Ways we can help you with your water bill
You need to let us know straight away if you're struggling to pay your bill - we may be able to help if you're having problems paying.
Having difficulties paying your bill?
We can offer various payment options to help you pay your bill. We've also established an independent registered charity called the Community Trust to help people in cases of extreme financial hardship. For more information, contact:
The Yorkshire Water Community Trust
Freepost BD3074
BRADFORD
BD3 7BR
0845 1 24 24 26
Or visit the
Community Trust area of our website
Alternatively, you can contact us online. Select Your account/bill enquiry as the business area and Payment difficulties as the subject and send us your question.
Online form
If you're getting certain benefits, such as Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support or Pension Credit, it may be possible to arrange for money to be deducted from your benefit and paid directly to us. Please contact the DWP helpline on 0800 5 975 976 for further information - if you contact us directly we may be able to apply on your behalf.
You may also wish to get independent advice from organisations such as:
-
Citizens Advice Bureau : The service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities.
-
StepChange Debt Charity : Free, impartial advice and solutions to help you pay bills and clear debt.
-
Money advice centre : Free unbiased advice on how to manage your money and accounts.
What happens if you don't pay?
Our aim is to reach an agreement to help make paying your bill easier. We can't reduce the amount you've to pay but we'll try and find a way that suits you and helps you pay your bill within a reasonable length of time. We'll also look at how you can pay your bill in the future.
If you don't pay your bill or keep to a payment arrangement, we'll take the following steps:
Step 1:
We'll phone or write to you, to give you at least seven more days to pay the outstanding amount. If you haven't kept to a payment arrangement, we'll consider another at this point, but we'd need proof of your commitment to it.
Step 2:
If you haven't paid or contacted us after the seven days, we'll issue a county court claim and add the legal costs to your bill. If we've to ask the court to enter a judgment against you, this would appear on a credit "blacklist" and could prevent you obtaining credit, a mortgage or loan in the future.
Step 3:
This judgment could be enforced through the county court. For example, if you're working, we could ask your employer to deduct money from your wages. We may also instruct bailiffs to seize your belongings and sell them at an auction. If you own your own home, we could also ask the court to put a charge against it which would need to be paid before you could sell or remortgage it.
We may also send your debt to a debt collection agency, who'll collect your outstanding balance on our behalf.