Paying fair – guidelines for water companies in supporting residential customers pay their bill, access help and repay debts
| Date | 25 May 2022 |
May 2022
Paying fair – guidelines for water
companies in supporting residential
customers pay their bill, access help
and repay debts
Paying fair – guidelines for water companies in supporting residential customers pay their bill, access
help and repay debts
1
About this document
This document 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.
You can find more information on how else we are encouraging companies to deliver better
services for customers on our website.
Published: 25 May 2022
Contents
Using our guidelines ............................................................................................................. 3
Our principles ....................................................................................................................... 6
Our minimum service expectations ....................................................................................... 9
For supporting all customers .............................................................................................. 9
1. Help make it easy for all customers to pay their water bill
...................................... 9
Paying fair – guidelines for water companies in supporting residential customers pay their bill, access
help and repay debts
2
For supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances .................................................... 15
2. Make sure customers who are eligible for help receive it when it is needed .................. 15
For supporting customers through third parties ............................................................... 19
3. Treat customers that have their accounts managed by agents as customers of the
company ......................................................................................................................... 19
For supporting customers in debt .................................................................................... 20
4. Be proactive in contacting customers in debt
........................................................ 20
5. Be clear, courteous and non-threatening to customers in debt
........................... 23
6. Agree payments that are right for each customer in debt
.................................... 27
For supporting customers facing debt recovery action ..................................................... 30
7. Treat customers facing debt recovery action with care
........................................ 30
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