Utility Bills

Electricity and Gas Bills

If you don't pay your electricity or gas bill, your supplier can cut you off. They don't need a court order to do this (although they will need a warrant to enter your property), so you need to make payment of these bills a priority debt. However, as long as a customer is communicating with a utility company, and making regular payments, a court will not issue a warrant of disconnection.

If you are having problems, here are some suggestions:

• Talk to the supplier at the most senior level you can get to as soon as possible. Using the financial statement, write in and explain to each of the utility companies your current or expected future position. It is much better to warn them in advance but if it is too late and there is already an unpaid bill which is causing anxiety, then pay part of it.
• Tell them if you are elderly, on benefits, are sick or disabled or have children and they will usually be very understanding.
• If you are on income support or Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance, you may also be eligible for a deduction from your bill.
• Ask to pay your bills by weekly or monthly instalments or under a budget plan, where your bills over both winter and summer are averaged out. If you have arrears you can ask for this to be included in the budget plan. Use your financial statement as evidence of how much you can afford to pay.
• Ask for a book of payment slips and keep paying off as much as you can. Alternatively take photocopies of the bill, in order to have several copies of the payment giro slip at the bottom with your account details printed on it, and use those to make regular payments. As long as you are paying something they will be reluctant to cut you off.
• If you have significant arrears you might consider agreeing to a pre-payment meter. You pay for your current use of gas or electricity through a token, pre-payment card or coins. If there are arrears, the rate you pay for each unit is set at a higher level until the debt is paid off. Make sure that you can afford the rate set to pay off debt.
• Contact the Social Services Department of your local council. The fuel company will delay cutting you off if Social Services or the Department of Work and Pensions are looking into your case - particularly if children are involved.
• Check all your bills, especially those that have been estimated. Have the meter read as usually bills are over-estimated and it is quite possible that any arrears are higher than they really should be. This may reduce your debt, or even eliminate it!

Water Bills

Water companies cannot cut off your water supply because you are in arrears with your water or sewerage rates. They will pursue the debt in the same way as credit card companies or other creditors with unsecured debts.

Telephone Bills

It is important to contact your supplier if you are having trouble paying your telephone bill and explain the situation to them. Ignoring the situation will probably result in disconnection. Ask if they have any budget schemes which would help you spread the cost of your phone bill more evenly, either weekly or monthly.

You may not be getting the best deal with your current phone company so you may want to check to see if switching phone companies would help reduce costs.