Our promises and
guarantees to you
Not only do we need to meet certain standards legally, we're committed to going above and beyond them to bring you the best possible service.
Here's the difference and how you can tell which is which:
Legal obligations
We need to meet certain standards legally, most of these are outlined in the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). These are shown with a star symbol.
Our promises to you
We've chosen to commit to certain standards that are important to our customers. These are known as our promises and are separate to Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). These are show with a heart symbol.
Customer charter
We’ll respond to a complaint within 7 working days. (GSS)
We’ll respond to a complaint within 7 working days. If we fail to do this, we’ll automatically pay you £40.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is an updated GSS guarantee. Written complaints will be applicable for payment from 1st April 2025. Complaints through all other channels will be applicable for payments from 1st October 2025.
We’ll respond to written contacts about water and waste activities.
We'll respond to written contacts about water and waste (excluding Developer Services activities and insurance claims) within 10 working days. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £20.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £20.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll respond to any contacts about accounts, bills and payments.
We’ll respond to any contacts about accounts, bills and payments within 5 working days. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £40.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
We’ll refund payments made to us by mistake or credit balances if you ask.
We’ll refund payments made to us by mistake or credit balances if you ask within 5 working days. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £20.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
♡ This is a promise.
If we take a Direct Debit payment by mistake, we’ll refund you and reimburse any costs you incur.
We’ll refund payments made to us by mistake or credit balances if you ask within 5 working days. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £20.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll respond to Priority Services enquiries and process applications.
We’ll respond to Priority Services enquiries and process applications for these services within 5 working days. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £20.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £20.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
♡ This is a promise.
We won’t charge you if the sole occupier is away for at least 6 weeks due to long-term hospitalisation, residential care or if they pass away.
We understand that life isn’t always straightforward, so we won’t charge you if the sole occupier is away for at least 6 weeks due to long-term hospitalisation, residential care or if they pass away.
To get your unmetered charges reduced, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We work hard to minimise the inconvenience caused by our planned or emergency (unplanned) water and waste work.
We’ll consider compensation claims for unnecessary disruption or uninsured loss or damage caused by our work.
We’ll consider compensation claims on an individual basis for unnecessary disruption or uninsured loss or damage caused by our work. To get compensation, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll always give you plenty of notice if our planned work will restrict access to your home.
We’ll always give you plenty of notice if our planned work will restrict access to your home. If we fail to do this, the amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll consider compensation claims if our emergency (unplanned) work restricts access to your home.
We’ll consider compensation claims on an individual basis if our emergency (unplanned) work restricts access to your home and you’re inconvenienced. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll consider compensation claims for any inconvenience caused by a mistake we’ve made with your bill or payment.
We’ll consider compensation claims on an individual basis for any inconvenience caused by a mistake we’ve made with your bill or payment. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We'll pay you compensation if we wrongly register a default against you with a Credit Reference Agency.
If we wrongly register a default against you with a Credit Reference Agency, we'll automatically pay you £150.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
♡ This is a promise.
We'll pay you compensation if we wrongly issue you a County Court Claim or wrongly obtain a County Court Judgement against you.
Sometimes we can get it wrong – if we wrongly issue you a County Court Claim or wrongly obtain a County Court Judgement against you, we'll automatically pay you £150.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
♡ This is a promise.
We work around the clock, 7 days a week and will respond to an emergency as quickly as possible. An appointment isn’t usually needed in these circumstances.
If we need to visit your home, we’ll arrange an appointment in the morning, afternoon or a specific 2 hour slot. If needed, we may arrange an evening appointment between 4pm and 8pm.
We’ll let you know if your appointment is morning, afternoon or evening – or within a 2 hour slot.
We’ll let you know if your appointment is morning, afternoon or evening – or within a 2 hour slot. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £40.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
We’ll attend our agreed appointment on time.
We’ll attend our agreed appointment on time. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £50.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
We’ll let you know in good time if we need to cancel an agreed appointment.
We’ll let you know if we need to cancel an agreed appointment at least 24 hours before. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £50.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
We’ll only ask you to reschedule an agreed appointment once.
