# The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008, Regulation 17IA: Domestic customers in arrears


(1) This regulation applies where an English service provider considers that a domestic customer has failed to pay any charges due to them for which the customer is liable in respect of the supply of water to a premises falling within Schedule 4A to the WIA (such charges are referred to in this regulation as the “outstanding charges”).
(2) The English service provider must, before taking a relevant step, give the customer—
(a) a notice (an “outstanding charges notice”), and
(b) an opportunity to make arrangements for the payment of the outstanding charges or to otherwise make representations in connection with them (including, but not limited to, disputing their liability to pay those charges or to correct an error in the information provided by the English service provider).
(3) For the purposes of this regulation, an English service provider takes a relevant step in relation to outstanding charges if it does either or both of the following in relation to those charges—
(a) gives information to a credit reference agency in relation to the customer’s failure to pay them;
(b) begins legal proceedings for the purposes of recovering them (whether in whole or in part).
(4) An outstanding charges notice must contain—
(a) the amount of the outstanding charges, and how that amount has been calculated,
(b) the period to which the outstanding charges relate,
(c) the address of the domestic premises to which the outstanding charges relate,
(d) where a meter is installed in relation to the domestic premises, the serial number of that meter,
(e) a statement of how the customer may contact the English service provider to confirm that they have received the notice,
(f) a statement of how the customer may contact the English service provider to make arrangements for the payment of the outstanding charges or to dispute, or otherwise make representations in connection with, those charges,
(g) the period within which the customer must take any such step, and
(h) the relevant steps that the English service provider may take in relation to the outstanding charges.
(5) The period specified for the purposes of paragraph (4)(g) must—
(a) not be less than 30 days beginning with the day on which the outstanding charges notice is given to the customer, and
(b) in any event, take account of whether or not the customer is included in a Core Priority Services Register (see regulation 17ID).
(6) If a customer who is given an outstanding charges notice—
(a) neither confirms that they have received the outstanding charges notice nor contacts the English service provider to make arrangements for the payment of the outstanding charges or otherwise make representations in connection with them, or
(b) confirms they have received the outstanding charges notice but does not contact the English service provider to make such arrangements or representations,
the English service provider must, before taking a relevant step, attempt to contact the customer about the outstanding charges and, where sub-paragraph (a) applies, the English service provider must use at least one means of communication other than that used to give the notice to the customer.
(7) For the purposes of paragraph (6), the English service provider must, when contacting the customer, give the customer—
(a) the information mentioned in paragraph (4)(a) to (d), (f) and (h),
(b) the information mentioned in paragraph (4)(e), unless the English service provider is contacting the customer by telephone, and
(c) a reasonable period within which to contact the English service provider to make arrangements for the payment of the charges or to dispute, or otherwise make representations in connection with, them.
(8) If an English service provider—
(a) before taking a relevant step, fails—
(i) to give a domestic customer an outstanding charges notice;
(ii) to make a second attempt to contact a domestic customer who does not confirm receipt of the notice;
(iii) to make a second attempt to contact a domestic customer who confirms they have received the outstanding charges notice, but does not contact the English service provider to make arrangements for the payment of the outstanding charges or otherwise make representations in connection with them;
(iv) when making a second attempt to contact the customer, to give the customer all of the information required under paragraph (7),
(b) takes a relevant step before the end of the period specified in accordance with paragraph (4)(g) or given under paragraph (7)(b), or
(c) takes a relevant step without taking account of any steps taken, or representations or payments made, by the customer in connection with the payment of the outstanding charges,
the English service provider must pay the customer £150.
(9) In this regulation—
(a) “credit reference agency” has the meaning given by section 145(8) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974;
(b) “domestic customer” has the meaning given by regulation 17ID(10).

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/594/regulation/17IA (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/water-supply-and-sewerage-services-customer-service-standards-regulations-2008/regulation-17IA
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.