WaterSure scheme: who qualifies and how to apply

If you’re trying to work out whether you qualify for WaterSure, here are the criteria upfront — no long preamble.

You qualify if you’re on a water meter AND you meet one of these two conditions:

1. Someone in your household has a medical condition that requires them to use a significant amount of water (dialysis, certain skin conditions, Crohn’s disease, incontinence, and others)
2. You receive a qualifying means-tested benefit AND have three or more dependent children under 19 living with you

That’s it. If either of those applies, read on for how to apply.

What is WaterSure?

WaterSure was introduced to protect households whose water bills would otherwise be unmanageably high — either because of genuine medical need, or because of family size and low income. It’s a mandatory scheme, meaning every water company in England and Wales is required to offer it. Your water company administers it directly.

The scheme doesn’t subsidise your bill from a central fund — it effectively caps what you pay and spreads the difference across all of that company’s customers. Small cost per customer; significant saving for those who qualify.

WaterSure eligibility criteria

Criterion 1 — Medical: A permanent or long-term member of your household has a medical condition that requires substantially more water than average.

Commonly qualifying conditions include:

• Renal conditions: Kidney failure requiring dialysis at home, which typically involves daily or multiple-times-weekly flushing and sterilisation of equipment, creating high water demand
• Skin conditions: Severe inflammatory conditions like eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, or ichthyosis that require frequent bathing or showering to manage symptoms or prevent infection
• Gastrointestinal conditions: Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome where flare-ups or chronic symptoms require frequent toilet use and increased washing
• Incontinence: Urinary or faecal incontinence requiring regular changes of clothes, bed linens, and increased washing/bathing to maintain hygiene
• Wound management: Weeping wounds, surgical recovery requiring frequent dressing changes and irrigation, or chronic wounds needing regular saline irrigation
• Immune suppression: HIV, receiving chemotherapy, or other immune-suppressed conditions where heightened hygiene standards require frequent washing and bathing
• Cystic fibrosis: Requires multiple daily showers and physiotherapy involving water use
• Severe asthma or respiratory conditions: Sometimes linked to higher washing requirements for hygiene management
• Stoma conditions: Those with colostomies, ileostomies, or ureterostomies often require extra water for cleaning and hygiene

The condition needs to be confirmed by a GP, specialist, or other medical professional. The water company will ask for documentation — typically a letter from your healthcare provider confirming the diagnosis and explaining why it leads to high water use. This doesn’t need to be a formal assessment; your GP can write it as a simple letter confirming the medical facts.

Criterion 2 — Financial + family size: You must be receiving at least one qualifying benefit AND have three or more dependent children under 19 living at home. Both conditions apply — benefits alone don’t qualify you, and three children without the benefit won’t either.

Both criteria require: You must already be on a water meter, or have applied for one. This is a firm requirement — you cannot be on an unmetered supply and claim WaterSure.

What benefits count for WaterSure?

The qualifying benefits are: Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Working Tax Credit.

If you receive any of these and have three or more children under 19, you meet the financial and family criterion.

What does WaterSure actually give you?

Your water bill is capped at the average metered bill for your water company’s area. You can use as much water as your household genuinely needs without being charged extra above that cap.

How much can WaterSure save you? The actual savings depend on your water company, your region, and how much water you would use without the cap. Here are some realistic examples:

Example 1: Large family, financial qualification. A household of five on Universal Credit with three children under 19. Without WaterSure, their metered bill might be around £500-600 per year (using perhaps 150+ cubic metres of water). The company average for a metered household in their area might be £350-400. WaterSure caps their bill at that company average. Saving: £100-200 per year.

Example 2: Medical condition, dialysis. A two-person household with one member requiring home haemodialysis. They use around 120+ cubic metres of water per year for the dialysis, cleaning, and personal hygiene. Their metered bill without WaterSure could easily be £600-750. The company average might be £400. Saving: £200-350 per year.

Example 3: Severe incontinence or skin condition. A three-person household with one member with severe incontinence requiring frequent bathing and laundry. They use perhaps 100+ cubic metres per year. Metered bill without WaterSure might be £500-600. Company average £400. Saving: £100-200 per year.

Example 4: Large family with medical need. A household of six with one child requiring frequent showering due to a chronic skin condition, plus high normal family water use. They might use 140+ cubic metres. Bill without WaterSure could be £550-700. Company average £450. Saving: £100-250 per year.

