Student advice
To help make it easier to get settled into your new accommodation, we have put together some useful advice on what to do when you're moving home and when you need to pay.
When you will be billed
Students are billed for the time they are tenants of a property. For example if you sign a tenancy agreement from 1st July, we will bill you from 1st July.
The way in which we bill will vary between properties with a meter and those without a meter:
- Metered properties, we will bill you based on the water you use, measured in cubic metres, plus a fixed charge based on the size of meter at the property. Find out more information about our metered charges. If no water is used then only the fixed charges will apply.
- We will bill unmeasured properties from the date your tenancy starts to 31st March. From 1st April a new bill will be issued for the next 12 months for which you are responsible until you move out.
You may receive a bill from the 1st April to the 31st March of the following year - but you are due to move out in July. Don’t worry, if you pay the bill in full, when your account is closed down the credit can either be transferred to your new account or refunded. If you pay on an arrangement, then you will need to continue to pay as normal and inform us when you move out so we can stop the charges.
Now you have moved into your home you may find letters from us in your names. It is important that you open these letters and understand what we have setup for you.
Temporary payment plans
If your account is currently on a temporary payment plan you will need to contact us as soon as you receive the keys to the property to discuss your payment options and set up your payments. You will need to check any paperwork that has been sitting in waiting under your name when you move into the property as this will show your current payment plan.
Don’t discard any paperwork from us with your name on. Open it and see what it says. Then call us to discuss how you would like to pay moving forward if the plan does not suit your needs. Once you have contacted us to update your payment plan your payment dates will be sent to you in the post.
We share data with credit reference agencies, this means when payments are made on time, sharing information about regular payment of water bills should contribute positively towards building a good credit history. This may help some customers access more favourable credit and financial services and products. Where payments are not made on time, this is likely to impact your credit score and could result in you being refused credit.
Please contact us as soon as you receive your keys to ensure there are no impacts to your credit file should you fail to follow the temporary plan. You can contact us to set up a suitable payment plan or pay the bill in full if you are on unmeasured bills.
Responsibility
Up to 2 people can be named on an account (and on a bill) and will be responsible for it. Further contacts can be added as nominees on an account and have the authority to discuss it with us but will not appear on the bill. Anyone not named or nominated on an account cannot discuss or make changes to it.
Payment options
There are a few ways you can pay your Welsh Water bill.
- Allocate one bank account to pay the bill (either in full or via a direct debit)
- Request a payment card to pay in instalments at your local Post Office, or any shop, petrol station etc. where the PayPoint sign is displayed
- Make one-off payments online using the customer reference number for the property (which will be given to you when you create an account). Payments online can be made via credit/debit cards, google pay, apple pay or your banking app. You do not need to be named or nominated on an account to make a payment against it.
HyperJar
HyperJar is perfect for planning and sharing the cost of your water bill with other people. Use HyperJar to:
- Set up Shared Jars to enjoy hassle-free group spending, including organising your bills.
- Create Jars for any product, service, or event you’re saving towards. Every Jar is a separate mini-account, and you can spend directly from any Jar with your HyperJar card.
And don’t worry, sharing a Jar won’t affect your credit score – in fact, nothing you do in HyperJar will. Once you receive your HyperJar card, you can use it anywhere, including abroad without any fees.
Frequently asked questions
If you are responsible for paying the bill, as per your tenancy agreement, then any two tenants can be the primary names on the account. Other tenants who live there can be noted on the account and have authorisation to make changes. If we are provided the information from the landlord, the first 2 names provided are added to the account.
No. There is no student discount or student tariff available.
No. If you live in Halls of Residence then your water rates will be included with your rent.
Yes. Your account is opened from the date of your tenancy (usually 1st July) and you are responsible up until the end of your tenancy.
This should be detailed in your tenancy agreement. If it states your water rates are included in your rent then the account is the responsibility of your landlord.
No. If you are staying in the property across academic years then you do not need to inform us. Please continue with your account and let us know when you do move.
If you move before your academic year ends then then let us know using our moving form.