adeolaspecial:
Hi, this evening while reviewing my finances and bills, i happen to go over my water bill again. Last year 2023/2024, my annual water bill was 657.71, this year 2024/2025 my bill went up to 830.63. We're a family of 3. Myself, My wife and a 1yr child. How we pay this much still baffles me. I live in a 2bedroom. Isn't this too much of a bill for water ?

Do you have a water meter installed........

What are your water usage habits, do you love long showers(nothing wrong with having long showers)....😁

When you wash plates in the kitchen, do you keep the tap running constantly or you turn on & off intermittently......😂

What you need to do, review your usage or check for leaks........💰

Lexusgs430:


Do you have a water meter installed........

What are your water usage habits, do you love long showers(nothing wrong with having long showers)....😁

When you wash plates in the kitchen, do you keep the tap running constantly or you turn on & off intermittently......😂

What you need to do, review your usage or check for leaks........💰

I do not have a water meter installed. Averagely, I could say we spend less than 8-10mins in the shower (though madam spends a little bit above that as per women). And we're very moderate in water usage in the kitchen. We never leave the tap running.

There are no leaks whatsoever. This bill is just way too high.

adeolaspecial:


I do not have a water meter installed. Averagely, I could say we spend less than 8-10mins in the shower (though madam spends a little bit above that as per women). And we're very moderate in water usage in the kitchen. We never leave the tap running.

There are no leaks whatsoever. This bill is just way too high.

If you're friendly with your neighbours, try comparing water bills.........

Lexusgs430:


If you're friendly with your neighbours, try comparing water bills.........

Thanks, thought of doing that.

adeolaspecial:


I do not have a water meter installed. Averagely, I could say we spend less than 8-10mins in the shower (though madam spends a little bit above that as per women). And we're very moderate in water usage in the kitchen. We never leave the tap running.

There are no leaks whatsoever. This bill is just way too high.

When I moved into my current appartment, I was paying 56 per month, after almost a year, they got a bill and they jacked it up to 91 or so, I intentionally cleared all my schedule that day to call cymru water (for wales), I was on call for over an hour (wait times, record review setc, I no gree o). I insisted that we are not heavy users. We did leak tests (shut off all taps, take reading, wait for one or 2hours and take another reading) and it was confirmed that there were no leakages.
When it became apparent that I won't stop calling them (think I called like 4-6times that day). The lady said she has to review all the house's previous water bills even before I moved in. It was then she said they didn't take a reading when I moved in so that bill which was calculated based on average usage was skewed.
Na so she changed my monthly bill to 53per month. I felt better cos I actually just wanted to keep the old rate but now I was getting a few extra. (who'd say no?)

An hour later, she called back, said she spoke with her supervisor and he worked out the calculations further and moved me to 39 per month.
I was really happy and I've been paying that since then my account was even in credit when I got the last bill. how that mix up happened I honestly don't understand cos I believed I should have a new account when I move into a house right?
How come I was paying 56 initially and my account was in debit and now I'm paying 39 and I'm in credit? Since that day, I no too trust that water billing system.

adeolaspecial:


I do not have a water meter installed. Averagely, I could say we spend less than 8-10mins in the shower (though madam spends a little bit above that as per women). And we're very moderate in water usage in the kitchen. We never leave the tap running.

There are no leaks whatsoever. This bill is just way too high.

Could be how you use washing machine or dishwasher.

Do you wait till it's full before you wash or wash whenever there's a dish.

You have a toddler too so, they tend to just open taps for fun 😊

Lexusgs430:


Nah so o ...... You would almost feel like you're legally shoplifting......😜😁

Drastic measure needs to be taken to deal with shoplifters.

Make I just stick to my 20 quids per month. Yorkshire water dey do this one and upon that, I still dey drag it with them each time they charge above 25 pounds

Lexusgs430:


Nah so o ...... You would almost feel like you're legally shoplifting......😜😁

I reserved my first grocery with co-op today, and I literally shouted when I was handed 2 full bags all for £4. Thanks so much for always sharing valuable info.

Controlv:


I reserved my first grocery with co-op today, and I literally shouted when I was handed 2 full bags all for £4. Thanks so much for always sharing valuable info.

Did you run out, for fear they might call you back....... 📞🏃🏃🏃😂

elengine:
Make I just stick to my 20 quids per month. Yorkshire water dey do this one and upon that, I still dey drag it with them each time they charge above 25 pounds

You are definitely receiving better than Prophet Jeremiah's miracle water...... 💦😂

Hi Controlv, is this also from the toogood to goo app? how do you find co-op on it?

