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Your water contract for your holiday let
The holiday let market in the UK is booming. In England & Scotland there are thousands of holiday lets, an industry that is thriving due to the new staycation culture in the UK.
Owners of holiday lets are more than aware of the costs associated with running them and how they have been increasing over the past decade. Utilities are an expensive part of overheads when running a holiday let and one utility often gets overlooked, and that utility is water.
This page should help inform you about the business water contract for your holiday let, and what you can do to help reduce the costs on it.
Often owners of holiday lets are not aware that they can switch their water supplier to save money, but if you are on a business water meter then you are able to compare business water suppliers and switch to a better alternative.
What are the water rates associated
with business holiday lets?
Holiday let properties will be charged two sets of charges for their business water meter. The charges will be broken down into volumetric charges and standing charges.
Volumetric Charges – This is the charge for the usage of your water and wastewater. The more water your holiday let uses in a year the higher the cost, and if you have a lower water usage in a year the cost will be lower. It’s that simple. Your unit rates will vary depending on where your business is located in England or Scotland and what water rates you are being billed for by your current water supplier.
For example, if your unit rate per m3 is £1.23 and you use 135m3 per year then your cost for water for the year would be £166.05.
£1.23m3 x 135m3 = £166.05
Standing Charges – Depending on where in England and Scotland your holiday let is, you will have different standing charges on your account. These can consist of water standing charges, waste standing charges, highways drainage charges, surface drainage charges, and retail charges. On your invoices, these business water rates could be charged as a pence per day, pounds per month, or charged in a block for the period that you are being invoiced for.
For example, if your total standing charges came to £284.70 per year. You could be invoiced as follows:
£0.78 pence per day x 365 days = £284.70
VAT on water invoices on holiday lets
VAT on for water bills on holiday lets should be charged at 0%. If you believe that you have been overcharged for VAT on your water invoices then either call us on 020 8051 7675 or email us at contact@thebusinesswatershop.co.uk and one of our team will be able to help you.
Who is the cheapest water supplier
for holiday lets?
England and Scotland are split into different water wholesaler regions, and these regions have different water retailers (sometimes called water suppliers). Some of the water retailers serve all of England and Scotland, and some only serve certain areas.
The cheapest water supplier for your holiday let will depend on a number of factors; your region, your type of business, your water usage, and the amount of discount different suppliers can offer.
Our business water comparison service can help you understand what water suppliers can supply your business, or check out our Business Water Supplier Guide to take a look at a list of water suppliers in the market.
Can I switch my water supplier
on my holiday let?
If your holiday let is in England or Scotland then you can switch your business water supplier. The Scottish water market deregulated in 2008 and the English water market followed in 2017. This deregulation allowed businesses, including holiday lets to switch their water provider.
Switching water providers allows businesses to benefit from competitive pricing, improved customer service, and bespoke billing. The Business Water Shop offers a business water comparison service that compares business water providers to help find businesses the right deal for them.
Enter your postcode in the box below, or click the compare now button at the top of the page to see how much money your business could save on the water contract for your holiday let.
How do I lower my water bills
on my holiday let?
There are many options available for increasing water efficiency, the easiest to apply to your business would be:
Tap aerators- This would limit the flow of water on your tap which would effectively lower the usage. This is a simple device that would clip onto the end of your tap, this would be very simple to install.
Save-a-Flush bag – This is a polyethylene bag that is filled with pellets that would absorb water and is placed in the toilet cistern. This limits the amount of water you are flushing away and wasting.
Check for leaks- If you have a water meter then we would recommend taking weekly readings to ensure you do not have any leaks. If your usage is abnormally high for one week then it is likely there is a leak. This allows you to get the leak fixed meaning you won’t be wasting money moving forward. The sooner the leak is detected, the better.
What are the benefits of switching water supplier
for my holiday let?
Changing water supplier has many benefits, with the key ones being:
Saving money- If you are yet to change water suppliers, then you will be paying the default tariff. This could be a considerable amount more than you could be paying by switching your business water supplier.
Improved customer service – By switching providers, you could benefit from better customer service. If you find yourself waiting a long time on the phone trying to speak to your supplier then it may be best to switch providers to decrease the waiting time and overall service you receive.
Billing- You may want to change the way you pay for your business water. By changing suppliers you could pay by direct debit or by bank transfer on the invoice. Billing varies throughout the industry as some would request the money a year upfront and others would offer monthly in arrears.
There is no meter on my holiday let,
how do I get charged?
If your business does not have a water meter but you do use water at your business premises then you are likely to be charged based on the rateable value of your property, this will be an unmeasured tariff.
You should usually expect to have a fixed charge every month for the year. However, every 1st of April the water wholesalers review their prices and these price changes can be passed on to the end consumer. This applies to the whole of the water market for both measured and unmeasured tariffs.
Make sure your business is on competitive water rates for your unmeasured tariff by comparing water prices from around the business water market.
Who is the cheapest water supplier
for holiday lets?
England and Scotland are split into different water wholesaler regions, and these regions have different water retailers (sometimes called water suppliers). Some of the water retailers serve all of England and Scotland, and some only serve certain areas.
The cheapest water supplier for your holiday let will depend on a number of factors; your region, your type of business, your water usage, and the amount of discount different suppliers can offer.
Our business water comparison service can help you understand what water suppliers can supply your business, or check out our Business Water Supplier Guide to take a look at a list of water suppliers in the market.
Do you have a question that we've not covered?
Do you have further questions about water rates for holiday lets or any other questions in relation to this subject that we have not answered here? Our team is always happy to help so free to give us a call on 020 8051 7675 or email us at contact@thebusinesswatershop.co.uk and one of our team will be able to help you.
