What this guide covers
We’re committed to taking responsibility and making things right when we get them wrong. We work hard to make sure that we deliver an excellent service to you. We back this up with service guarantees and payments to you if we fail to meet the required standard.
Our guarantees set by law are known as Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). This guide only covers the GSS standards as mandated by The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
This guide will explain the Guaranteed Standards Scheme to you, and it’ll outline the length of time we’ll take to respond to contacts and incidents and how much we’ll pay if we fail to meet our promises.
Guaranteed Standards Schemes
Account queries
- We’ll offer you a morning or afternoon appointment, or an appointment within a two-hour time slot if you request it.
- We’ll give you 24 hours’ notice if we need to cancel an appointment we’ve made with you.
- We’ll keep all non-cancelled appointments that we make with you.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
| HH: £40 | Business: £40 | Automatic payment |
| HH: £50 | Business: £50 | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- If you cancel the appointment.
- If we cancel with more than 24 hours’ notice.
- It is not feasible to keep the appointment due to severe weather conditions.
- It is not feasible to keep the appointment due to industrial action by our employees. 5. It is not feasible to keep the appointment due to an act or default of a person other than a Severn Trent Water representative.
* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you’re a household customer or £40 if you’re a business customer.
Complaints, account queries & requests about changes to payment arrangements
- We’ll reply to a query about your bill.
- We’ll reply to a complaint.
| We'll respond to your contact within | What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
| 10 working days | HH: £40 | Business: £40 | Automatic payment |
- We’ll let you know if we’re unable to meet your request to change your payment method or frequency.
| We'll respond to your contact within | What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
| 5 working days | HH: £40 | Business: £40 | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- The complaint, query or request is not valid.
- It must include your name, the address of the premises, describe:
- what is being queried,
- the issue which the complaint relates to or
- the payment arrangement that the request relates to and describes that change that is being requested
- And include at least one of the following:
- an address for correspondence,
- an email address for correspondence or
- a contact telephone number.
- The telephone number used to make the complaint was not a valid telephone number.
- If you do not want to continue with your complaint, query or request.
- If the complaint, query or request was not sent to a valid address, email address, telephone number, or alternative means of communication.
- The complaint, query or request is frivolous or vexatious.
- Industrial action by our employees made it not feasible to send a substantive response within the relevant period.
- In the case of a query, we reasonably considered a visit to be necessary, but severe weather made it not feasible to make the visit.
- The act or default of a person other than a Severn Trent Water representative made it not feasible to send a substantive response within the relevant period.
* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40.
Planned supply interruptions
If we plan to interrupt your water supply to carry out essential maintenance or repair work.
- We will give you 48 hours’ notice in advance in writing if we plan to interrupt your supply for longer than 4 hours.
- We’ll restore your supply by the time promised on the warning card or letter that we’ve sent you.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
| HH: £50 | Business: £100 | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- Industrial action by our employees makes it unfeasible for us to give you the correct notice at least 48 hours before the supply was cut off.
- The act or default of a person other than a Severn Trent Water representative made it unfeasible for us to give the correct notice at least 48 hours before the supply was cut off.
- It is impractical for us to identify you as being affected, and you have not made a claim within three months of the date on which the supply was cut off.
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you are a household customer and £100 if you are a business customer.
Unplanned supply interruptions
- When your supply is interrupted for a reason out of our control, such as a burst main.
- We aim to restore your supply: o If the interruption was required to serve a notice under 60(3) of the WIA), by the date and time specified in the notice or
- Within 12 hours.
- If we don’t meet these targets, you’ll receive an additional payment for each further 12 hours you are without water.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
HH: £50 | Business: £100 For each extra complete 12 hours you are without water you’ll receive: HH: £50 | Business: £100 The payment for a single event is capped at two times the annual water charges for the property. | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- The interruption is due to drought.
- Industrial action by our employ ees prevented the supply being restored.
- The act or default of a person other than a Severn Trent Water representative prevented the supply from being restored.
- Where the supply was interrupted or cut off due to a leak or burst on a strategic main, or for any other unplanned reason, the circum stances were so exceptional that it would be unreasonable to expect the supply to be restored within the relevant period.
