What are codes for adoption?
The Water Act 2014 introduced changes to the Water Industry Act 1991 (WIA91) requiring Ofwat to issue statutory codes for adoption agreements. These are the agreements that developers or self-lay providers (SLPs) enter into when they want an appointed water or sewerage company to take over responsibility for infrastructure they have constructed. They are the agreements entered into under section 51A WIA91 for water infrastructure, and under section 104 WIA91 for sewerage infrastructure.
The water code documentation was approved by Ofwat in September 2020. The approved set of documents can be found here.
When do they come into force?
The new water codes for adoption went live in January 2021. To comply with these codes, water companies are required to publish a number of documents and procedures, all of which can be found below.
Local Practices
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As part of the overarching changes to the Water Industry Act 1991 (WIA91) and the introduction of the statutory codes for adoption agreements, water companies are requested to publish any local practices where there is deviation from the standards identified. The below documents outline our local practices in relation to design service offerings and plot reference numbers.
Our requirements
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In order to assist with a smooth application and subsequent developer services journey with us, we have outlined the minimum information we require from SLPs at each stage of the process below. In addition, we have provided clear indication of requirements at the call-off stage, so that SLPs can request plot connections without delay.
Levels of Service
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New levels of service metrics have been introduced as part of the codes for adoption and will be measured by Affinity Water from January 2021. The new levels of service metrics can be found here.
Contact Us
As part of the water codes for adoption, companies should provide information relating to complaints procedures and redress schemes. These can be found below. However, in addition, we understand that the new codes for adoption may mean you have some queries. We are happy to respond to all questions individually and also share our responses with all customers on our website.
Please email us any questions you may have.