This information is for current tenants who are eligible for a rebate due to overpaid water charges.
What is the water charges rebate?
In common with many other London boroughs, Newham Council had an agreement with Thames Water for the supply of water to our council properties. Thames Water set the water charges and calculated each bill and we collected the charges directly from tenants with their rent. Thames Water paid the council a commission to carry out this activity. The rebate credited to your rent account is the commission (with a deduction for an allowable administration fee), together with interest.
Why is a rebate being made?
Like other London boroughs, Newham Council considered itself an agent working on behalf of Thames Water. Our billing was calculated by Thames Water, rather than the council deciding on a final amount to charge and tenants did not pay any more to the council than they would have paid to Thames Water if they had collected the water charges direct.
However, court cases against two London boroughs found that they were acting as water resellers and had overcharged tenants. As a result, the commission charged, together with interest, has been credited to rent accounts.
Who is eligible for a water rebate?
You are entitled to a rebate if you were a Newham council tenant between 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2021, and the council charged you for water during that period of time.
How has the rebate been calculated?
The calculation has been made by taking the total commission charged, deducting an allowable administration fee of 1.5p per day, and then applying interest up until the date the overcharge was refunded to your account.
How can I get my rebate?
We have credited your rent account with the rebate amount, which will appear on your rent statement as a credit adjustment.
Can I have the rebate paid directly to me?
Your rebate will be paid to your rent account directly. If your rent account is sufficiently in credit, you may be able to apply to have this credit refunded to you.
Please check your balance online before making any request for a refund.
Prior to making any payment, we will deduct any debts owed to other council departments.
If you pay your rent monthly, we will retain a month of rent, so you do not fall into arrears
We will endeavour to process requests as quickly as possible.
You may request a refund of any credit by emailing: RentRefunds@newham.gov.uk
We would recommend that you seek advice from the Housing Benefit department or the Department of Work and Pensions on the impact to your benefits, should your rent account be in credit and you seek a refund of this credit.