- It is impractical for us to identify you as being affected, and you have not made a claim within three months of the date of the supply not being duly restored
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you are a household customer and £100 if you are a business customer.
Water pressure
- If you experience a fall in your water pressure (below 7 meters per static head of water) for more than an hour, twice in 28 consecutive days.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
HH: £50 | Business: £50 (both), £50, up to five payments per financial | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- Five payments or a maximum of £250 have already been made to you in respect of the same financial year.
- If it’s impractical to identify you as being affected, and you don’t claim within 3 months of the incident.
- Industrial action by our employees made it not feasible to maintain the pressure standard. 4. The act or default of a person other than a Severn Trent Water representative make it not feasible to maintain the pressure standard.
* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40.
Sewer flooding – internal
- We’ll respond to any instances of sewer flooding inside your property, including a domestic outbuilding.
| We'll respond to your contact within | What we'll pay if we fail to respond |
4 hours of the first report of internal flooding | The sum equal to your annual sewerage charge Minimum: £300 | Maximum: £2,000 A payment of the sum equal to your annual sewerage charge, unless:
If another incident takes place within 12 months of a previous incident ending, we will make a payment for each new incident:
|
Times when we won't pay
The entry of the effluent was caused by:
- An abnormal or unforeseeable event, including a natural event, outside of our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided by the exercise of all due care by Severn Trent Water.
- Industrial action by our employees.
- Your actions.
- A defect, inadequacy or blockage in your drains or sewers.
- It is impractical for us to identify you as being affected and you have not made a claim within three months of the effluent entering your building.
* If we have not made a payment for a single incident of internal sewer flooding within 20 days, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you’re a household customer or £100 if you’re a business customer.
* If we have not made a payment for repeat incidents of internal sewer flooding that take place within 12 months of a previous incident ending, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you’re a household customer or £100 if you’re a business customer.
Sewer flooding – external
- We’ll respond to any instances of sewer flooding outside your property.
| We'll respond to your contact within | What we'll pay if we fail to respond |
If the issue is reported before 12 pm we will visit the same day, if reported after 12 pm we will visit up to 10 pm the next day. | 50% to your annual sewerage charge Minimum: £150 | Maximum: £1,000 A payment of equal to 50% of your annual sewerage charge, unless:
If another incident takes place within 12 months of a previous incident ending, we will make a payment for each new incident:
|
Times when we won't pay
The entry of the effluent was caused by:
- An abnormal or unforeseeable event, including a natural event, outside of our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided by the exercise of all due care by Severn Trent Water.
- Industrial action by our employees.
- Your actions.
- A defect, inadequacy or blockage in your drains or sewers.
- We have already made a payment to you in respect of the same incident for internal sewer flooding.
- You were not materially affected by the incident.
- If you do not claim the payment from us within three months of the incident.
* If we have not made a payment for a single incident of external sewer flooding within 20 days, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you’re a household customer or £40 if you’re a business customer.
* If we have not made a payment for repeat incidents of external sewer flooding that take place within 12 months of a previous incident ending, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40 if you’re a household customer or £40 if you’re a business customer.
Domestic customers in arrears
We will make a payment to you if we give information to a credit reference agency in relation to your failure to pay your charges, or begin legal proceedings for the purposes of recovering their charges without first:
- Giving you an outstanding charges notice, containing:
- the amount of the outstanding charges, and how that amount has been calculated;
- the period to which the outstanding charges relate;
- the address of the domestic premises to which the outstanding charges relate;
- if the premises is metered, the serial number of that meter;
- information about how you can contact us to confirm receipt;
- information about how you can contact us to pay the outstanding charges or to dispute or otherwise make representations;
- the deadline for you to either pay the charges or raise a dispute or make representations. This should be at least 30 calendar days beginning with the day the outstanding charge notice is given to you; and
- information about the steps we may take regarding the charges, including giving information to a credit reference agency or beginning legal proceedings;
- Making a second attempt (containing the above information) to contact you if you have not either
- a) confirmed receipt of the outstanding charges notice, or
- b) contacted us to make arrangements for paying the outstanding charges or made representations in connection with us;
- Allowing at least 30 calendar days to pass from the issuing of the outstanding charge notice; and,
- Taking account of any steps taken, or representations or payments made by you.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
| £150 | Automatic payment |
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40.