We’ll only ask you to reschedule an agreed appointment once. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
If we've restricted the use of your drinking water by issuing you a “do not use”, “do not drink” or a “boil water advice” notice we'll lift this notice within 48 hours of the notice being issued. (GSS)
If we've restricted the use of your drinking water by issuing you a “do not use”, “do not drink” or a “boil water advice” notice we'll lift this notice within 48 hours of it being issued. If we fail to do this, we’ll automatically pay you £40 and an additional £20 for every additional 24 hours that the notice stays in place.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 20 working days of the end of the 48 hour period, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
There are some instances where these above automatic payments would not be due. These include:
- Where the water supply was polluted or contaminated by the customer
- The water quality notice was served due to drought or immediately following a period of drought;
☆ This is a new GSS guarantee and comes into effect for events that begin on or after the 1st October 2025.
You can claim compensation if we’re responsible for dirty water causing damage to your washing or appliances.
If we’re responsible for dirty water causing damage to your washing or appliances, we can reduce your water charges by 10% (up to a maximum of 30% per year). To get this reduction, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
We’ll consider compensation claims for losses or damage that your own insurance doesn’t cover. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
You can claim compensation if we’re responsible for persistent water quality problems.
If we’re responsible for persistent water quality problems, you can claim a discount of 30% off your water bill. To get this discount, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
We’ll consider compensation claims for losses or damage that your own insurance doesn’t cover. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
After reporting an illness due to a water quality problem, we’ll advise you on what action to take.
After reporting an illness due to a water quality problem, we’ll advise you on what action to take within 2 hours. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
If you’ve reported an illness due to a water quality problem, we’ll phone you after we’ve collected a sample to let you know your test results.
If you’ve reported an illness due to a water quality problem, we’ll phone you after we’ve collected a sample to let you know your test results within 24 hours. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll provide all water quality samples results in writing (other than regulatory sampling).
We’ll provide all water quality samples results in writing (other than regulatory sampling) within 20 working days. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll credit your metered account if you have to run off excessive amounts of water to clear discoloration.
We’ll credit your metered account with £5 if you have to run off excessive amounts of water to clear discoloration. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
You'll get compensation following an investigation, if the pressure in our communication pipe to your home falls below 7 meter static head on two occasions, each lasting for 1 hour or more, within a 28 day period.
Following an investigation, if the pressure in our communication pipe to your home falls below 7 meter static head on two occasions, each lasting for 1 hour or more, within a 28 day period, we'll automatically pay you £50.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
You can claim compensation if we regularly inconvenience you due to abnormally high or low pressure. We’ll also consider compensation claims for losses or damage that your own insurance doesn’t cover.
If we regularly inconvenience you due to abnormally high or low pressure, you can claim £25. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
We’ll also consider compensation claims for losses or damage that your own insurance doesn’t cover. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll give you 48 hours notice if we plan to interrupt your water supply for more than 4 hours.
We’ll give you 48 hours notice if we plan to interrupt your water supply for more than 4 hours. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £50.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 20 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
If we’ve given you notice of an interruption of more than 4 hours, we’ll restore your water supply by the time stated.
If we’ve given you notice of an interruption of more than 4 hours, we’ll restore your water supply by the time stated. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £40.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 20 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
We’ll give you 24 hours notice if we plan to interrupt your water supply for between 30 minutes and 4 hours.
We’ll give you 24 hours notice if we plan to interrupt your water supply for between 30 minutes and 4 hours. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll aim to provide alternative supplies for any interruption of more than 5 hours.
We’ll aim to provide alternative supplies for any interruption of more than 5 hours. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
Following emergency work, we’ll restore your water supply within 12 hours.
Following emergency work, we’ll restore your water supply within 12 hours. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £50 and an extra £50 for every additional 12 hours your supply is interrupted.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 20 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
You can claim compensation if we interrupt your water supply due to emergency work on 3 or more occasions, totalling 12 hours within a 12 month period.
