How to notify your water company when someone dies

Notifying the water company is rarely the first thing on anyone’s mind after a bereavement – banks and energy suppliers tend to come first. But if direct debits are running, a water account will keep generating bills. The good news is that most water companies have dedicated bereavement teams and the process is straightforward.

This guide explains how to find which water company serves the property, how to notify them, what happens to the account, and what to watch out for – including empty property charges and the billing rules that catch many families off guard.

Key point before you start: Tell Us Once – the government service that notifies multiple departments in one step – does not cover water companies. Families must contact water companies directly. This applies to all UK water suppliers. (Source: gov.uk – organisations to contact after a death)

Finding the right water company

Water supply in England and Wales is handled by regional monopolies, so there is no choice of supplier – the company that serves your postcode is the one you need to contact. Most people do not know offhand which company supplies a given property.

The quickest way to find out is to enter the postcode at the Water UK supplier finder or the CCW postcode checker. Both tools return the name and website of the company responsible for that address. The Ofwat website also lists all licensed suppliers at ofwat.gov.uk/households/your-water-company.

If you can find a recent water bill among the deceased’s papers, the supplier’s name and account number will both be printed there. For properties in England and Wales that are not metered, a rateable value charge appears on the bill rather than a usage figure – either way, the supplier name is the same.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are different: Scottish Water is the sole public-sector supplier for the whole of Scotland. In Northern Ireland, NI Water (also publicly owned) covers the whole province. These are covered separately at the bottom of this guide.

What information you will need

Before calling or filling in an online form, have the following to hand:

• The full name of the person who has died
• The address of the property and (if possible) the account number – found on any water bill
• The date of death
• Your own name, contact details, and relationship to the deceased (next of kin, executor, or solicitor)
• A meter reading taken on or close to the date of death (if the property has a meter)
• A forwarding address for the estate, so the final bill and any refund can be sent

Most water companies do not require the death certificate to be produced upfront – verbal notification is usually enough to get the account flagged. A copy of the certificate will generally be requested before any refund is issued.

How to notify your water company

The process is broadly the same across all major suppliers:

1. Call the bereavement team or fill in the online form. Most companies have a dedicated bereavement contact – see the table below for details.
2. Give the account details and date of death. If you have the account number, this speeds up the call. If not, the address and full name of the deceased are usually sufficient.
3. Tell them the property’s status – occupied by a surviving family member, empty, or in the process of being sold.
4. Provide a meter reading if possible. This is used to calculate the final bill accurately and avoids disputes later.
5. Confirm where to send correspondence. The final bill and any refund will be sent to the executor’s or administrator’s address.

If you are dealing with multiple companies at once, free services like Life Ledger and Settld can notify several organisations simultaneously, including water companies. These services are free to use and may save time if the estate involves many accounts.

What happens to the account

If someone continues to live in the property

Where a spouse, partner, or other household member is continuing to live at the property, the account can be transferred into their name. A new account is opened using the meter reading from the date of death as the opening reading. Any credit on the deceased’s account is refunded to the estate; any outstanding balance becomes a debt of the estate.

If the property is now empty

An empty property does not mean the water charges stop. Most water companies continue to levy a standing charge on unoccupied properties – this covers the ongoing cost of maintaining the connection and supply infrastructure. For metered properties with no usage, some companies will waive the usage element but continue to bill the standing charge.

The account is usually transferred into the name of the estate (or the executor) while the property is being dealt with. Notify the water company promptly that the property is empty and ask what their unoccupied property policy is – some companies will apply a reduced tariff or suspend charges for a period. Welsh Water, for example, will temporarily remove charges for up to 12 months where the sole occupier has died and the property is awaiting probate. (Source: Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water – bereavements)

Always check with your specific water company, as policies vary. Do not assume charges will be suspended automatically.

Direct debits

Do not cancel the direct debit immediately. The account still needs to generate a final bill, and if the direct debit is cancelled before that arrives, any outstanding balance will need to be paid separately – creating extra administration. Wait until you receive a final bill showing a zero balance (or a refund cheque) before stopping payments.

Tell Us Once does not cover water companies

This is one of the most common misconceptions in the bereavement notification process. Tell Us Once – the free government service that notifies HMRC, DWP, the DVLA, the Passport Office, and your local council in one step – does not include water companies.

Water companies are private utility providers (except Scottish Water and NI Water, which are publicly owned). None of them are part of the Tell Us Once scheme. You must contact your water company directly, regardless of whether you have used Tell Us Once. (Source: gov.uk – Tell Us Once)

See our Tell Us Once guide for a full list of what the service does and does not cover, and our council tax guide for the government services that Tell Us Once does handle.