Controlv:


I reserved my first grocery with co-op today, and I literally shouted when I was handed 2 full bags all for £4. Thanks so much for always sharing valuable info.

080bjaked:


When I moved into my current appartment, I was paying 56 per month, after almost a year, they got a bill and they jacked it up to 91 or so, I intentionally cleared all my schedule that day to call cymru water (for wales), I was on call for over an hour (wait times, record review setc, I no gree o). I insisted that we are not heavy users. We did leak tests (shut off all taps, take reading, wait for one or 2hours and take another reading) and it was confirmed that there were no leakages.
When it became apparent that I won't stop calling them (think I called like 4-6times that day). The lady said she has to review all the house's previous water bills even before I moved in. It was then she said they didn't take a reading when I moved in so that bill which was calculated based on average usage was skewed.
Na so she changed my monthly bill to 53per month. I felt better cos I actually just wanted to keep the old rate but now I was getting a few extra. (who'd say no?)

An hour later, she called back, said she spoke with her supervisor and he worked out the calculations further and moved me to 39 per month.
I was really happy and I've been paying that since then my account was even in credit when I got the last bill. how that mix up happened I honestly don't understand cos I believed I should have a new account when I move into a house right?
How come I was paying 56 initially and my account was in debit and now I'm paying 39 and I'm in credit? Since that day, I no too trust that water billing system.

I called them yesterday and they said its the building that was billed and not the usage. They advised i get a water meter and i have a trial period of 2yrs to see if it works for me or not. The thing just weak me. I asked they review the amount charged to the building, they said they can't. That its what comes with it. 😭

Taal17:

Could be how you use washing machine or dishwasher.

Do you wait till it's full before you wash or wash whenever there's a dish.

You have a toddler too so, they tend to just open taps for fun 😊

I don't even have a water meter. My toddler is under 2 and have no access to taps. We wash adult clothes once a week and hand wash easy baby clothes. Called them and they said its the building they use to calculate how much I'm being billed.

adeolaspecial:


I called them yesterday and they said its the building that was billed and not the usage. They advised i get a water meter and i have a trial period of 2yrs to see if it works for me or not. The thing just weak me. I asked they review the amount charged to the building, they said they can't. That its what comes with it. 😭

No council tax
No water bill.

These are the reasons I still like Northern Ireland.

adeolaspecial:


I don't even have a water meter. My toddler is under 2 and have no access to taps. We wash adult clothes once a week and hand wash easy baby clothes. Called them and they said its the building they use to calculate how much I'm being billed.

They can not say that.
Pls call again and speak to a Manager. If you bill the building how did they come about that amount?
You are not liable for an estimated bill but for what you use. No water meter. No charge to you but charging building, please push back and the amount will come down. Always push back politely but firmly.

lavida001:


Just curious. What is it you actually do ?

You can choose not to answer.

I'm a GP

Good evening,
Not sure if this is allowed here, if it is, can someone please recommend a good security device for a car here in the UK. Mostly parked at public place.

Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTmXlNHheXo?si=pxc-5UtG_0eD4Iij

Came upon this interview with Kemi and interestingly watched it all. I may not agree with all her points but my God, she's impressive! For someone who spent most of her first 2 decades in Nigeria and describes herself as a 'first-generation immigrant', it makes her current achievement and being the frontrunner to become the Tory party leader (irrespective of outcome) all the more impressive. Respect to her parents who molded a black Nigerian lady giving her the confidence to aspire to the top.
Across the pond we have Kamela- a lady born to both immigrant parents now in prime position to be the president of the U.S. It's no coincidence that the profile of her parents are equally impressive.

Overnight the discussions here around Chidinma flashed back. It's interesting some Nigerians see a lady who is South African by birth as mistepping for contesting to be Miss SA. No doubt that feeds into some on the self-deprecating views which some of us share about ourselves. The issue with believing such is that it would show when one interract with others as you would kowtow believing yourself to be inferior. Your kids viewing would pick up on that and may tow the path of violence or bottom scrapping as they never experienced better. Imagine Kemi or Kamala approaching Nigel and Trump respectively seeking permission to run for office. Hehe. You don't take permission to aim higher.

