How to keep the water in your house safe for use

We care about your wellbeing and want to help you keep your home clean and safe so you don’t become unwell. Water can sometimes cause illness and make you sick if it isn’t kept fresh.

Harmful bacteria can build up in your taps or on your shower head for instance. This is known as Legionella bacteria. If you breathe in this bacteria it can make you ill and you may be diagnosed with something called Legionnaires’ disease.

What is Legionnaires’ disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that can affect anybody. It can be very dangerous and potentially cause death. Some people are more at risk than others:

• Smokers and heavy drinkers.
• People over 45.
• If you have lung and heart disease.
• People with diabetes.

Don’t panic, we carry out regular assessments of our properties to double check areas in your home where water may be unclean. We always make these checks before we let out a property as part of our health and safety programme.

What else can I do in my home to keep my water safe from bacteria?

There a few simple steps you can follow to help reduce the risk of bacteria and legionnaires disease in your home:

• If you have taps or showers you don’t use regularly, run them for 5-10 minutes at least once a month to clear the pipes.
• Try to clean the outside of taps and shower heads at least once every three months.
• Ensure there aren’t any places where water can stay still and build up bacteria.

Help with Water bills

WaterSure and WaterHelp are schemes designed to help some people with their water bills.

If you get help through the WaterSure scheme, your water bill will be capped. This means you will not pay any more than the average metered bill for the area your water company deals with.

To get help through WaterSure you must have a water meter and receive eligible benefits. If your application is successful, you’ll be charged the reduced WaterSure amount from the date of your most recent meter reading before your application was accepted. Your water provider will contact you to confirm the changes. In most cases, they won’t backdate charges to before your most recent meter reading.

You, or someone in the household, must also have either:

• Three or more children under 19 living with you whom you are receiving child benefit for, or
• a medical condition requiring the extra use of water.

You will need to provide evidence of your benefit which can be either your most recent benefits notice or a bank statement showing the eligible benefit.

If you’re applying because three or more children under 19 live with you, you will need to provide:

• A copy of your benefits summary
• A copy of the most recent bank statement listing your current entitlement and payments. This must be dated within the last three months.
• Evidence of child benefit for your children – This should include a copy of the latest notice of entitlement to child benefit for each child. This must be dated within the last three months.

Eligible benefits include:

• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Most water suppliers also offer WaterSure if you’re on Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments. You should check with your water company if you’re not sure if they cover these benefits.

If you are applying for WaterSure on medical grounds people who have one of the following medical conditions will automatically qualify for WaterSure, as long as they meet all the other qualifying conditions:

• desquamation (flaky skin disease)
• weeping skin disease (eczema, psoriasis or varicose ulceration)
• incontinence
• abdominal stomas
• renal failure requiring dialysis at home
• Crohn’s disease
• ulcerative colitis

To qualify for waterSure on medical grounds, you will need to provide evidence of one of the following:

• A recent letter from your GP or consultant – This should confirm the name of the patient, medical condition, and the reason for the increase in water usage.
• An official hospital, surgery, or clinic stamp – This can be provided by your consultant, doctor, nurse, or health visitor. They will need to sign and date the stamp and confirm why the medical condition requires increased water usage.
• A copy of the most recent repeat prescription – This can be provided by your consultant, doctor, nurse, or health visitor.
• You can also apply for WaterSure if there is someone in your household who has another medical condition which means using higher than average amounts of water. Water companies will ask for details from a doctor.

How to apply for WaterSure

You can apply for WaterSure by filling out a form from your water company. You will need to supply evidence that you qualify, such as a copy of your awards notice for a benefit.

You’ll need to provide evidence of your medical condition from your doctor, including how the condition is treated and the effect it has on how much water you use.

Some companies will accept a stamp from your GP confirming your medical condition. There is space on the end of the form for a stamp, which the GP will usually give free of charge. You should check your supplier will accept a stamp before sending your application.

If your water supplier won’t accept a stamp, you’ll need to pay for a doctor’s certificate. Some water suppliers will reimburse the cost of the certificate.

Find the link below for Thames Water’s WaterSure and WaterHelp Schemes. https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/financial-support/waterhelp

WaterHelp?

Water companies may be able to discount your bill through WaterHelp, if either:

• your total household income is below £17,005, or below £21,749 in London boroughs
• your water bill is more than 5% of your net income, taking into account the number of occupants

If you qualify, water companies can offer upto 50% discount on your whole bill. This amount may change in the future. In order to qualify, water companies will need to check your details and verify your income.

Water arrears

What to do if you can’t pay your bill?

If you can’t afford to pay your water bill or have arrears, your supplier could take action. Falling behind on your water bill and other priority debts are signs of a debt problem and you should get free debt advice.

Although your supplier cannot turn off your water supply if you have arrears, they can use court action to get you to repay the debt.

Find out what schemes are supported by your water supplier by visiting their website that can help you pay your water bills and reduce your arrears.