If we interrupt your water supply due to emergency work on 3 or more occasions, totalling 12 hours within a 12 month period, you can claim £50*. You'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
*Providing you have not already been paid GSS for any of the events.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll aim to provide alternative supplies for any interruption of more than 5 hours.
We aim to provide alternative supplies for any interruption of more than 5 hours. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
You'll get compensation if we have to interrupt or cut off your water supply because of a drought.
If we have to interrupt or cut off your water supply because of a drought, we'll automatically pay you £10 per day. Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement, either by cheque or credit on your account.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 10 working days, you're entitled to an additional £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
☆ This is not a GSS guarantee, but a legal obligation.
If the cause of an interrupted water supply is due to our frozen pipes, we’ll consider compensation claims based on how long your supply was interrupted for.
If the cause of an interrupted water supply is due to our frozen pipes, we’ll consider compensation claims based on how long your supply was interrupted for. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll provide alternative supplies for any interruption of more than 5 hours.
We aim to provide alternative supplies for any interruption of more than 5 hours. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
If you need a constant supply of water or delivery of bottled water due to a medical condition or similar reason, we’ll provide assistance on request.
There's no payment for failure, it's just our promise to you.
♡ This is a promise.
Check out our guide to work out if you’re using it or losing it.
We’ll repair any major leak that has been reported by a customer and is our responsibility within 2 days. And we’ll repair any minor leak within 7 days.
We’ll repair any major leak that has been reported by a customer and is our responsibility within 2 days. And we’ll repair any minor leak within 7 days. If these timescales aren’t met due to factors out of our control, we’ll consider compensation claims if you’ve been inconvenienced or experienced uninsured losses. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
If your property is flooded due to a burst water mains, we’ll get it cleaned up afterwards for you. We’ll also consider compensation claims for damage, inconvenience, uninsured losses and other expenses.
If your property is flooded due to a burst water mains, we’ll get it cleaned up afterwards for you. We’ll also consider compensation claims for damage, inconvenience, uninsured losses and other expenses. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
Where eligible, we grant allowances against meter charges that have accrued due to a leak.
Where eligible, we grant allowances against meter charges that have accrued due to a leak. The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll write to let you know we’ve received your application for a new supply.
We’ll write to let you know we’ve received your application for a new supply with 5 calendar days.
There's no payment for failure, it's just our promise to you.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll give you a quotation or estimate for a new supply connection.
We’ll give you a quotation or estimate for a new supply connection with 28 calendar days.
There's no payment for failure, it's just our promise to you.
♡ This is a promise.
When you’ve completed the checklist and are ready for the new supply, we’ll install the new connection making sure we comply with the Water Supply Regulations 1999.
When you’ve completed the checklist and are ready for the new supply, we’ll install the new connection making sure we comply with the Water Supply Regulations 1999 with 21 calendar days.
Please note: It may take longer if we need to apply for a road closure or traffic management.
There's no payment for failure, it's just our promise to you.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll complete a survey for replacing your lead pipes and send you the job details.
We’ll complete a survey for replacing your lead pipes and send you the job details within 28 calendar days of receiving your application. If we fail to do this, you can claim £20. To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll install a meter within 8 weeks of receiving a valid application.
We’ll install a meter within 8 weeks (56 days) of receiving a valid application. If it hasn't been installed before the 57th day we'll waive your water charges from 8 weeks until the meter is fitted, if we are the cause of the delay.
If we haven’t installed the meter within a further 20 working days of the 56th day, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
There are some instances where these above automatic payments would not be due. These include:
- Customer not in for the agreed appointment and is not returning calls to re-book.
- Customer requests appointment date beyond the 56 days for example if they are going away for 3 months so not available.
- Customer not responding to proactive communication to book an appointment. E.g. first attempt to install was internal but needs to be booked for an external fit.
☆ This is a new GSS guarantee and is for requests received on or after the 1st October 2025.
If you have a meter fitted, you can change back to rateable value billing if you let us know within 2 years of the meter being fitted.
