When someone dies, their water account needs to be updated promptly – not because it is urgent in the way that banks or insurers might be, but because the meter reading and date of death establish where the final bill ends and any new account begins. Notify Yorkshire Water early and the admin is straightforward. Delay it, and an estimate will be used instead, which can create disputes.
Yorkshire Water serves approximately 5.4 million customers across most of Yorkshire and parts of North Derbyshire and North Lincolnshire. It has a dedicated bereavement support team and handles notifications by phone, with a callback option if you would prefer not to wait on hold. This guide covers how to notify them, what documents you will need, what happens to the account, and what to watch out for.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement phone number: 0345 1 24 24 24 (Monday–Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–5pm)
- Online: Request a callback via yorkshirewater.com/get-in-touch/call-back
- Post: Yorkshire Water, PO Box 52, Bradford, BD3 7YD
- Tell Us Once does not cover water companies – you must notify Yorkshire Water directly
How to notify Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water does not offer a self-service online notification form. Bereavement notifications are handled by phone, with the option to request a callback if speaking immediately is difficult.
By phone: Call 0345 1 24 24 24, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm. When you call, select the option for bereavement support – this routes you through to specially trained colleagues. The team can take all the required information over the phone and will guide you through what happens next.
Request a callback: If calling at the time feels too much, or you would prefer a scheduled conversation, Yorkshire Water offers a callback service at yorkshirewater.com/get-in-touch/call-back. You choose the time that suits you. This is particularly useful for executors coordinating multiple notifications across different days.
Via a third-party notification service: Free services such as Life Ledger and Settld allow you to notify Yorkshire Water alongside banks, insurers, and other utilities in a single process. Both are free to bereaved families and pass on the required information directly to Yorkshire Water’s bereavement team.
By post: If you prefer to write, or need to send supporting documents:
Yorkshire Water
PO Box 52
Bradford
BD3 7YD
| Contact method | Details |
|---|---|
| Phone (bereavement team) | 0345 1 24 24 24 – Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm |
| Callback request | yorkshirewater.com/get-in-touch/call-back |
| Post | Yorkshire Water, PO Box 52, Bradford, BD3 7YD |
| Third-party notification | Life Ledger, Settld (notify multiple companies at once) |
Source: Yorkshire Water bereavement page, verified June 2026.
One practical note: Yorkshire Water is the phone-first among the major UK water companies. Anglian Water and United Utilities both offer fully online notification forms. If you are dealing with notifications across multiple utility accounts and want to handle everything digitally, using Life Ledger or Settld to cover Yorkshire Water as part of a batch is worth considering.
Documents and information you will need
Yorkshire Water’s bereavement team will ask for some or all of the following during the call. Having these ready before you ring speeds up the process.
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Deceased’s full name | As it appears on the account |
| Deceased’s address | The property the account covers |
| Date of death | Used to date the final bill correctly |
| Account number | Found on any water bill; the property address will also locate the account |
| Meter reading | Taken on or close to the date of death – a timestamped photograph is the most reliable record |
| Property ownership status | Whether the property is owned or rented |
| Your name and contact details | As executor, solicitor, or next of kin |
| Your relationship to the deceased | How you are connected to the account holder |
| Forwarding address | For the final bill and any correspondence after the account is closed |
| New occupier details (if applicable) | Full name, contact details if someone is continuing to live there |
| Death certificate | A copy is usually sufficient; post to Bradford address above if requested |
You do not need everything before you call. Yorkshire Water will accept an initial notification by phone and follow up for any missing documents. If they request the death certificate, post a copy – do not send the original.
If you need additional copies of the death certificate, each certified copy costs £12.50 in England and Wales. You can order them when you register the death at the register office or later via gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate. For water accounts, a standard copy is sufficient.
What happens to the account
Yorkshire Water accounts are tied to the property address, not to the individual customer. This determines how they are handled after a death.
If someone is continuing to live at the property
Yorkshire Water closes the deceased’s account and opens a new one in the continuing occupant’s name. The meter reading from the date of death becomes the closing reading for the old account and the opening reading for the new one.
Any credit on the deceased’s account is refunded to the estate. Any outstanding balance is a debt of the estate. The new occupier starts with a clean account from the date of death.
