Naming a Nominee on Your Water or Energy Account

If you find it hard to deal with bills, letters or phone calls about your water, you can ask your water company to deal with someone you trust instead. That person is usually called a nominee or nominated contact, and adding one is part of the free Priority Services Register that every water company in England and Wales runs¹. You can also register a doorstep password, a short word that genuine staff will use when they visit, so you can tell them apart from someone pretending to be from the company.

The practical steps are simple. Contact your water company, ask to join the Priority Services Register if you are not on it already, and ask to add a nominee. Some companies let you do this online through your account, others ask you to fill in a form, and some let you appoint a nominee when you first join². Ask your nominee's permission before you pass their details on³.

Once a nominee is in place, they can talk to the company on your behalf, receive correspondence, and in some cases sort out payments⁴. If you have hearing difficulties, the company can contact your nominee to let them know when your supply is likely to be affected⁵. It is worth doing before anything goes wrong: applications can take time to process, and registering during a supply interruption will not mean support is provided immediately⁶.

Telling your water company who acts for you

There are two different arrangements, and it helps to know which one you need. A nominee is someone you choose to speak to the company on your behalf, usually a relative, friend or carer. A lasting power of attorney, a Deputy or a Benefits Appointee is a formal legal role, and the company needs to know about it so it can update the customer's account¹.

If you would prefer a relative or friend to represent your needs on a permanent basis, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water suggests considering a Power of Attorney and contacting the Office of the Public Guardian for more information⁴. That is a bigger step than adding a nominee, and it is worth taking advice before you do it.

For most households, the nominee arrangement is enough. Wessex Water says you can appoint someone to manage your water and sewerage account or speak to the company on your behalf, such as a carer, family member or friend¹⁰. Dŵr Cymru says a nominee such as a relative, friend or carer can talk to the company or receive correspondence on your behalf, with your permission, and can contact the company and sort out payments⁴. This is particularly useful if you have difficulties communicating or understanding bills⁴.

Priority services also include giving you bills in a way you can understand¹¹. If a bill arrives and you are not sure what it means, you can ask for it to be explained before the payment date, either to you or to your nominee.

How to add a nominee to your account

Start by checking whether you are on the Priority Services Register. If you are eligible, sign up to your water supplier's register to let them know you need additional support, including when there is an interruption to your supply¹². You can do this through your supplier, or via thepsr.co.uk¹³. If you believe you are already registered but have not received support, contact your water company as soon as possible¹³.

The way you add a nominee varies by company:

• South Staffs Water: nominate someone online through MyAccount and "Account Details", or fill in and return a Nominee Consent Form².
• Essex & Suffolk Water: sign up or update your details on the Priority Services page, where a nominated contact form is available as a PDF download¹⁴.
• Hafren Dyfrdwy: appoint a nominee when joining the Priority Service Register, or apply by post by calling 0800 085 3053 for a postal application form³.

Whichever route you use, ask your nominee's permission before you give their details to the company³. It is their information as well as yours.

Doorstep passwords: a short word only you and genuine staff know

A doorstep password is a word that you and the company's genuine staff know, so that when someone knocks you can ask for it and satisfy yourself they are real. Priority services include a password scheme where you register a password that the water company will use if they need to call at your property¹.

At Thames Water, you will be asked to choose a password between three and 8 characters, and it will only be shared with the Thames Water staff member visiting your property⁷. At South East Water, only you and genuine employees will know what your password is¹⁵. Essex & Suffolk Water describes it as a scheme so the team can prove their identity when they visit: all you need to do is ask for a password from the team when they knock¹⁶.

A short password is easy to remember but also easy to guess, so treat it as a door check rather than a secret code. Do not use it for anything online. The National Cyber Security Centre advises using a strong and unique password for online accounts, such as three random words¹⁷, and suggests combining three random words to create a single memorable password, for example CupFishBiro¹⁸. Keep the two kinds of password separate.

Knock and wait, meter reading and how the company contacts you

Some people need longer to get to the door. You can ask the company to knock and wait, giving you longer to answer¹. This is part of priority services and costs nothing.

If you cannot read your water meter where it is, you can ask for it to be moved or for the company to read it for you more often¹. Meter readers are genuine callers, and they will be happy to wait while you check their identity¹⁹.

Companies contact customers in different ways. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water customers can sign up to receive alerts and updates about work or reported incidents nearby that could affect the water supply²⁰. South West Water lists door knocking, where appropriate, among the ways it makes contact²¹. If you have a nominee, make sure the company knows they should be contacted too.

What a nominee hears about during a supply interruption

When the water goes off, the company should keep you informed. Ofwat provides information on what communication you should expect from your water company in the case of an interruption to water supply¹². If you have hearing difficulties, the company can contact a nominee to let them know when your supply is likely to be affected⁵.

Some households are more at risk during an interruption. Groups who may be most at risk include people who use more water due to a medical condition, babies and young children, older adults, and people with long term health conditions¹³. If you are in one of these groups, being registered means the company knows to get in touch.

Water companies can also deliver bottled water to residents during an interruption²⁴. Ofwat provides information on what communication you should expect to receive from your water company in the case of an interruption to water supply⁶. It also helps to check on others, particularly members of your community who might need extra support, and offer assistance such as collecting bottled water¹³.

If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland

All water companies in England and Wales have schemes allowing customers to register for free additional support¹. In Wales, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy both run Priority Services with a nominee arrangement⁴. Dŵr Cymru customers can also sign up for alerts about incidents near them²⁰.

In Northern Ireland, NI Water runs a customer care register. You can register your details to stay informed about events affecting your water supply²⁵, and you can join by calling 0345 744 0088²⁶.

Scotland has its own water supplier and is not covered by the England and Wales priority services arrangements described here.

Where to get help

If you need help with your water account, start with your water company. You can find contact details for your water company on your bill²³. If you are not sure whether you are registered for priority services, ask anyone you provide care for if they are registered, and contact your water company as soon as possible if you believe you are registered but have not received support¹³.

For more on what registration gives you, see Water Company Priority Services: What Registered Customers Get and Signing Up to Priority Services Registers for Energy and Water. Doorstep password schemes are covered in more detail in Doorstep Password Schemes From Water and Energy Companies. If you are supporting someone who finds these arrangements hard to manage, Extra Help in an Emergency: Older, Disabled and Medically Dependent Households sets out the wider picture.