Letter of claim
We’re required by the Court to send this letter before we’re able to issue a claim against you. We’d advise you to read this letter carefully as it outlines what action you can take to avoid a claim being made against you. You’ll have 30 days to respond.
Contact our debt team
Speak to an advisor
If you have any queries or concerns on paying your water bill, please speak to our friendly advisors.
8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. This is a toll-free telephone number.
Can I ask somebody else to speak to you in order to discuss my account?
We can only discuss your personal details with somebody else if you have given us your permission in writing.
If you’re having difficulty in dealing with the matter you can nominate someone else to help you. Please see our priority services page for more information. Alternatively, you may want to formally appoint legal representation. If you want someone to act of your behalf at Court, such as a Solicitor, then they will have to go ‘on the record’ with the Court as acting for you.
What do you mean by proposals to clear the debt?
We view legal action as a last resort. We’re keen to work with you to agree the best way to clear the debt as soon as possible.
Ideally, we’d like you to do this in a single lump-sum payment but we realise that this may not always be possible. As an alternative, we may agree an arrangement with you to clear the debt over a reasonable period of time.
What is reasonable will depend on your financial circumstances, although we will take into account factors such as your personal circumstances, your ability to pay the proposed amounts, the balance you owe, your past payment behaviour and your ongoing water and/or sewerage charges.
What should I do if I want to make a proposal / arrangement?
You should complete a ‘Reply’ and ‘Statement of Means’ forms to see exactly what money you have available to pay towards the debt each month. You should send this form to us to support your proposal, together with evidence to prove your financial position. This will typically be in the form of wage slips, proof of benefits and three months’ worth of bank statements. This must be sent within 30 days of the date the Letter of Claim was sent to you.
Unless you give us this information, we cannot verify if your offer is fair and reasonable. If you don’t send the supporting information we will presume that you can afford to clear the debt in one payment. In these circumstances we will not accept your instalment offer as a formal repayment arrangement.
What if I’m in an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or have been made bankrupt?
You should contact us immediately and provide your IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) / bankruptcy details.
What if I employ a debt management company to act on my behalf.
What if I employ a debt management company to act on my behalf You should forward our letter to them as soon as possible. They need to contact us and provide the appropriate Letter of Authority so that we can discuss the matter with them. We will not contact them on your behalf.