Many of us can today excuse ourselves for not heading to the top by being a recent immigrant and all the constraints attached. But let's be well aware that our kids (irrespective of their determinant socioeconomic background) would have no excuse if they find themselves languishing at the bottom. If they blame their skin colour, others will say but we had a PM of Indian origin decades ago. Recently, the GCSEs were released and I mainly got to know about it via colleagues sharing on groups I belong to what uni and couses their kids got. Those kids would have been trained to take no permission to succeed. Also recently bumped into an Indian health care assistant (on near minimum wage) putting in extra hours so they can purchase a house in the catchment area of a sought after school all so her child can go to a top uni.

I'm not writing this to convince adult folks to unapologetically aim for the top but rather for us to inculcate in our kids (for the sake of the black race if not for anything) the belief that heading for the top is not an exception but rather the expectation and equip them appropriately.

Goodenoch:



Thanks! Yes it's not for first time house purchase - it's for later life. You can also invest your LISA in specific funds/bonds, etc (using Moneybox - not sure about other platforms or whether you buy specific stocks, although I have no interest in picking stocks anyway).

My issue is that it appears that the ability to get 40% tax relief plus being able to access it at 55 (57 from 2028) instead of 60 for the LISA makes it a much better option than the LISA's 25% bonus but I'm trying to balance that against the tax downside (it has withdrawal tax unlike the LISA).

LISA vs Pension
There's no hard and fast rule. Recently found myself in a similar situation but this time considering whether to only use a S&S ISA or also use a LISA. LISA has the 25% bonus on entry but for a higher rate tax payer. The rebate on a SIPP is 40% at that rate. I stumbled on some independent analysis of both and it seems most people would turn out better with a SIPP. Another consideration is the ISA vs SIPP. As an ISA gives the added flexibility of withdrawing at anytime e.g to fund early retirement until other pensions kick in.

edmasta01:


To be honest, it depends on your current situation i.e. I don't know much about your financial and family situation so it's difficult to say.

But for an individual who has a moderate family of wife and two kids (and you have your residence already), I'll try and keep saving until i have about £40,000.

Then I'd find a 2 - 3 bedroom in an area where you can get £120k property that needs refurbishing (e.g. Hull, Stockton on tees, stoke on trent) and get a Buy To let Mortgage on the house and refurb it with £10,000 (I'll do the painting myself, do some of the cleaning and only pay professionals for the bit I can't do) and resell it or refinance it.

If I sell for £140 - 150,000 - I'll cash out my profit and rinse and repeat the process.

I'd usually just (a) Use Youtube to watch how others are doing this type of renovation (b) search rightmove and zoopla for potential properties selling and go from there.

But if you want a totally hands free investment, Vanguardinvestor is still a good place to keep your cash (Please note - investment like this is usually for the long term and investment can go up or down - so please speak to a financial advisor as my content above is just my own experience).

It's worth being careful with such. There are tons of tiktok and YouTube videos of 'property millionaires' discussing how to flip properties. Many of these 'millionaires' might make more money from YouTube than any property (if at all). I considered it but on looking in, got more details.

First, if a property only needed paint to achieve an extra 40k, valuation, the vendors would paint it. Most of the doer uppers I see are already priced in a way that cost of renovations are taken into account and unless you're doing heavy renovations like fitting new kitchens or bathrooms yourself, you might come short. I recently had to cost the price of a new kitchen, bathroom and other bits on a property I was looking at and saw it'd only work at 40k below asking which vendors were unwilling to consider

Looking at your examples, take a few costs into consideration. That of conveyancing (solicitors e.t.c) is in the thousands. Also, once you get a BTL mortgage, you start paying monthly for an empty while you're doing renovations. Putting a property back on the market withing a short period can raise suspicions with some lenders declining to mortgage it without a good reason. Overall, you're looking at 6 months at least of mortgage payments on an empty house. When you sell, there's capital gains tax to pay on profits. If one is not seeing a good uptick in value which simple repainting would hardly achieve then it's worth threading with caution. Reason why for such endeavours people use cash or bridging loans which are more expensive than mortgages.

If you decide to rent, it's worth taking into consideration the recent tax changes if the property is owned in your name. If one decides to incorporate, it's worth being clear-headed on the numbers it takes to make things work. Overall, property can be a good invested but it's for many a longterm game and important to consider changing rules.

lavida001:

People wey no serious they send billions of £ in to sub Sahara Africa in aid but can afford to keep pensioners winter credit ongoing.

