Decision Report 201301194

Summary

Mr C complained about the way in which Business Stream calculated the charges for water and waste services on a small studio he rented for his business, based on the rateable value of the studio. Mr C said that it had no water supply and the only water supply in the building was in common areas, which were the responsibility of the property owner. He said that the property owner agreed with him that he had been charged incorrectly.

Business Stream had told Mr C that if the property owner put a water meter in the building, they could consider removing the water and waste water elements from his charges, but this would only apply from the date the meter was installed. In response to our enquiries, Business Stream sent us a copy of an email they had later received from the property owner, saying that he did not want the water for the building to be metered. The property owner also said that they stressed to all tenants that their water rates were calculated using the rateable value of their individual studios.

We found that it had been reasonable for Business Stream to calculate Mr C's bill using the rateable value for the studio. This was in line with their billing policy and the rules that govern all providers in the non-domestic water industry in Scotland. In view of this, we did not uphold the complaint.