Note that Yorkshire Water does not transfer accounts – the old account closes and a new one is created. This means the continuing occupant will receive their own new account reference and, if they set up a direct debit, should do so for the new account rather than continuing the old arrangement.
Joint accounts
If the account was held in joint names, Yorkshire Water will remove the deceased from the account and continue it in the surviving account holder’s name. Call to update the records and confirm the meter reading at the date of death.
If the property is empty during estate administration
This is the situation most executors face. Once you notify Yorkshire Water, the account can be transferred to the estate or executor’s name while the property is being wound up. Standing charges continue to accrue on the property until one of the following happens: the property is sold and a new owner takes over, a tenant moves in, or the account is formally closed.
Yorkshire Water does not have a standard void property charge waiver comparable to United Utilities (which waives charges for 12 weeks) or Welsh Water (which can suspend charges for up to 12 months during probate). Standing charges continue throughout estate administration. Notify Yorkshire Water early that the property is unoccupied so the account status is recorded correctly.
For metered properties, no water consumption charges will accrue if nobody is using the property, but the standing charge covers infrastructure and will continue regardless of usage.
Metered vs unmetered accounts
Metered properties are billed on actual consumption. The meter reading at the date of death sets the end point for the deceased’s account. Take this reading as early as possible and photograph the meter display with a timestamp – this prevents any dispute over estimated usage on the final bill.
Unmetered properties are billed at a fixed assessed rate based on the rateable value of the property, regardless of how much water is consumed. If the property is unmetered and will be empty during administration, it is worth asking Yorkshire Water about switching to a meter – on an empty property, a meter ensures you pay only the standing charge rather than an assessed usage charge.
Final bill and credit refunds
After notification, Yorkshire Water issues a final bill covering the period up to the date of death. If the account was in credit – common where direct debit payments exceeded actual usage – the balance will be refunded to the estate. Chase this after four weeks if nothing has arrived.
Do not cancel the direct debit until you have received the final bill and confirmed the balance is settled. Cancelling early leaves any outstanding amount to be paid separately. For broader guidance on handling direct debits after a death, see our guide to what happens to direct debits when someone dies.
WaterSure tariff
WaterSure is a national scheme that caps the metered water bills of eligible households. Yorkshire Water participates. If a surviving household member takes over the account and meets the criteria, they can apply in their own right.
To qualify, the household must:
- Have a water meter installed
- Receive at least one qualifying means-tested benefit – including Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Pension Credit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Meet at least one further condition:
- Have three or more children under 19 living at the property who receive Child Benefit, or
- Have a medical condition that requires significantly above-average water use – including incontinence, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, an abdominal stoma, home dialysis, desquamation, or a weeping skin condition (eczema, psoriasis, varicose ulceration)
Yorkshire Water’s WaterSure caps bills at the Yorkshire average household water bill. Based on 2025–26 figures, this is approximately £602 per year. The 2026–27 cap amount should be confirmed with Yorkshire Water directly when applying, as it is updated annually. Source: Yorkshire Water charges scheme documents and opal-project.org.uk/watersure-yorkshire-water-bill-reduction, verified June 2026.
To apply, contact Yorkshire Water on 0345 1 24 24 24 or request the WaterSure application form. You will need to provide proof of benefit entitlement and, for medical conditions, either a repeat prescription or a letter from your GP.
On death: WaterSure eligibility is a personal entitlement of the account holder and ends with the account. A surviving occupant who takes over the account can apply in their own right if they meet the criteria above.
Yorkshire Water also operates WaterSupport, an additional scheme for households with income below £21,000 (or £26,000 with dependants), which can reduce bills to around £295 per year. This may be relevant to a surviving spouse or partner on a reduced income after bereavement.
Priority Services Register
Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services Register (PSR) provides additional support for customers in vulnerable circumstances. Relevant services include:
- Bills in accessible formats – large print, Braille, or by phone
- Priority notification of planned supply interruptions, particularly for customers using home medical equipment such as dialysis machines
- Bottled water delivery if supply is interrupted for more than five hours
- A security password scheme, allowing customers to verify the identity of Yorkshire Water callers before letting anyone into their home
- Nomination of a third party to manage the account
PSR registration is linked to the individual account holder. When a registered customer dies, their PSR record does not automatically transfer to anyone else at the property.