Trying so hard to prove to the world you are a wealthy nation while your elderly die in cold winter.

Will never make sense to me.

Hehe... the dynamics behind aid is far reaching. The US does not have universal healthcare but give billions in aid. China has it's domestic challenges but do same. There's a reason for aid and it goes beyond the surface

edmasta01:


I can 100% tell you that investing in properties in the UK will give you more returns than S&P 500. What determines which one you do is based on (a) Do you want to own properties and manage it (b) Do you prefer hands free investment etc.

Hmm... 100% is a bold thing to say especially in investment. Looking back, property just about tracks inflation. Adjusted for inflation, property prices are in the UK today similar to what they were 2 decades ago. A global index or the S&P is at an close to an all time high. Property only begins to shine when you factor in leverage i.e using the banks money to achieve profit. But then, one needs to know how to utilise leverage i.e taking a mortgageat for a sum and allowing inflation devalue the sum borrowed. The downside of property us the direct tax exposure. As we've seen over recent years, when the government is set on a group e.g landlords, they can turn a fledged business into a struggling one.

Knowlegeseeking:
Hi Controlv, is this also from the toogood to goo app? how do you find co-op on it?

Yes,it's from tgtg app. Simply type co-op in the search bar and it will display all the coop stores nearby.

giselle237:

They can not say that.
Pls call again and speak to a Manager. If you bill the building how did they come about that amount?
You are not liable for an estimated bill but for what you use. No water meter. No charge to you but charging building, please push back and the amount will come down. Always push back politely but firmly.

Alright. I'll give them a call again on monday to see if i can get the manager to speak with. I'll give an update on here

jedisco:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTmXlNHheXo?si=pxc-5UtG_0eD4Iij

Came upon this interview with Kemi and interestingly watched it all. I may not agree with all her points but my God, she's impressive! For someone who spent most of her first 2 decades in Nigeria and describes herself as a 'first-generation immigrant', it makes her current achievement and being the frontrunner to become the Tory party leader (irrespective of outcome) all the more impressive. Respect to her parents who molded a black Nigerian lady giving her the confidence to aspire to the top.
Across the pond we have Kamela- a lady born to both immigrant parents now in prime position to be the president of the U.S. It's no coincidence that the profile of her parents are equally impressive.

Overnight the discussions here around Chidinma flashed back. It's interesting some Nigerians see a lady who is South African by birth as mistepping for contesting to be Miss SA. No doubt that feeds into some on the self-deprecating views which some of us share about ourselves. The issue with believing such is that it would show when one interract with others as you would kowtow believing yourself to be inferior. Your kids viewing would pick up on that and may tow the path of violence or bottom scrapping as they never experienced better. Imagine Kemi or Kamala approaching Nigel and Trump respectively seeking permission to run for office. Hehe. You don't take permission to aim higher.

Many of us can today excuse ourselves for not heading to the top by being an immigrant and all the constraints attached. But let's be well aware that our kids (irrespective of their determinant socioeconomic background) would have no excuse if they find themselves languishing at the bottom. If they blame their skin colour, others will say but we had a PM of Indian origin decades ago. Recently, the GCSEs were released and I mainly got to know about it via colleagues sharing on groups I belong to what uni and couses their kids got. Those kids would have been trained to take no permission to succeed. Also recently bumped into an Indian health care assistant (on near minimum wage) putting in extra hours so they can purchase a house in the catchment area of a sought after school all so her child can go to a top uni.

I'm not writing this to convince adult folks to unapologetically aim for the top but rather for us to inculcate in our kids (for the sake of the black race if not for anything) the belief that heading for the top is not an exception but rather the expectation and equip them appropriately.

Badenoch is just another politician - empty words, no proven competence, no policies to offer other than endless culture wars and identity politics.

Drearily, she's just another one in a long line of minority politicians who feel they can achieve something beyond the colour of their skin - her loud silence and eventual parroting of the party line during the recent race riots a case in point. As the race riots showed, no matter how much you try to form oyibo, no matter how much you claim to say the things they want to hear, no matter how many fake accents you assume, the day jungle mature, someone somewhere will stand at a checkpoint and profile you by skin colour and ask you : "Are you English? Are you white?"

Cyberknight:


Badenoch is just another politician - empty words, no proven competence, no policies to offer other than endless culture wars and identity politics.

