In the UK: What will happen if you don't pay your water rates?

Question

Will they cut off your water supply? as water is necessary for hygiene purpose.(toilet...)

Answer 1

No,they will NOT cut off your supply! It is illegal for them to do so,as water is vital for life.If you are having problems with your bill, in the first instance, phone/write to your water company,explaining your problem,and ask if you could come to some arrangement to pay it off gradually. Should you be unlucky enough to be refused,go to your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau,who will tell you your options legally. This is free.Non payment can, in some instances, lead to court action.

Answer 2

The supply of clean water is more or less enshrined as a basic human right and only in the most extreme of circumstances will water get cut off - usually when the water company has good grounds to beleive the premises in question are unoccupied.

The usual procedure is to send warning letters then a final demand. If payment is not forthcoming an action may be brought in the County Court with the issuing of a County Court Summons (CCS).

Issuing a CCS is the first step in debt recovery. When the CCS is issued the defendant (debtor) can appeal, counterclaim, pay in full or make arrangements to pay by instalments. If a CCS is issued and it the balance is paid in full then no further action is taken and the debtors credit file is unaffacted. If the debtor takes no action and doesn't pay the full amount then the result is a County Court Judgement (CCJ) being entered against the customer.

The Judgement can be paid in full within one month and will be removed from the persons credit file and no further action taken. If the Judgement is not paid or not contested the water company can apply to the courts for a Warrant of Execution - a strange title as it has nothing to do with having your head chopped off but authorises bailiffs to seize goods in order to satisfy the debt. Any goods seized will be sold at public auction.

The water company can also apply to the courts for a Garnishee Order which is served on the debtors bank or other financial institution and demands payment be made from the debtors assets.

Another possibility is to apply for an Attachment of Earnings Order which is served on the debtors employer and orders that a set amount be deducted from the debtors salary and paid directly to the court.

In order to obtain as much infomation as possible about the debtor, the water company may apply to the courts for an Oral Examination. This is a court order requiring the debtor to attend court and / or submit information about their assets, employment, other debts, commitments etc. The information provided gives a clearer picture of the debtors status and the water company may make a decision based on this information. It's worth knowing that an Oral Examination is a court order and failure to comply is contempt of court and can result in a prison sentence - usually of 14 days.

One other possibility (which only works if the debtor owns property), is to apply for a Charging Order. This places a 'charge' on the debtors property in a similar way to a mortgage and upon the sale of the property the debt is paid from the proceeds of the sale.

In extreme cases the water company can apply to the courts to have the debtor declared bankrupt. When this happens the debtors assets and finances are managed by an administrator who may take whatever action they deem necessary to satisfy the debt. In the event of bankruptcy all debts become due for immediate and full payment and in some cases the administrator may decide that the debtors house or other assets have to be sold to pay off the debts.

The procedures outlined above are those available to anyone trying to recover a debt - not just the water companies.

In recent years the water companies have been trying to get legislation passed that will allow them to restrict the water supply to a debtor, one possibility being to cut off the water supply at certain times of the day. As far as I'm aware no such legislation has entered the statute books as yet.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing difficulty paying their water rates or other bills then seek advice as soon as possible. The Citizen's Advice Bureau and Consumer Credit Counselling Service can offer free and practical advice on debt management.

Citizens Advice - http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
CCCS - http://www.cccs.co.uk/
Court Service - http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/

Answer 3

It is illegal for the water company to cut off the supply to a property when they believe that somebody lives there. In this case they will take you to court. For a debt of less than £1000 you will be taken to the small claims court, which would impose a County Court Judgement.

Answer 4

They can take you to court to make someone pay but can't cut off domestic water supplies as this is a violation basic human rights.

Answer 5

They will cut off your water supply, unless you have very young or very old people living at the property. And they will take you to County Court for the debt to be enforced. Once they have a Court Order, they will "distrain" (i.e. take away and sell to pay the debt) as much of your property as needed. You will also have to pay the Court's costs, as well as the fees for the Bailiffs enforcing the Court Order.

Answer 6

Legally you cannot have the water supply cut off, due to human rights everyone is entitled to have water and it would be against the law to withdraw this.
Although the thing that gets me is if this is the case why should we have to spend so much money paying for something we are entitled to?????????????????

Answer 7

That's a really good question and I've often wondered that myself. They would probably disconnect you which is weird because under human rights, i thought a landlord wasn't allowed to have disconnected water to a property where someone was squatting. So why should this be different??? Does that mean we can all continue to have water for free??

Answer 8

Not sure if they cut of you water supply, they do keep on sending repeated reminders for the bill payment. Good Luck!

Answer 9

You get your water cut off

Answer 10

Think about it madam it is the cheapest bill you have to pay.Water is cleaner in G.B than a lot of European countries .You are really lucky.Also maintenance and clearing sewage have to come out of your pocket.So if you don't the water company will take you to the magistrates and fine you after which they will install a water meter.