Help when you need it

We know that our customers may find themselves in vulnerable circumstances at any point in their life, and that sometimes this can be temporary as well as permanent, for example if you are recovering from an operation and are experiencing a water supply issue.

Our Priority Services Register and affordability schemes detailed in this Code of Practice may be applicable if you are experiencing temporary or short-term vulnerability. If you wish to find out more, please get in touch with us. 

We can provide tailored support to you or members of your household based on your specific needs. We can help you if you are somebody who:

• Has a mental health condition that impacts your ability to understand your bill; we may be able to case-manage your account, and we will be able to explain your bills and any other letters you may receive.
• Requires connection to a water supply for medical treatment.
• Needs extra support for a limited amount of time.
• Lives with children under the age of 5.
• Has mobility issues.

If your circumstances aren’t listed here but you require extra support, you can visit our website , or you can contact our teams for more information.

We offer alternative bill formats to make your bill as clear as possible. You just need to join our Priority Services Register, and we’ll make sure we provide you with a bill that suits your needs.

The types of bill we can provide:

• Large print – our standard bills are written using the font Arial in size 16 point. However, if you need a larger version of your bill, let us know, and we’ll make sure you get a bill in a larger font than our standard size.
• Braille – if you need your bills in Braille, we can arrange Class 1 and 2 Braille versions for you.
• Audio – if you would rather receive an audio bill, we can send your bill on CD or cassette. We can also read your bill out to you over the phone.
• Alternative colour paper – If you have dyslexia, it can help to have your bill printed on paper that is not white. Let us know if you would like your bill printed on an alternative colour of paper.
• Other languages – we can translate our information into a variety of languages including Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, and Somali. We can provide a translation service to help you understand your bill. You can also speak to a translator when you contact us on 03457 500500.
• Paperless billing – if you wish to reduce the amount of paperwork cluttering up your post box, kitchen table or filing cabinet, you can switch to paperless billing. You can return to paper bills at any time.

Once you have registered, we can help you in many ways. Depending on the circumstances of each situation you may face, we could help by:

• Providing advance warnings of supply interruptions.
• Moving your water meter if it’s difficult for you to access.
• Making sure you have an alternative supply during outages.
• Scheduling work to the water supply around medical treatments, such as home dialysis.
• Wait longer for you to answer the door if we know you need more time to get around.
• Give you accessible bill formats to help with visual impairments, dyslexia, and other conditions.
• Help you appoint a nominated person for us to contact if you’re unable to deal with your own account.
• Communicate with you in another language if English is not your first language.
• Use a doorstep password to help protect you from bogus callers. 

Bogus callers are people who impersonate staff from companies such as utilities to gain entry to your home. Our staff will always show you a valid identity card which includes our logo and a photograph; additionally, you can call the bogus caller hotline (0345 604 1655) to verify the identity of any Severn Trent Water staff.

We’re not the only people who can help you. There are many organisations, including other utilities companies, charities, and Government departments, who can offer advice and support when you need it.

Your electricity and gas providers will also have a Priority Services Register that you can join, and so do the organisations that manage the power and gas networks in your region. If you think you need extra support from your other utility providers, contact them directly or search for their priority services online.

The electricity network operator for your region will be able to provide priority services to you during a power cut. If you don’t know who your network operators are, you can find your electricity network operator and how to contact them by entering your postcode at Powercut105.com.

The gas network operator for your region will be able to provide priority services to you during a gas supply interruption.

If you don’t know who manages the gas network in your area, you can find your gas supplier and network operator through findmysupplier.energy.

A water meter measures the amount of water you use, so you will only pay for what you're using. It can also help save water - many customers find that their bills are cheaper after switching to a water meter as they make a conscious effort to use less once they have a meter fitted, meaning it’s a benefit for both your pocket and the environment. Using less water means less needs to be heated, so it can also save on your energy bills and reduce the carbon footprint.

You can trial a water meter, and if you feel like it isn’t right for you during that time, you can switch back to unmetered billing. You must do this within 24 months of your meter being installed, or within 30 days of your fourth bill. If you have switched back, the meter will not be removed from the property.

If you’d like to see if having a meter may benefit you and save you money, you can check the CCW calculator.

Watersure can help if your income is low and you use a lot of water. You must be on a water meter to be eligible for this scheme. If you meet the criteria and use our sewerage and water services, we’ll make sure your bill is capped. This is a government-funded scheme, and we are unable to deviate from the eligibility criteria below.

Your bill is capped at our average yearly charge, which will change each year. To find out what this year’s charges are, you can view our Scheme of Charges, which is on our website. All of our contact details are on the last page of this document. If your meter reading is lower than the capped amount, you will only pay for the water you have used.

You may be eligible for support through WaterSure if you or anyone in your household receives the following:

• Housing Benefit 
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit (other than the basic element of £547.50)
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment 

You or somebody in your household must also have a medical condition requiring an increased use of water.

Eligible medical conditions: You may be eligible for WaterSure if anyone in your household has a medical condition requiring significant water use.

Those conditions could include:

• Desquamation (flaky skin disease)
• Weeping skin disease (eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulceration)
• Incontinence
• Abdominal stoma
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Renal failure requiring home dialysis.

Any condition that a doctor confirms requires extra water use would be eligible.

Subject to your income, this scheme could save you between 10%-90% on your bill. The scheme is open to every Severn Trent customer, regardless of your age, employment status, or whether you receive benefits or not. You don’t need to be behind on your bills or on benefits to apply, and eligibility is based on an assessment of your overall household income.

The scheme runs for 12 months at a time, and you will have to re-apply at the end of each year-long period.