Water billing: metered and unmetered properties

Unlike gas and electricity, some properties in England and Wales are still billed for water on an unmetered basis – meaning the charge is calculated from the property’s rateable value rather than measured usage. If the deceased’s property was unmetered, this does not change the notification process, but it does mean there is no meter reading to take.

For metered properties, the meter reading taken at or near the date of death is important: it establishes where the deceased’s liability ends and the estate’s (or a new occupant’s) begins. Photograph the meter display – a timestamped phone photo is sufficient.

Water and sewerage charges are often billed by the same company but may be separate. When you call, confirm that both elements – water supply and wastewater/sewerage – are being handled. Some areas have different suppliers for each, though this is less common for residential properties.

Key contacts table

The following table covers the major water suppliers in England and Wales, with their bereavement contact details. Phone numbers and websites are verified as of April 2026 – contact details may change, so check the company’s own website if you cannot get through.

Contact details last verified April 2026. Check the company’s website if you cannot reach the number listed.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water is a public corporation wholly owned by Scottish Ministers – unlike the privatised companies in England and Wales. It supplies water and wastewater services across the whole of Scotland.

One important difference: in Scotland, water and sewerage charges are collected by your local council as part of the council tax bill, not directly by Scottish Water. This means that in most cases, notifying the council about the death – which you can do via Tell Us Once – also triggers an update to the water and sewerage charges on the council tax account.

If the deceased had a separate direct standing charge arrangement with Scottish Water (which applies in some non-domestic or specific residential situations), contact Scottish Water directly on 0800 0778 778, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also find contact options at scottishwater.co.uk/help-and-resources/contact-us.

For council tax after a death in Scotland – including the Class 6 exemption for empty properties – see our council tax Scotland guide.

Northern Ireland Water

NI Water is a government-owned company that provides water and sewerage services across all of Northern Ireland. Tell Us Once does not operate in Northern Ireland, so families in Northern Ireland must contact all organisations – including NI Water – directly.

To notify NI Water of a death, contact their customer team:

• Email: waterline@niwater.com
• Post: NI Water, PO Box 1026, Belfast, BT1 9DJ
• Website: niwater.com

Include a copy of the death certificate with your notification. NI Water’s billing is separate from rates (the Northern Ireland equivalent of council tax), which is administered by Land & Property Services – you will need to notify them separately.

Practical tips

Take a meter reading on the date of death. If the property has a water meter, record the reading as close to the date of death as possible. A timestamped photo on a phone is ideal. This establishes the point at which the deceased’s liability ends and prevents disputes over the final bill.

Do not stop the direct debit until the final bill arrives. Cancelling the direct debit too early means any outstanding balance will need to be paid separately. Wait for a final bill marked as settled – or a refund notice – before cancelling the payment mandate.

Ask about unoccupied property charges. If the property is empty, ask the water company what their specific policy is. Do not assume charges will stop. Standing charges for water supply continue on most empty properties. Request the company’s written policy so you know what the estate will owe during the period before the property is sold or transferred.

Check for a credit balance. Where direct debits have been running throughout the year, the account may be in credit. Ask the bereavement team to confirm the balance and, if there is a credit, request a refund to the estate. Do not assume this will happen automatically.

Refund timelines. Most water companies aim to process refunds within two to four weeks of receiving the final meter reading and required documents. If you have not heard within a month, follow up with the reference number from your initial call.

Sewerage charges. Water billing and sewerage billing are often handled by the same company, but not always. In some areas, the water supplier and the sewerage company differ. When you notify, confirm that both services are being updated.

Summary

Tell Us Once does not cover water companies – you must contact the relevant supplier directly. The quickest way to identify the right company is to use the Water UK postcode tool. Most suppliers have a dedicated bereavement line and can process an initial notification with a phone call.

Key steps:

1. Find the water company using the Water UK supplier finder
2. Call the bereavement team or use the online form – details in the table above
3. Have the account number, date of death, and a meter reading ready
4. Tell them whether the property is occupied, empty, or being sold
5. Ask about unoccupied property charges if the property will be empty for a period
6. Do not cancel the direct debit until the final bill arrives
7. Chase any credit refund after four weeks if nothing has arrived

For a complete list of organisations to notify after a death, see our what to do when someone dies guide. For government departments and benefits, use Tell Us Once first – but remember it does not cover water. For more detail on managing the water bill itself – including empty property charges, refunds, and what happens when the direct debit stops – see our water bill guide.