If you have a meter fitted, you can change back to rateable value billing if you let us know within 2 years of the meter being fitted. You’ll be responsible for the meter charges up until we receive your request.
There's no payment for failure, it's just our promise to you.
♡ This is a promise.
We’ll read your meter at least once in 13 months.
We’ll read your meter at least once in 13 months, unless there is a legitimate reason we can’t. If your meter was installed before the 1st October 2025 the 13 months will begin from the 1st October and for meters installed after this date the start date will be from the date of installation. If we fail to do this, we'll automatically pay you £40. On every subsequent occasion we fail to do this, we’ll automatically pay you £80.
If we haven't made the payment to you within 20 working days of the final date the meter should have been read, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
There are some instances where these above automatic payments would not be due. These include:
- Refusing admission to the property or land to enable the meter to be read.
- Obstruction of the meter
- Removal of the meter by the customer and/or third party
- Where reading the meter would pose a risk to the Health & Safety of our employees
- Where there is no responsible adult present and the meter is internal
- Industrial action by our employees
- Meter inaccessible to read due to a third party
☆ This is a new GSS guarantee and is for requests received on the 1st October 2025.
We understand how upsetting it can be if flooding from a public sewer enters your home or garden. Don’t worry though, we’ll help to clean up and disinfect, and can offer hygiene advice, so please get in touch with us straight away.
If flooding from a public sewer enters your home, you might get compensation.
Depending on the circumstances, if flooding from a public sewer enters your home, you might be entitled to compensation. If you are, we'll automatically pay you 100% of your sewage charges or £300, whichever is greater (up to a maximum of £2,000).
If we haven't made the payment to you within 20 working days, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
If flooding from a public sewer enters your home, we’ll consider compensation claims for losses or damage your insurance doesn’t cover.
The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
♡ This is a promise.
If flooding from a public sewer only enters your land or garden, you can claim compensation for each incident in the year.
Depending on the circumstances, if flooding from a public sewer only enters your land or garden, you might be able to claim compensation for each incident in the year. You can only make a claim if you were materially affected, which you’ll need to show or explain.
You can claim 50% off your sewage charges or £150, whichever is greater (up to a maximum of £1,000). To receive this, you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
Please note: You can’t claim if you’re entitled to an automatic payment for sewer flooding to your home.
☆ This is a GSS guarantee.
If flooding from a public sewer only enters your land or garden, we’ll consider compensation claims for losses that your insurance doesn’t cover.
The amount we'll pay varies and you'll need to make a claim within 3 months of the event.
If the cause is found to be our responsibility we will clean up the area, disinfecting and collecting any sewage debris and litter.
♡ This is a promise.
If flooding from a public sewer enters your home, we’ll visit you on the day (where practical) and provide you with advice and information. We’ll also update you on our investigation into the problem and any proposed plan of action.
There's no payment for failure, it's just our promise to you.
♡ This is a promise.
If you’re registered for a Core Priority Service, we will write to you to confirm your inclusion, the service you are registered for and tell you what level of service you can expect to receive for the registered service. (GSS)
If you’re registered for a Core Priority Service, we’ll confirm your registration in writing within 30 days of your request. This confirmation will include the specific service you are registered for and the level of service you can expect to receive. If you believe we have failed to do this, please let us know and we’ll check our records. If we are satisfied that no notice was sent within the 30 days we’ll pay you £100. If we haven’t made this payment of £100 to you within 20 working days of us confirming that this is due, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
If we fail to provide the promised Core Priority Service to you during an incident or provide it later than the timescale we advised you in our letter, we’ll automatically pay you £100. If we haven't made this payment of £100 to you within 20 working days of the failure, we'll automatically pay you an additional £40.
Automatic payments will be made as soon as we’ve confirmed your entitlement. We'll get in touch and let you know how you will receive the payment.
☆ This is a new GSS guarantee and comes into effect from the 1st October 2025.
Our Customer Charter is reviewed every 3 years. This is the current version, effective from 1 April 2025, revised October 2025.
Our Customer Charter is subject to terms and conditions, please get in touch if you’d like written details.