Are we entitled to water rate refund?

[WendyS]

Our waterbill includes a charge for surface and highway drainage & states that if surface water from our property does not drain to their sewers we may be able to claim a reduction of �17.50 off our bill. Our road contains no drains and the downpipes catching water from our roof merely disappear into the ground at the bottom of the house walls. How would we know whether the downpipes are connected into sewers and are we entitled to this refund?
We have only just spotted this clause. Could we claim back for the 25+ years we have lived in our house?

[dzug]

You'd probably need a surveyor to tell you if your pipes go into soakaways or sewers. Or the house plans may show it. One check you could do yourself : if there are any obvious manholes on/near your property lift them, pour some water down the drain pipes and see if it shows - if it does bad luck.

You say your road has no drains - so where does it drain to? If it runs into another road where there are drains you'll probably be got that way. Water from your driveway say runs into your road and then into another road where there are drains....

I doubt if they will go back 25 years if you are successful in your claim but it should be a few years.

[CheekyChops]

I don't know how you go about checking whether downpipes are connected to sewers but I found out whilst getting the surches done while buying my house that the surface water in my new house didn't run into the sewers and therefore was exempt from the surface drainage charge.

The vendor was a friend of mine and she phoned the water board who advised they could only backdate the claim for a refund to the start of the last financial year, she couldn't claim for the six years she had lived in the house.

I don't know if it differs depending on the water authority concerned, this was with Severn Trent Water.

Seems like a way to make money to me as not many people realise they don't have to pay then surface water drainage charge!

[SteveSxx]

I get a 20 percent discount on drainage - cos I have a large garden and a lot of the surface water doesn't go down the drains !!!

[oldhenry]

You need the plans to convincve STWA, I did with the plans from the local authority.
even then the gits come round to inspect your house, so if any water does goes down a waste water drain, cover it up well first!
Take the plants etc off later!
BOL