If a surviving occupant takes over the account and would benefit from priority services, they should ask to be registered when the account is set up in their name. To register, call 0800 1 38 78 78 (the dedicated PSR line) or register online through the Yorkshire Water website. The process takes a few minutes. Source: Yorkshire Water Priority Services page, verified June 2026.
Probate and water accounts
Probate is not required to close or transfer a Yorkshire Water account. Water companies are service providers and potential creditors of the estate – they are not holding an asset, so there is no legal requirement to prove authority before closing or transferring an account.
However, if there is a credit balance to be refunded to the estate, Yorkshire Water may ask for evidence of authority to act – such as a grant of probate or letters of administration – before issuing the refund. For straightforward account closures with no credit owed, this is rarely necessary.
Water debt is a debt of the estate, not a personal liability of the executor or any family member, unless they were named on the account as a joint account holder. Outstanding balances must be settled from estate assets before distribution to beneficiaries. For guidance on the overall probate process, see gov.uk/applying-for-probate.
How long does it take?
A straightforward Yorkshire Water notification – where the deceased was the sole account holder, the property will either transfer to a new occupier or close, and there is no disputed balance – typically takes one to three weeks from notification to final bill.
The main variables are:
- Whether the property is occupied or empty
- Whether the death certificate and supporting information arrive promptly
- Whether there is a credit or outstanding balance to resolve
Keep a note of when you called and any reference number the bereavement team provides. If the final bill has not arrived within four weeks of submitting all documents, follow up. Yorkshire Water’s general contact number is 0345 1 24 24 24.
Things to watch out for
Take a meter reading before you call. The meter reading at the date of death is the point at which the deceased’s final bill ends. If you do not have a reading, Yorkshire Water will estimate based on average usage – which may not reflect what was actually consumed in the period. A timestamped photograph of the meter display is the simplest and most reliable way to have this figure available.
Yorkshire Water does not transfer accounts. Unlike some water companies that update the account name in place, Yorkshire Water closes the existing account and opens a new one for the continuing occupant. This matters for direct debits: the continuing occupant will need to set up a new payment arrangement for the new account. The old direct debit should not be cancelled until the final bill on the original account has been settled.
No online notification form. Yorkshire Water is one of the few major water companies that does not offer a self-service online bereavement form. If you are handling a large number of notifications remotely, using Life Ledger or Settld to cover Yorkshire Water is a practical alternative to calling.
Standing charges continue on empty properties. Yorkshire Water does not offer a void period waiver during estate administration, unlike United Utilities (12 weeks) or Welsh Water (up to 12 months). Standing charges accumulate daily until the account is formally resolved. Notify Yorkshire Water promptly that the property is unoccupied so the account status is recorded correctly.
Automated letters may arrive after notification. It is common to receive a routine bill or payment reminder even after notifying the bereavement team, while the notification is being processed internally. If this happens, call back with your reference number to confirm the bereavement has been logged.
Tell Us Once does not cover water companies. Tell Us Once notifies central government departments – HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office, and your local council – when someone dies. It does not include water companies. You must contact Yorkshire Water directly regardless of whether you have used Tell Us Once. This is a common misconception worth knowing before you start.
Summary
To notify Yorkshire Water after a death, call 0345 1 24 24 24 (Monday–Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–5pm) and select the bereavement option, or request a callback at yorkshirewater.com/get-in-touch/call-back. If you prefer to handle multiple notifications in one go, Life Ledger and Settld can notify Yorkshire Water on your behalf as part of a wider notification process.
Have ready: the deceased’s account number or property address, the date of death, a meter reading, and your contact details as executor or next of kin. Yorkshire Water will close the existing account and, if someone is continuing to live there, open a new one in the occupant’s name. A death certificate copy may be requested by post.
Standing charges continue on empty properties throughout estate administration. Do not cancel the direct debit until the final bill is settled.
For guidance on water companies in general, and contact details for all UK suppliers, see our guide to notifying your water company after a death. For guidance on direct debits, see what happens to direct debits when someone dies. For a full list of what to notify after a death, see our what to do when someone dies guide.