Dealing with a water account after a bereavement is not urgent in the way that, say, notifying a bank is – but it is worth handling within the first week or two so that billing is correctly dated from the date of death and no further charges accumulate in the wrong name. Thames Water, which supplies water and wastewater services to around 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley, has a dedicated bereavement process you can use by phone or online.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement line: 0800 009 4976 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm)
- Online form: thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/help-with-a-bereavement
- Have ready: account number, date of death, meter reading (if available)
- Empty and unfurnished property: tell Thames Water and charges stop from that date – it is not automatic, and does not apply while the property is still furnished
- Do not cancel the direct debit until you have received and confirmed the final bill
Thames Water is unique among UK utilities in that you cannot switch supplier – water supply is tied to the property address, not the customer’s choice. This means the account does not close in the same way an energy account would: it must either transfer to a new occupier or be held in the name of the estate while the property is being administered. The good news is that once the property is completely empty and unfurnished, charges can be stopped – but only from the date you tell Thames Water, so it is worth doing as soon as the house is cleared.
How to notify Thames Water
There are two main ways to notify Thames Water of a death.
By phone: Call 0800 009 4976, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. This is a freephone number. Thames Water’s bereavement team will take your details and guide you through the next steps. Some callers have reported being directed to use the website first – if that happens, wait on the line and ask specifically to speak to the bereavement team.
Online: Thames Water has an online bereavement form at thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/help-with-a-bereavement. The form allows you to provide all necessary details and indicate whether you want to close or transfer the account.
Via a third-party notification service: Services such as Life Ledger and Settld allow you to notify Thames Water alongside dozens of other companies in a single process. Both services are free to bereaved families (Settld also offers a paid assisted service).
| Contact method | Details |
|---|---|
| Phone (bereavement team) | 0800 009 4976 – Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, freephone |
| Online form | thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/help-with-a-bereavement |
| Third-party notification | Life Ledger, Settld (notify multiple companies at once) |
Source: Thames Water bereavement page, verified September 2026.
Documents and information you will need
Thames Water asks for the following when you report a bereavement:
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Deceased’s full name | As it appears on the account |
| Deceased’s address | The property address the account covers |
| Date of death | Needed to date the final bill correctly |
| Account number | Found on any recent water bill |
| Meter reading | Taken on or close to the date of death – a timestamped photo is ideal |
| Your name and contact details | As executor, solicitor, or next of kin |
| Death certificate | A copy (not necessarily a certified copy) – typically requested before any credit refund is issued |
| Details of who will manage the property going forward | New occupier, landlord, or estate executor |
You do not need to have all of this ready before you make first contact. Thames Water will accept an initial verbal notification and follow up for supporting documents. The key thing is to establish contact and get the bereavement flagged on the account so that billing is dated from the correct point.
If you are ordering death certificates from the register office, each copy costs £12.50 in England and Wales (source: gov.uk). For utility notifications, a standard copy is generally sufficient – certified copies are not required.
What happens to the account and the bill
Water accounts in the UK are tied to the property rather than to the individual customer. This has important practical consequences when someone dies.
If someone is continuing to live at the property
If a spouse, partner, family member, or other occupant will continue living there, Thames Water will close the deceased’s account and transfer it to the continuing occupant’s name. The date-of-death meter reading becomes the closing reading for the old account and the opening reading for the new one.
Any credit balance on the old account is refunded to the estate. Any outstanding balance becomes a debt of the estate, settled from the estate’s assets before distribution to beneficiaries.
If the property is now empty (estate administration)
This is the situation most executors face. Once Thames Water has been notified, they can transfer the account into the name of the estate or the executor while the property is being dealt with. What happens to charges from that point depends on whether the property is furnished or unfurnished:
- Furnished and empty (for example, while the family is still clearing the house): water and wastewater charges continue to be payable in full.
- Unfurnished and empty (nothing left except white goods such as a washing machine, fridge, or freezer): Thames Water will not charge you for unmetered supplies or fixed charges for metered supplies from the date you tell them the property is unoccupied and unfurnished. You still need to call and tell them – the exemption is not automatic and does not apply retrospectively before you notify them.
