I filled a form in last week to claim water bill capping as husband has dementia. I also enclosed a letter from the Doctor, plus proof of council tax reduction for my husbands illness. I recieved a phone call from the Water Authority today to say claim has been succesful. Hope this helps others.
Water Bill capped.
- Thread starter Sringtime
- Start date
Is Council Tax reduction enough proof or do you have to be in receipt of Pension Credit too?
This will be probably be very useful for many members, sringtime.
Presumably you have to be on a meter?
Presumably you have to be on a meter?
With regard to utilities my company recently sent out a form for the Warm Home Discount , an annual payment that has to be applied for, each year, and is paid by end of Mar. You have to get application in early as possible I think. Last year they sent me details in October so it is a lot earlier this year. Hope it helps others too.
I'm not sure in the situation in Scotland is different but I'm glad of this reminder, thank you. I registered my husband's details some time ago through the Scottish Water website but I have no idea what this has meant for us, if anything. I have just emailed them to ask and quoted this website-
http://www.disability-grants.org/disability-discounts-national.html
http://www.disability-grants.org/disability-discounts-national.html
The form itself is easy to fill in however the criteria to claim explanation, is not so easy to follow, as it states you should be in receipt of various benefits etc and gives a list. As we are not in receipt of benefits I first thought we would not be succesful, however I then read one of the criteria is in receipt of Council Tax help and of course we are as once diagnosed Hubby was entitled to claim the 25 per cent off full amount. So I enclosed this proof, along with form and Doctors Letter. Yes we are on a Water Metre. Hope this helps.
The form itself is easy to fill in however the criteria to claim explanation, is not so easy to follow, as it states you should be in receipt of various benefits etc and gives a list. As we are not in receipt of benefits I first thought we would not be succesful, however I then read one of the criteria is in receipt of Council Tax help and of course we are as once diagnosed Hubby was entitled to claim the 25 per cent off full amount. So I enclosed this proof, along with form and Doctors Letter. Yes we are on a Water Metre. Hope this helps.
Thanks very much!
I just telephoned our water company. We were put on the capping straight away but the leap level was still higher than the amount I used even though I sometimes washed 3 or 4 times a day
I applied when I was doing 2 or 3 lots of laundry a day but could not get it as I do not receive pension credit. Apparently its a government scheme (bill capping) and the water companies have no discretion about granting it to anyone not meeting the criteria. That's what my local water company advised but perhaps it's different in other areas.
Sent from my GT-N5110
Sent from my GT-N5110
It's interesting to know that water bills can be capped. It is something I was wondering about - especially as the whole of my borough is currently being converted to water meters.
As I understand it, having the water meter fitted is compulsory - though we don't have to switch to metered water immediately - I think I've got around two years before that side of things becomes compulsory.
There have been a couple of sporadic incidents where my husband has left taps running and I was wondering how that might play out in the big picture, should he start doing this more often.
It isn't a big issue at the moment, but the possibility of being able to cap a water bill is something useful for me to know further down the line
As I understand it, having the water meter fitted is compulsory - though we don't have to switch to metered water immediately - I think I've got around two years before that side of things becomes compulsory.
There have been a couple of sporadic incidents where my husband has left taps running and I was wondering how that might play out in the big picture, should he start doing this more often.
It isn't a big issue at the moment, but the possibility of being able to cap a water bill is something useful for me to know further down the line
I have been on a water meter for around 5 years. We asked to have the meter put in and we had to agree to have it for 12 months. If it did not work for us then they would remove it. If it stayed then it stayed for ever.
It did indeed save and our water bill was just under half what it had been without the meter. Our water consumption would have just been a normal one for a couple as my husband was not incontinent so not lots of extra washing.
Now I am on my own the bill is roughly a third but is probably even less as I base my figures today on what my charges were five years ago and they have probably gone up quite a bit since then. Having the meter does make me think about water wastage and we did buy another water butt to collect rain water.
Jay
It did indeed save and our water bill was just under half what it had been without the meter. Our water consumption would have just been a normal one for a couple as my husband was not incontinent so not lots of extra washing.
Now I am on my own the bill is roughly a third but is probably even less as I base my figures today on what my charges were five years ago and they have probably gone up quite a bit since then. Having the meter does make me think about water wastage and we did buy another water butt to collect rain water.
Jay
Hi Truth,
Yes it is a government scheme, I also thought that we would not be entitled to water bill capping, as we are not on any benefits. However we are in receipt of Council Tax reduction of 25 per cent as anybody is who has recieved a diagnosis of Dementia. So form filled in, with proof of Council tax rebate and letter from Doctor. I received a phone call from the Water Company yesterday (which I was surprised about, as I only posted the form the day before) to say our bill would now be capped saving us about £50 per year. Maybe it would be worth you, approaching them again.
Thanks sringtime for the information. It's too late for us now as my husband went into residential care 3 weeks ago but I'm sure someone will benefit from it.
Sent from my GT-N5110
Sent from my GT-N5110
Zero rated in Highland Council region!
My mum, who lives in the Scottish Highlands, is exempted from Council Tax, Water rates and Water Treatment rates. She must be very lucky. I never even thought about it until OH said he'd had to pay his mum's water bill (in England) for the year from when she went into residential care until her house was sold.
My mum, who lives in the Scottish Highlands, is exempted from Council Tax, Water rates and Water Treatment rates. She must be very lucky. I never even thought about it until OH said he'd had to pay his mum's water bill (in England) for the year from when she went into residential care until her house was sold.
Scotland is far better at giving care to Dementia sufferers than England is right across the board.
Jay
Jay
Yes Jay. I think you're right. As I quoted in my previous post the water rates are part of the council tax. As we pay a discounted Council Taxw we are already benefitting from this. I was interested too that being in the register means we will get bottled water in the event if any disruption to services.
My perception through reading various posts on the forum is that we are well looked after here. It may not be the experience of people in every area of Scotland but I believe our area is excellent.
My perception through reading various posts on the forum is that we are well looked after here. It may not be the experience of people in every area of Scotland but I believe our area is excellent.
I did not realise that you could have water bill capped. My oh has alzheimers, he gets attendance allowance and 25% off community charge.
Thank heavens for this forum.
I checked Thames Water's Water Sure Scheme and they don't mention Council Tax reduction at all. You must receive one of the following:
Specified benefits
A member of the same household must be receiving one of the
following benefits, as subject to prevailing legislation;
• Housing Benefit
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance, or Income
Support
• Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• The Working Tax Credit
• The Child Tax Credit (except families in receipt of the family
element only)
• Pension Credit
Is there any point ringing them up and asking?
Specified benefits
A member of the same household must be receiving one of the
following benefits, as subject to prevailing legislation;
• Housing Benefit
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance, or Income
Support
• Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• The Working Tax Credit
• The Child Tax Credit (except families in receipt of the family
element only)
• Pension Credit
Is there any point ringing them up and asking?
