt advice • Make sure communications are friendly and company representatives are easy for customers to talk to • Tailor debt recovery strategies and review them for suitability, fairness and empathy • Demonstrate quality service Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support customers in debt’ |
| 5. Be clear, courteous and non-threatening to customers in debt | All communications sent to customers in debt should be in plain language and numbers, be courteous and non-threatening. But the water company should clearly set out the action which they will take if the customer fails to make payment or contact the company, along with the possible consequences for the customer | • Design the content of communications around customers’ information needs
• Tailor the language of communications to customer’s needs • Use fair tools for encouraging payment • Explain the implications for customers at risk of enforcement action • Use enforcement action as a last resort • Respond quickly, fully and appropriately to disputes or queries about debts • Regularly review and update debt communications learning from feedback and complaints from customers Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support customers in debt’ |
| 6. Agree payments that are right for each customer in debt | When agreeing payment arrangements with customers, the customer’s circumstances should be taken into account wherever possible. Payments should be based on a consistent approach for assessing a customer’s ability to pay. Repayments should be understandable to the customer – and regularly reviewed as their circumstances change to make sure repayments are sustainable. And the customer should be re-engaged if the payments fail | • Double check that the customer is in debt
• Establish each customer’s ability to pay and allow customers to consider payment proposals • Refer customers to company’s financial hardship fund or other affordability schemes for help • Help customers reduce future charges • Agree repayment levels that are realistic, understandable and regularly reviewed • Refer customers to local advice agencies, charities or voluntary organisations for further help • Re-engage with customers over missed instalments and make sure follow up action is proportionate Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support customers in debt’ |
For supporting customers facing debt recovery action |
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| 7. Treat customers facing debt recovery action with care | Customers whose accounts are managed by debt recovery agents should, wherever practicable, receive the same level of service and care as those whose accounts remain with the water company. The potential consequences of having their debt managed by a third party should be no more severe than if the service was provided directly by the company. | • Treat customers facing debt recovery action with empathy, sensitivity and provide the same quality of service as other customers
• Ensure the needs of priority service register customers are met • Use reputable debt collection companies that treat customers fairly and in line with agreed levels of service • Regularly and robustly check customers facing debt recovery action are treated sensitively • Continue to communicate directly with customers facing debt recovery action • Retain access to the customer’s account • Allow customers to raise disputes involving the agent with the water company • Speak to local authorities to find alternatives to evictions where non-payment of water charges could result in evictions • Only sell debt to reputable parties and where other recovery activities have been exhausted • Tell courts promptly when customers clear their debts • Demonstrate service levels to CCW Find out more about ‘Paying Fair Guidelines to support customers facing debt recovery action’ |