This continues until one of the following happens:
- The property is sold and the new owner takes over
- A tenant moves in and takes responsibility for the account
- The property becomes occupied again, at which point full charges resume
The practical consequence: if the house is being cleared as part of the estate administration, tell Thames Water as soon as the property is completely empty and unfurnished, rather than waiting until probate is granted – the charge exemption starts from the date you report it, so an early call can save several months of standing charges. Source: Thames Water household charges scheme 2026–27, section 9.1.
Metered vs unmetered accounts
Metered properties are charged based on actual water use. The meter reading at the date of death establishes the final bill for the deceased’s account – take this reading as soon as possible after the death and photograph the meter display with a timestamp.
Unmetered properties are charged based on the assessed household charge – currently calculated from a fixed rate per year, billed April to March. If the deceased was on an unmetered tariff and was the sole occupier, charges continue as normal for as long as the property remains furnished, even if nobody is living there – they only stop once you report the property as empty and unfurnished (see “Report the property as empty and unfurnished” below). Unmetered customers can apply for a free water meter at any time; this may be worth considering if the estate expects a long administration period.
The final bill
After notification, Thames Water will issue a final bill covering the period up to the date of death. If there was a direct debit running, any credit on the account (common where direct debits have been set above actual usage) will be refunded to the estate. Ask the bereavement team specifically about this – do not assume a credit will be refunded automatically without prompting.
Outstanding balances on the final bill are a debt of the estate. They must be paid from the estate’s assets. If the estate has insufficient funds to cover them, the debt is dealt with between Thames Water and the estate administrator – it does not transfer to family members personally (unless they were joint account holders).
Direct debits
Do not cancel the direct debit until you have received the final bill and confirmed the balance is settled. If the direct debit is cancelled early and there is still an outstanding amount, it will need to be paid separately – creating extra administration. See our guide to what happens to direct debits when someone dies for broader guidance on this.
Social tariffs and support schemes
Thames Water offers two main financial support schemes: WaterSure and WaterHelp. Both are personal to the account holder, so what happens to them on death depends on the circumstances.
WaterSure
WaterSure is a national scheme that caps the water bills of eligible metered customers. For 2026–27, Thames Water’s WaterSure cap is set at £658 for combined water and wastewater, £372 for water only, and £286 for wastewater only.
To qualify, the household must be on a meter, receive a qualifying means-tested benefit (such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, or Pension Credit), and either:
- Have three or more children under 19 living at the property who make the household eligible for child benefit, or
- Have a medical condition that requires above-average water use (such as Crohn’s disease, incontinence, conditions requiring home dialysis, or an abdominal stoma)
On death, WaterSure eligibility ends with the account. A new occupier taking over the property can apply in their own right if they meet the criteria. Source: Thames Water WaterSure page, verified September 2026.
WaterHelp
WaterHelp is Thames Water’s own financial assistance tariff. Customers are assessed based on their net income and household size. If a customer’s annual water and wastewater bill exceeds 5% of their net household income, they may be eligible for a reduction of between 25% and 99% off their bill, depending on how far above the threshold their bill sits.
As with WaterSure, WaterHelp eligibility is personal to the account holder. On death, the scheme ends. A surviving occupant who takes over the account and meets the income and household criteria can apply separately. Source: Thames Water WaterHelp page, verified August 2026.
Priority Services Register
Thames Water’s Priority Services Register (PSR) provides additional support for customers in vulnerable circumstances – for example, those with a disability, a serious illness, or who are elderly. Support includes easier-to-read bills, a doorstep password scheme, and dedicated contact options.
PSR registration is linked to the individual account holder. On death, the deceased’s PSR registration is not passed on. If a surviving occupant who takes over the account would benefit from priority services, they should request to be added to the register when the account is transferred into their name.
Probate and water bills
Water bills work differently from bank accounts when it comes to probate. Thames Water is not holding an asset on behalf of the deceased – they are a service provider and potentially a creditor. This means probate is not required simply to close or transfer a water account.