The cap is reviewed annually alongside each company’s general tariff review, usually in April when charges change. If the company average goes up because of inflation or investment costs, your WaterSure cap also increases. If it goes down (rare, but possible during periods of cost control), you benefit from that reduction too.

One important note: the cap protects you from unusual price hikes, but it also means you benefit equally from price reductions — you’re not locked at an old, outdated rate.

Other support if you don’t qualify for WaterSure

If you don’t meet WaterSure’s criteria but still struggle to afford water bills, there are alternatives worth exploring.

Social tariffs: Several water companies offer social tariffs (sometimes called “affordability tariffs” or “help schemes”) for customers on low incomes who don’t qualify for WaterSure. These aren’t mandatory like WaterSure, so availability and terms vary by company. Some offer a fixed discount (e.g., 10-15% off metered charges), while others provide a safety net bill cap. Check your water company’s website or call them to ask what they offer. Common names include Anglian’s “Assistance for Customers” and Thames Water’s “Assist.”

Hardship funds: Many water companies operate discretionary hardship funds or financial support schemes for customers facing genuine difficulty. These aren’t automatic — you need to apply and explain your circumstances — but they can provide one-off grants or bill reductions. If you’re experiencing unexpected difficulty (job loss, illness, emergency costs), contact your water company’s customer services and ask about hardship support. They often deal with these requests confidentially and without judgment.

Debt relief: If you’ve fallen into water debt, don’t ignore it. Contact your water company and explain the situation. Companies are required to work with struggling customers. You may be offered a payment plan, a reduced bill, or a combination of help. Many companies can write off or reduce debts for vulnerable customers.

Umbrella organisations: If you don’t feel comfortable contacting your water company directly, organisations like Citizens Advice and StepChange can help you understand your options and even advocate on your behalf.

Council support: Some local councils operate emergency assistance schemes or have partnerships with water companies to help residents. Contact your local council’s benefits or support team to ask.

Charities: Water UK (the industry body) maintains information about company-specific schemes. Additionally, charities focused on poverty relief and disability support sometimes have funding for essential utility bills.

How to apply for WaterSure

Contact your water company directly. There’s no central portal or government application system — the scheme is run by each company individually.

When you call or write, have the following ready: proof of the qualifying benefit (a recent UC statement, benefit award letter, or similar), and for medical cases, a letter from your GP or specialist confirming the condition and why it leads to high water use.

Processing time varies by company, but most aim to confirm eligibility within a few weeks. Some companies have a dedicated vulnerability team handling WaterSure applications. Once approved, the cap typically applies to your next bill cycle.

What if I’m not on a water meter?

You need a meter to access WaterSure. But getting one is free in most of England — contact your water company and request a meter installation. There’s no charge for the installation itself.

The meter installation process: When you request a meter, your water company will arrange a visit from an engineer. This typically takes place within 4-12 weeks depending on the company’s workload. The engineer will locate your water supply pipe (usually near your property boundary or under your kitchen sink) and install a meter. The whole job usually takes 1-2 hours. There’s no charge for the installation, and you don’t need to do anything special to prepare your property.

What happens after installation: Once your meter is installed, you’re moved to metered charges immediately. Your first few bills will show metered rates rather than your previous fixed unmetered charge. This is when many people realise whether metering will save them money or cost more.

Importantly, if you’re applying for WaterSure specifically, you don’t have to wait and see if metering is cheaper. You apply for WaterSure once your meter is installed, and if approved, your bill is capped at the company average anyway — so metering costs become irrelevant because you’re protected by the cap.

The trial period: If you install a meter but don’t qualify for WaterSure and discover that metered bills are significantly higher than your old unmetered charge, you typically have a 24-month trial period to switch back to unmetered charges if you wish. Different companies handle this slightly differently, so check with yours when the meter is installed. Some companies are more flexible than others about the trial period, especially if you can demonstrate that the meter isn’t working properly or if circumstances change.

This trial period protection is important because it means you can experiment with metering without being locked in permanently. However, most people who apply for WaterSure do so specifically because they expect high metered bills — so they’re not concerned about the trial period because they want to be metered and capped.

Does WaterSure apply in Scotland?

No. WaterSure is an England and Wales scheme only. Scottish Water is a public corporation and operates differently from the private companies in England and Wales. Scotland has its own affordability support arrangements — contact Scottish Water directly if you’re in Scotland.

For a broader look at all the support available for water bills, see our water bill help schemes guide.