Vacant Premises & The Scottish Landlord Portal
The Water Resources (Scotland) Act 2013, provides for water and sewerage suppliers to be notified when there is a change of occupancy at a premise or where the property becomes vacant. As of 1st January 2017, this means that, as an owner of a commercial property, you must keep us up-to-date regarding certain details of each of your properties.
The Scottish Landlord Portal is a convenient service that allows commercial property owners, property associations, landlords, managing agent, or councils (i.e. owners, or anyone acting on their behalf) to record all of your properties, and enter details about each property such as tenants and billing responsibilities (e.g. customer names). It will also allow you to quickly and easily keep us informed if and when things change (such as changes in tenancy, or when the property becomes vacant).
Water Charge Exemption Scheme
Charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs can apply for exemption from part or all water charges if your accounts show annual income of less than £300k. Pease contact us to apply for this
Paying VAT on Water Services
VAT is charged only on your water supply charges and not waste nor drainage charges. Businesses whose activity falls within divisions 1 to 5 of the Standard Industrial Clasification codes per HMRC will be liable to pay for VAT on your water charges.
Scottish Water Byelaws
Owners and occupiers of premises, and anyone who installs or maintains plumbing systems and water fittings, have a legal obligation to ensure that the systems and fittings meet the requirements of the Byelaws.
A list of approved fittings can be found on the web site www.wras.co.uk. Not all plumbing fittings and materials on sale in the UK meet these standards or specifications and, while it's not illegal to sell them, it is illegal to use fittings which do not have the relevant approvals
You may benefit from the use of licensed/approved plumbers, and Scottish Water advises the use of professional plumbers and plumbing contractors who are members of recognised national licensing schemes. You can search for your nearest licensed contractor at www.watersafe.org.uk
Think Air Gaps * Cross Contamination * Prevention of Contamination