The Big Difference Scheme is administered by the Severn Trent Trust Fund and is funded by using a cross-subsidy system to help reduce the bills of those struggling to pay the most; this has been established through customer research.

There are several ways you can apply for the Big Difference Scheme. You can contact us through any of our contact channels; all of our contact information is on the last page of this document, or you can apply directly through the Severn Trent Trust Fund; their details are in the point below.

Alternatively, you can apply directly through the Big Difference Scheme website bigdiff.co.uk.

When you apply, you will need to share income details for every adult in your household, either:

• Payslip(s) if employed, or
• Benefits statement if you receive any benefits. 

The Big Difference Scheme is one of our payment assistance schemes that is reported to Credit Reference Agencies; you can find out more information on this in our policy.

We offer a wide range of payment options and frequencies. You can pay by Card, Direct Debit, Watercard or through your state benefits.

Pay online

• Online credit or debit card payment – this is a quick, simple, and secure method. You can quickly make a card payment using your online account. You can register for an online account if you haven’t already got one, or you can make a card payment as a guest. 

Pay automatically

• Pay by Direct Debit – you can pay by Direct Debit quickly and easily. This is the most convenient way to make sure your bill is always paid in full and on time. You can choose the date, frequency and discuss the amount you pay with us; this ensures your payment is sent to us each time without you having to worry about it.
• Pay by Standing Order – you can set up and manage your payments using your bank’s telephone, online, or remote banking services, once you’ve set up your Standing Order you must contact us to let us know your chosen payment date, frequency and payment amount, we’ll then set up a payment plan on your account to match what you’ve set up with your bank, this will stop any further reminders or debt recovery taking place on your account. You must ensure you quote your Severn Trent Water account number as the payment reference so these payments can be applied to your account without delays.

Pay in Person 

• Pay at a PayPoint store – you can pay using a Watercard at your nearest PayPoint store. You can also pay at a PayPoint store using a payment booklet or using the barcode on the giro slip at the bottom of your bill.
• Pay at your bank – if you prefer to pay over the counter at your bank or building society, do not forget to take your bill with you. This service is free at most banks; however, we recommend you always check first.
• Pay at the Post Office – you can take your bill, along with your preferred payment method of either cash or card, to any Post Office to make a payment. Please be aware the Post Office may charge you for this service.

Pay by post or phone

• Pay by Post – if you receive paper bills, your bill will arrive with a payment slip attached where you can fill this out and write a cheque for this amount.
• Pay by Phone - you can make regular or one-off payments over the phone by Debit or Credit card when you call us on 03457 500 500.

If you have individual needs and find it hard to use our payment methods, please let us know, and we’ll try to find an arrangement that works for both of us. 

If you're experiencing transient financial hardship, please get in touch with us, and we may be able to offer a temporary payment break for 28 days to give you some time to review your circumstances.

If you receive certain benefits from the Government, you may be able to pay your water bill through Water Direct, straight from your benefits payment.

If you have arrears of at least £50 on your account and you or anyone in your household receives any of the following State benefits, you may be eligible to have payments deducted directly from your benefits:

• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Employment Support Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit. 

The Water Direct scheme gives you peace of mind, knowing that your water bill is taken care of and you can use the money in your account for something other than paying bills.

If you’re eligible for the Water Direct scheme and your application to the scheme is successful, the Department for Work and Pensions will deduct an amount from your benefits payment and use that to credit your Severn Trent account.

Water Direct is one of the schemes that is reported to Credit Reference Agencies; you can find out more information on this in our policy, which can be found in our policy.

 If you live on your own and we’ve been unable to successfully fit a water meter at your property in the last 12 months, you could be eligible for a lower tariff.

If you rent your home and your landlord has not agreed to let you install a water meter, you will not be eligible for the single occupier tariff.

Switching to the single occupancy tariff

You don’t need to apply for the single occupancy tariff. You’ll be automatically switched to the single occupier tariff from the date we were unable to fit the meter at your home.

We are unable to backdate the single occupancy tariff charge. We’re only able to begin billing you by that tariff from the date we tried to fit the meter.

Water is wonderful, and we want everyone to enjoy it – both now and into the future. To help make sure it’s readily available to generations to come, we’re providing free home water efficiency checks around Nottingham. If you’re in this area, you can book now by visiting Save Water Save Money.

If you’re in another area and are interested in getting your home checked, you can also request a call back on the link above too.

If any of these schemes could be of any help to you, you can contact us through any of our contact channels.

Citizens Advice

You can contact your local Citizens Advice, which is an independent charity that gives free, confidential, independent and impartial advice on a wide range of problems. Expert advisers can help you to sort out your debts. If you have other problems, such as illness, redundancy or divorce, the adviser may also be able to help you, or they may tell you where you can get help.

Citizens Advice can check if you are entitled to any extra income and can also help you work out and negotiate repayment plans with the people you owe money to. The repayment plans will be based on what you can realistically afford to pay after your essential living costs have been met. On your first visit, please take all the relevant details of your income and how much you spend.

The CA will contact us by a dedicated helpline to discuss a suitable payment arrangement on your behalf. To find your nearest Citizens Advice, look in your local phone book, enquire at your local library or visit citizensadvice.org.uk.

StepChange Debt Charity

StepChange Debt Charity is a registered charity, dedicated to providing confidential, free counselling and money management assistance to financially distressed families and individuals. They offer a wide range of services, including welfare benefit checks, mortgage counselling, self-employed assistance and bankruptcy services.

They offer free, confidential and impartial advice available over the phone (Freephone 8 am-8 pm) or through their website. They can help you prioritise your debts and set up structured repayment plans with the option of making one monthly payment.

For free counselling and money assistance, please contact StepChange on 0800 138 1111 or visit stepchange.org.