Opting to be charged through a meter
If you request to have a meter installed and be charged on a measured tariff, this must be done within eight weeks of your request.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
A sum equal to the charges you pay for the supply of water
| Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- We were prevented from beginning to measure the supply of water for the purpose of charging by industrial action by our employees.
- The act or default of a person other than you (or someone acting on your behalf) or a staff member or agent of Severn Trent Water (or someone acting on our behalf).
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40.
Reading of meters
We will read your meter at least once in a 13-month period* to obtain an actual reading.
- For existing meters, the first 13-month period begins on 1 October 2025.
- For meters installed after that date, the first 13-month period begins on the date that the meter was installed.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
The first time we failed to read your HH: £40 | Business: £40 The second or subsequent times we have failed to read your meter as required. HH: £80 | Business: £80 | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- You refuse us access to the premises for the purpose of reading the meter, or obstructing the reading of the meter.
- Industrial action by our employees.
- The act or default of a person other than the you (or someone acting on your behalf) or a staff member or agent of our company (or someone acting on our behalf) in preventing the meter from being read practically or safely.
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40
Providing Core Priority Services
We are required to have priority services registers. The services covered by GSS, referred to as ‘core’ priority services, are:
- delivery of an alternative water supply during any supply interruption;
- use of alternative formats of communication, such as braille, audio information or large print; and,
- allowing you, or someone on your behalf, to appoint a person to manage your account on your behalf.
If you request to receive ‘core’ priority service, we’ll provide you with a statement confirming that you have been added to the core priority services register (a ‘CPSR inclusion notice’) and confirm the services you’re entitled to.
If we do not issue a CPSR inclusion notice within 30 calendar days of your request to be added, or you being otherwise added through a mechanism such as data sharing, we’ll automatically make a GSS payment.
If, during an incident, we fail to provide a ‘core’ priority service listed on your CPSR inclusion notice, or if we provide the service later than the time indicated in the CPSR inclusion notice, we’ll automatically make a GSS payment.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
| £100 | Automatic payment |
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40.
Water pressure
- This applies where we serve you a notice restricting the use of the water supplied due to a possible water quality issue.
- A payment is to be made to you if a water quality notice is served and supply is not restored by the end of a 48-hour period.
| What we’ll pay if we fail to respond | How we’ll pay you |
HH: £40 | Business: £60 For each number of complete 24 hour periods after the initial 48 hour period during which the quality of supply is not restored. HH: £40 | Business: £40 *Up to a cap of the sum of the water supply charges you pay for the financial year in which the notice is served. | Automatic payment |
Times when we won't pay
- The water supply was polluted or contaminated by you.
- The notice was served due to drought or immediately following a drought.
- The supply was interrupted or cut off by the wholesaler under section 75(7) of the Water Industry Act.
* Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £40.
Retail Market
If you are a Non-Household customer, you are still protected by the GSS regulations, however, in the Retail Market all payments will be sent to you through your Retailer. If the failure was Wholesaler related, we will still write to you to confirm a GSS payment request has been sent to your Retailer.
The different tables above set out the responsibilities for both household and business customers. If you believe you are entitled to a retail related GSS payment, please contact your retailer directly.
| GSS Regulations | Party Potentially Liable | Timescale in GSS Regulations for payment | Timescale Allocation for WRC | ||
| Wholesale | Retailer | Contracting Wholesaler | Contracting Retailer | ||
| Moving to measured charging for the supply of water | - | Yes | 20 working days | n/a | n/a |
| Meter reading | - | Yes | 20 working days | n/a | n/a |
| Issuing of water quality notices | - | Yes | 20 working days | n/a | n/a |
| Making appointments | Yes | Yes | 10 working days | 5 working days | 5 working days |
| Keeping appointments | Yes | Yes | 10 working days | 5 working days | 5 working days |
| Low pressure | Yes | - | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Notice of interruption to supply | Yes | Yes | 20 working days | 15 working days | 5 working days |
| Supply not restored | Yes | - | 20 working days | 15 working days | 5 working days |
| Account queries and requests to change payment arrangements | - | Yes | 10 working days | n/a | n/a |
| Complaints | Yes | Yes | 10 working days | 8 workings day | 2 working days |
| Flooding from sewers (internal flooding) | Yes | - | 20 working days | 15 working days | 5 working days |
| Flooding from sewers (external flooding) | Yes | - | 20 working days | 15 working days | 5 working days |
Frequently asked questions
There are some rare and exceptional circumstances we may not be able to meet our standards because of events that are beyond our control. If this happens our service guarantees don’t apply, and payments may not be due. Examples include:
- Severe weather
- Industrial action
- Third party action
If you’re unsure about whether you should be paid please contact our Customer Operations Service Centre, all of our contact details are on the final page of this document. Payments under GSS don’t affect your legal rights and they also don’t mean that we admit liability.
