The OMIC continues to provide its services to the public electronically and through the 010 phone service. Claims and enquiries will continue to be preferably dealt with online. For those inquiries or complaints that require face-to-face attention, you must make an appointment in advance on the municipal procedures portal ajuntament.barcelona.cat/cita/omic, by calling 010, or at the Municipal Procedures Kiosk.

How can I understand my water bill?

How can I understand my water bill?

Basic supplies. Advice for understanding water bills and consumer rights

Water bills arrive every two months, a utility service that falls under the jurisdiction of the municipality and which the municipality itself takes charge of or commissions a concessionary company with.

Which parts make up the bill? What are the tax items included in it? What can I do if I do not agree with the consumption billed? Here are a few answers to questions so you can understand your water bills better and know who to contact if you have any complaints.

 

  • What does my water bill contain?

Water bills state the details of the customer in question, the service’s rates (the service’s fees and consumption bands) and the relevant taxes (water-supply tax, sewerage tax and VAT, among other things).

In Catalonia it is the Price Commission, a body answerable to the Directorate-General of Commerce at the Catalan Ministry of Enterprise and Employment, which is responsible for approving the prices of water supplies to cities and towns. These data are published in the The Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC).

 

  • Which parts make up my water bill?

The top part provides information on the the customer and the bill:

    • The customer’s details (name and surname(s), address, tax identification number, customer or policy number, payment method and period and postal data).
    • Bill number and data of issue.

The central part provides the details of the bill:

    • The billing period (coincides with the reading of the meter, which is generally every quarter, although if the meter cannot be read, the consumption is estimated).
    • The total amount to pay for the water service (includes the service’s fees and bands).
    • The tax items (includes VAT, water-supply tax, social water-supply tax and other taxes, such as sewerage tax and the metropolitan tax on municipal waste treatment and disposal (TMTR)).

The bottom part contains the water consumption over the last few months and other pieces of information (on the rates applied, on personal data protection, commercial information, environmental disclosure information, supply-related incidents and so on).

 

  • What does the water service include?

The water service includes the service’s fees, a set amount that guarantees the immediate availability of and permanent access to water, and the bands, a variable amount that is used for billing customers for the service according to their consumption and for promoting a reasonable and sustainable consumption of water.

 

  • Which taxes does my water bill include?

VAT: a state tax set at 10%.

Water-supply tax: a tax collected by the Catalan Water Agency. It has an ecological purpose, as it is aimed at protecting water resources to guarantee city residents a quality supply and enable the recovery of water fountains. The cost of the water-supply tax is adapted to the legal and social reality of each municipality.

The social water-supply tax: this is a tax that ensures basic water needs are covered and establishes a value of the water-supply tax adapted to the vulnerable situations of the population most in need.

The sewerage tax: aimed at covering the cost of conserving and improving the waste-water discharge network.

The TMTR (metropolitan tax for municipal waste treatment and disposal ): this covers the management of municipal waste generated.

The municipal waste collection tax: an environmental tax aimed the proper management of the household waste produced in the city. It is intended to improve waste management, increase selective waste collection and reduce polluting emissions.

 

You can check out the rates for 2020 here.

 

  • How do I make a complaint if I do not agree with the consumption billed?

First, you will need to lodge a complaint with the water supplier company (all water-supply companies, under the Catalan Consumer Code, have to inform users in their contracts and bills of where they can process their complaints, the procedure for making complaints and the freephone customer helpline for incidents and complaints). The company in Barcelona is Aigües de Barcelona.

Decree 98/2014, of 8 July, on the procedure for mediation in consumer relations, sets the company’s deadline for responding to complaints at 30 calendar days. If you have not received a response within those 30 days or if the response is not satisfactory, you can contact the Municipal Consumer Information Office (OMIC) from the website or by calling 010. Consultations or complaints can be processed online. If you need face-to-face assistance, you can request an appointment. To request face-to-face assistance, you will need to fill in this form.

In addition, Barcelona City Council provides information and assistance at energy advice points (PAEs) for anyone who has any queries over their bills, consumption or incidents relating to the exercise of their energy rights. You can contact them by calling 930 008 054, Mondays to Fridays, from 9 am to 2 pm.

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