Our promise

We’ll reply to a query about your bill (if we do not need to visit your property).

• Response time: five working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

We’ll reply to a query about your bill (if we need to visit your property).

• Response time: 10 working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

We’ll reply if we are unable to make the change to your payment method or frequency that you’ve requested.

• Response time: five working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

If you overpay us and it is our fault, we’ll repay the appropriate amount plus interest.

If we take a Direct Debit in error, we’ll generally correct the error in one working day and refund the amount plus any bank charges or interest incurred.

If we wrongly issue a county court claim or obtain a court judgment against you, we will correct the situation and withdraw fees and costs.

• Compensation amount: £100*
• Payment type: claim

* We’ll only make this payment once during the recovery of a particular debt.

If we pursue your debt through a debt collection agency in error.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If a debt collection agency acts improperly.*

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

* The debt collection agencies we use (except Searchlight Collections which is in the BWBSL group of companies) are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and are members of the Credit Association and subject to its code of practice.

We will aim to respond to all complaints within five working days. If we fail to respond to a complaint within 10 working days, you will receive compensation.

• Response time: 10 working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

If we need to make an appointment to visit you, we’ll agree on a morning or afternoon slot or a specific time if that is more convenient.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

We’ll arrive within an hour of a specified appointment.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

If we cannot make an appointment, we will give you at least 24 hours' notice as long as we have your telephone number.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payment will be made within 10 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

Where we intend to carry out major planned work in the street immediately outside your property we will give you advance notice and tell you about any pedestrian or vehicle problems that may arise.*

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

* Major planned work is over and above general maintenance, so this excludes work such as sewer repairs and cleaning, surveys, repairing leaks, installing new connections, and repairs and installation of meters and stop taps.

We’ll fit your meter within 30 working days of receiving your application form. Your bill will be calculated based on your water use from the date the meter is fitted.

• Compensation: your water supply will be free from the end of the 30 working days until we fit the meter*

* Unless the installation has been delayed at your request or that of a third party. We’ll apply this refund when we set up your new metered bill.

We’ll read your meter at least once a year as long as we can gain access to it.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If you move house, we’ll read your meter on the day you move as long as you give us five working days’ notice.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

Customers with additional needs and the elderly can ask for up to a maximum of two extra meter readings each year. We’ll take the readings within five working days of your request.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

We can fix a leak on most private supply pipes free of charge. We will usually do this within 10 working days or sooner. We often have to balance this work with fixing larger leaks on mains in the road or attending to customers who have an emergency such as no water at all.

We aim to repair any leaks on our pipes and fittings that have been reported by a customer within two working days. If the leaks are visible, we will aim to fix them by the end of the next working day.

We’ll aim to give you 48 hours’ notice if we plan to interrupt your supply for longer than one hour. If we haven’t warned you and the interruption lasts for longer than four hours we will compensate you.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payments will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

We’ll restore water in the time we tell you.

• Compensation amount: £30 (plus £30 for each additional 12 hours without water)
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payments will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

For unplanned interruptions, such as burst pipes, we will compensate you if we fail to restore your supply within 12 hours.**

• Compensation amount: £25 (plus £30 for each additional 12 hours without water)
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payments will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

** Compensation payments will not be made related to unplanned interruptions on customers’ private supply pipes.

If your supply is interrupted for more than five hours, we’ll make alternative supplies available.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If your essential water use (which includes cooking, drinking, washing or flushing toilets) is interrupted due to a drought order.**

• Compensation amount: £10 for each day or part day the supply is interrupted, to a maximum of our average household bill for the previous year.
• Payment type: automatic*

* Payments will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

** Unless it is in Ofwat’s (our regulator) opinion that we had taken all reasonable steps to avoid the circumstances that led to the drought order being made.

If we tell you not to drink the water or to boil it prior to drinking while we correct a problem with our mains supply.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: automatic

We’ll contact you about your hardness or chlorine taste complaint as long as we have your telephone number.

• Response time: one working day
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

We’ll contact you about other water quality complaints as long as we have your telephone number.

• Response time: four working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If we take a water sample as part of our investigation, we’ll give you the results within 10 working days.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If you ask us to, we’ll take a water sample and analyse it within 10 working days.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

We may ask you to run your tap to clear any discolouration following work on our pipes.

• Compensation amount: £5 of credit in your account (if you have a water meter)
• Payment type: claim

We’ll carry out a free check for lead in your water supply and take samples from your property if you ask us to.

• Response time: five working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If you are replacing your lead supply pipe, we’ll replace our section at the same time free of charge on a like-for-like basis as long as you give us 15 working days’ notice.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

If, through our fault, you experience low pressure (below seven metres static head at the company stop tap) for more than an hour on two occasions within a 28-day period.*

• Compensation amount: 25% of your annual water charges or £25, whichever is greater
• Payment type: automatic

* If we are not able to identify that you were affected by low pressure, you can claim compensation yourself. Claims must be made within three months of the later of the occasions of low pressure. Only one claim can be made in any one year.

We’ll visit you if you tell us you have low pressure.*

• Response time: three working days
• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

* This does not apply to complaints about reduced pressure at times of system maintenance or drought.

If your property is flooded as a result of a burst water main that was not your fault, we will compensate you for uninsured loss and damage.

A chartered loss adjuster can visit your premises to assess and consider damages including carpets, furniture and internal decoration.

We’ll also provide a specialist clean-up and drying service free of charge. To reduce any distress and inconvenience we can, where appropriate, pay for alternative accommodation.

• Payment type: claim

If your property is flooded internally with sewage from a public sewer.*

• Compensation amount: equivalent to annual sewerage charges up to £1,000 per incident or £150, whichever is greater
• Payment type: automatic**

* Compensation payments for internal sewage flooding do not apply if the flooding was caused by your actions or any defect, blockage or inadequacy of private drains or sewers.

** Payment will be made within 20 working days. If we fail to make a payment within this time, we will automatically pay you a penalty payment of £20.

We’ll aim to respond within two hours.

We’ll aim to provide a free clean-up service within 12 hours.

We’ll aim to write to you with your compensation payment within five working days. Where required, we’ll inform you of the action we intend to take and any investigations we intend to make.*

* Compensation payments for internal sewage flooding do not apply if the flooding was caused by your actions or any defect, blockage or inadequacy of private drains or sewers.

We’ll aim to update you on our investigation into the incident and the next steps we will take within one month.

If your property is flooded externally with sewage from a public sewer.*

• Compensation amount: 50% of your annual sewerage charges up to £500 per incident or £75, whichever is greater
• Payment type: **claim

* Compensation payments for external sewage flooding do not apply if the flooding happened because of exceptional weather conditions (unless it is a repeat inadequate capacity issue we’re aware of), or the flooding was caused by your actions or any defect, blockage or inadequacy of private drains or sewers.

** Where you need to claim a payment for external sewer flooding, we’ll make that payment within 10 working days of your claim. If we fail to do that, you are entitled to claim a penalty payment of £20.

We’ll aim to respond within four hours.

We’ll aim to provide a free clean-up service within 24 hours.

We will register you for Priority Services within five working days when you contact us.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim

We’ll compensate you if you have asked us to do the following and we don’t:

• send you a bill in a particular format, eg, braille, large print or other languages
• communicate with you in your preferred way
• send an item of literature in the format you choose.

• Compensation amount: £25
• Payment type: claim