Yes, we ask a sample of customers what they think of our service each year and we also invite feedback from anyone who is not in the sample. We use the information we gather to make further improvements relating to our service to you. As well as the service guarantees, we’ve set other standards to make sure that our service is as good as you expect it to be. We continuously review these standards and compare them against other companies who provide services to you.
We understand that if something goes wrong you want us to resolve it quickly. If you make a complaint, we’ll listen to you and treat you with respect. We have a complaints procedure which we follow.
CCWater
The voice for water customers, can also review any issues that affect your interests as a water customer, liaising with us and making representations on your behalf. CCWater staff can give you free, independent advice on issues that affect you as a water customer and they will investigate any complaints that you can’t resolve directly with us through our complaints procedures. They’ll also advise you if the matter you have raised is a dispute that can be settled by our regulator, Ofwat.
Web: ccwater.org.uk
Tel: 0300 034 2222
Or you can write to them at:
CCW
23 Stephenson Street
BIRMINGHAM
B2 4BH
Ofwat
Ofwat is the economic regulator of the industry whose statutory duties include protecting customers’ interests. Ofwat has the power to restrict the increases we can make in our water & sewerage charges, set the levels of service we must provide & stipulate the information we must give to you.
You can contact Ofwat at:
Tel: 0121 644 7500
Centre City Tower
7 Hill Street
Birmingham
B5 4UA
There are certain types of disputes where Ofwat can decide the outcome and certain types where an independent arbitrator can be appointed. Ofwat can settle: • Any dispute about whether you are entitled to a payment under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme.
- Any dispute about the cost of, security for payment for, or the terms of certain conditions of, connection to a water main.
- Any dispute arising from us telling you that you’re required to have a separate supply to your existing one (by serving you a Section 64 notice). This will depend on which part of the Section 64 notice we have used to serve on you.
- Any dispute about maintaining pressure and supply or the effectiveness and capacity of your water tank.
- Disputes regarding water meters. For example, whether it is practical or unreasonably expensive to install a meter.
- The terms and conditions for a non-domestic supply.
Disputes regarding requisitioning of water mains or public sewers (including public lateral drains). For example:
- Any dispute about the amount we ask you to pay or the undertakings or securities we expect you to give.
- Any dispute about our proposal to extend to more than three months the period which we are given to provide a water main after you ask for it, or about the point where a service pipe will connect with the main.
- Any dispute about our proposal to extend to more than six months the period which we are given to provide a public sewer after you ask for it, or about the places where private drains and sewers will connect with the public sewer.
- Any appeals about the adoption of sewers or sewage works and certain other sewerage disputes. These can include disputes about your right to make a physical connection to such sewers, our request for alterations to a proposed drainage system or our decision to close or place restrictions on the use of a public sewer.
- The terms and conditions for the adoption of a self-laid main.
- The charges or disconnection costs that must be paid to a company before a business customer’s supply is reconnected.
- A refusal to allow private sewers and drains to be connected to public sewers, or a requirement to inspect the drain or sewer before allowing a connection.
- The costs and security a company asks for when it connects premises to a sewer.
- The charges and conditions for providing a sewer (requisition).
- A proposal or refusal to adopt sewers or sewage disposal works, or about the conditions in an adoption agreement.
- The position or suitability of a drain or sewer to replace an existing private drainage system which the company considers to be unsuitable.