However, if there is a credit balance to be refunded to the estate, Thames Water may request evidence of authority to act – such as the grant of probate or letters of administration. For routine account closure with no credit refund, this is rarely needed.
Water debt is a debt of the estate. It is paid from the estate’s assets before the residue is distributed to beneficiaries, following the statutory order of priority set out in insolvency law. If the estate is insolvent – there are insufficient assets to meet all debts – unsecured creditors such as water companies receive a proportional share after secured creditors and funeral expenses. The executor is not personally liable for estate debts provided they have administered the estate correctly.
For guidance on the overall probate process, see gov.uk/applying-for-probate. Our guide to what to do when someone dies sets out the full sequence of notifications you will need to work through.
How long does it take?
Thames Water typically processes a bereavement notification within 1–3 weeks of receiving all required information. The main variables are:
- Whether the property is occupied or empty
- Whether there is a credit or outstanding balance to resolve
- How quickly the death certificate and supporting documents are submitted
A final bill will be issued after notification. Any credit refund is issued to the estate once documents have been verified. Keep a note of the date you made contact, the name of the person you spoke to (if by phone), and any reference number given.
Things to watch out for
Take a meter reading on the date of death, or as soon after as possible. The meter reading at the date of death is the point at which the final bill ends. If you delay, Thames Water will have to estimate, which may not reflect actual usage. A timestamped photograph of the meter is the most reliable approach.
Do not cancel the direct debit before the final bill arrives. This is one of the most common mistakes executors make with utility accounts. The direct debit needs to remain active until the final bill has been received, reviewed, and confirmed as zero. Cancelling early leaves an outstanding balance that must be chased separately.
Report the property as empty and unfurnished as soon as the house is cleared – the exemption is not backdated. Fixed charges are £81.76 per year for water and £126.69 for wastewater on an unmetered supply, or a broadly comparable £66.87 water and £128.13 wastewater on a metered supply (2026–27 rates, all households) – on top of any usage if metered. These charges are payable in full for as long as the property is furnished, even if nobody is living there. Once you tell Thames Water the property is unoccupied and unfurnished (nothing left except white goods such as a washing machine, fridge, or freezer), they will stop charging from the date you report it, rather than from the date the house was cleared – so do not wait until probate is granted to make the call. Source: Thames Water household charges scheme 2026–27, Tables 1 and 4, and section 9.1.
A furnished-but-empty property still pays in full. If the family has not yet cleared the house – furniture and belongings are still there, even though nobody is living in it – Thames Water treats this the same as an occupied property for charging purposes. The unfurnished exemption only applies once the property is stripped back to nothing but fitted white goods. Source: Thames Water household charges scheme 2026–27, section 9.1.
Automated letters may still arrive. It is common for executors to receive a routine payment reminder even after notifying the bereavement team, if the notification is still being processed through all internal systems. If this happens, call back with your reference number to confirm the bereavement has been logged.
Thames Water handles water and wastewater together. Unlike some regions where water and sewerage are billed by separate companies, Thames Water is the combined supplier for both services across its coverage area. One notification covers both.
Thames Water serves ~16 million customers, but not all of London. Some parts of the South East have a different water supplier. If you are unsure whether Thames Water is the relevant company, check old bills or use the Water UK postcode finder. Our guide to notifying your water company after a death lists all UK water companies with their contact details.
Summary
To notify Thames Water after a bereavement, call 0800 009 4976 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm, freephone) or use the online form at thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/help-with-a-bereavement.
Have ready: the account number, the address, the date of death, a meter reading if the property is metered, and your contact details as executor or next of kin. Thames Water will issue a final bill within one to three weeks and advise on any credit refund or outstanding balance.
The account will either be transferred to a new occupier or held in the name of the estate during administration. Standing charges continue in full while the property is furnished, but stop once you tell Thames Water it is empty and unfurnished – so notify them promptly once the house has been cleared, and keep the direct debit in place until the final bill is settled.
For broader context on what to do after a death, see our what to do when someone dies guide. For guidance on direct debits specifically, see what happens to direct debits when someone dies. For other water companies, our guide to notifying your water company covers all UK suppliers, including Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.