Drearily, she's just another one in a long line of minority politicians who feel they can achieve something beyond the colour of their skin - her loud silence and eventual parroting of the party line during the recent race riots a case in point. As the race riots showed, no matter how much you try to form oyibo, no matter how much you claim to say the things they want to hear, no matter how many fake accents you assume, the day jungle mature, someone somewhere will stand at a checkpoint and profile you by skin colour and ask you : "Are you English? Are you white?"

The difference between you and Jedisco is that, Jedisco saw a telegraph interview, of a politician he ‘doesn’t always agree with’. Jedisco watched the interview from beginning to end. He picked up ⬆️ the good points and the lessons and learned/resolved to make a difference in the lives of younger generations.

You, on the other hand (I’m not sure you watched the interview from start to finish) decided to regurgitate your inherent bad feelings about Kemi.

Welll, Jedisco has made very vital points. The points made were the reason I watched the interview myself. Just like Jedisco, I may not agree with Kemi all the time but I have picked the positives and I’m sure my kids will learn from Kemi.

ReesheesuKnack:


The difference between you and Jedisco is that, Jedisco saw a telegraph interview, of a politician he ‘doesn’t always agree with’. Jedisco watched the interview from beginning to end. He picked up ⬆️ the good points and the lessons and learned/resolved to make a difference in the lives of younger generations.

You, on the other hand (I’m not sure you watched the interview from start to finish) decided to regurgitate your inherent bad feelings about Kemi.

Welll, Jedisco has made very vital points. The points made were the reason I watched the interview myself. Just like Jedisco, I may not agree with Kemi all the time but I have picked the positives and I’m sure my kids will learn from Kemi.

If you are not sure that the person you quoted watched the video, then are you not doing the same thing you criticized by “regurgitating your inherent bad feelings” about them baselessly? Or is it that when anyone doesn’t reach the same conclusion as you they must be acting in bad faith?

On the subject of Badenoch, she’s clearly a good talker and she has accomplished a lot for herself, so she’s inspirational in that way for people who want to be good public speakers and politicians, but as a public servant, she’s mediocre at best, objectively. She doesn’t have any landmark accomplishments, policies etc either at the constituency or national level despite holding major cabinet positions.

All that aside, the fact that she stayed silent (I still genuinely find this incredible) through some of the most dangerous times for the people she loves to claim that she’s one of (“first generation immigrants”) and is only now slithering out to parrot platitudes tells all one needs to know about her character.

adeolaspecial:


I called them yesterday and they said its the building that was billed and not the usage. They advised i get a water meter and i have a trial period of 2yrs to see if it works for me or not. The thing just weak me. I asked they review the amount charged to the building, they said they can't. That its what comes with it. 😭

So assuming the building is billed £10000, assuming building got 10 flats, each flat receives a bill of £1000........

So that flat with single occupancy is paying same, as other flats with multiple occupancy...... Not a fair way of sharing bills....

If you own the property, ask for a water meter, if you are renting...... You have other options to explore.......

Are you aware if any of your neighbours has water meter installed......

Bukorlar10:
Good evening,
Not sure if this is allowed here, if it is, can someone please recommend a good security device for a car here in the UK. Mostly parked at public place.

Thanks

Ghost immobilizer + 360° dashcam....... 👻

Lexusgs430:


So assuming the building is billed £10000, assuming building got 10 flats, each flat receives a bill of £1000........

So that flat with single occupancy is paying same, as other flats with multiple occupancy...... Not a fair way of sharing bills....

If you own the property, ask for if a water meter can be installed, if you are renting...... You have other options to explore.......

Are you aware if any of your neighbours has water meter installed......

Problem with living in flat accommodation

justwise:
@All

How does this share code thing work? A family friend has been working with a care company since 2019 on spouse visa, renewed the visa twice and two months ago he applied for ILR and two weeks ago his company contacted him requesting for his share code as his visa has expired, he replied to inform them that he doesn’t have one and never worked with one, he sent them letter from HO indicating that he has applied for ILR.

The company did not get back to him but last week as he was getting ready to leave for work he saw a message from the work group platform that changes have been made to his shift, he checked and noticed that they have removed all his shifts.

He called them to find out and was told that it was because of the share code issue.


Does he have a case against this company?

Update on this….

So after back and forth with the company he was contacted two days ago by the company that the HO has given him temporary permit to continue working until his application is decided.

@Cyberknigh I think the case in the article you shared regarding this case might have prompted the HO to do a much better job than blanket refusal