- The effectiveness of an alternative sewer that has been provided to replace an existing one that is due to be closed.
- A requirement that a proposed drain or sewer is built so it can become part of a general sewerage system.
- Appeals from occupiers of trade premises who are not happy with a refusal to discharge their trade effluent or the conditions set by sewerage companies about putting their trade effluent into the public sewer.
In the case of street works, if there’s a dispute about compensation after we have done work in the street and we can’t agree on an arbitrator, Ofwat can decide upon one. Other disputes which can be referred to arbitration include:
- The location of the meter installation.
- The costs of installing the meter if the company asks the customer to pay.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
The quality of water for domestic purposes is controlled by regulations issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Standards are set for the chemical and bacterial quality of the water, and its acceptability – colour, clarity, smell and taste. They also make sure that we comply with these standards.
The Environment Agency (EA)
The EA is responsible for controlling the pollution of rivers, draining land, controlling floods and issuing fishing licenses. The EA regulates how much water we may take from the rivers and other inland and underground sources for water supply, and our return of the water to rivers after is has been used and treated.
Contact the EA at:
Tel: 0370 850 6506
Environment Agency
National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI)
The DWI acts as a technical assessor for the Government on the monitoring, recording & reporting of drinking water quality. It carries out technical audits of companies, investigates incidents, initiates actions to achieve compliance with legal requirements & provides expert advice to the Government on drinking water policy. It also oversees improvement schemes that companies like us are legally permitted to implement.
You can contact the DWI at:
Email: dwi.enquiries@defra.gov.uk
Tel: 030 0068 6400
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Area 1A Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR.
Let us know if we could do better
We aim to provide brilliant customer service and we’re committed to getting things right – first time, every time. If this doesn’t happen, let us know so we can put things right.
We’re here to help
You can visit our website stwater.co.uk where you will be able to find the answers to most questions and comments you may have using our search options, or you can get in touch with us through any of our contact channels, all of our contact information is on the last page of this document.
I want to make a complaint, what should I do?
We aim to get things right first time but we know sometimes things can go wrong. If you’ve had a problem with the service you’ve received, we’d like to talk to you about it so we can sort it out as quickly as possible.
Step 1: You can get in touch with us through any of our contact details. Alternatively you can visit our website. You will be able to speak to one of our complaints advisors and they may be able to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. If you write us a letter, we’ll reply within 10 working days. If we don’t, you could be entitled to payment under our Guaranteed Standards Scheme. You can find more information on this in the tables above.
I’m still not happy, can I have my case reviewed?
Step 2: If we still haven’t been able to resolve your problem, we’ll be happy to review your case further. Just let us know and we’ll take another look at it. Once you get in touch, our customer care team will carry out a full review and get back to you within 10 working days.
If you feel it would be better to deal with the issue face to face then we’re happy to visit you anywhere within our region, or you can contact us to make an appointment to visit us.
The Consumer Council for Water
Step 3: If we’ve reviewed your case, but you still think we could have done more, you can contact CCW – the voice for water consumers by:
Visiting their website ccwater.org.uk, or you can
Call them on 0300 034 2222 (Monday to Friday 8:30-5pm), or you can
Write to them at:
CCW
23 Stephenson Street,
Birmingham
B2 4BH
If CCW can’t reach a resolution to your satisfaction they can help you decide whether mediation or adjudication is best for your case.
We’ll use the information we hold about you to manage your account. We may also use the information we have to contact you about other water-related goods and services if you don’t want to be contacted please let us know. Additionally, we may share with and obtain information about you from other utilities, local authorities, government departments, credit reference agencies and other companies for use in any credit decisions, fraud prevention and to pursue debtors.
If you give us personal data, you have understood and are aware of our full privacy notice and to us handling it for the purposes mentioned. We may transfer your personal data to other organisations in any country only for any of the purposes mentioned. Under the UK Data Protection Laws, you have the right to make a Data Subject Access Request, and details can be found in our Privacy Notice. Please note, there is no charge for this service.
Request our full code of practice
If you would like to request a PDF version of our Guaranteed Standards Scheme Code of Practice, please contact our team, and we'd be happy to send one to you.