The National Water Regulator is arguing that cutting the water supply on the eve of a bank holiday or on a Friday leaves families without this basic necessity for too long.
Therefore, during the course of this year, companies will be banned from cutting off water supplies on Fridays and eves of Bank Holidays, to avoid leaving indebted families without the basic necessity for extended periods.
The regulator explains that as most town halls and water supply companies are closed on bank holidays and weekends, non-compliant households could spend several days before being able to settle their outstanding bills.
As a general rule, suppliers will only be allowed to suspend the supply on days when the consumer can rectify the situation the following day.
Once that is done, companies must reconnect the supply within a maximum of 24 hours.
Although no official national information is available with regard to how many households default on water payments, investigation carried out by newspaper Jornal de Notícias suggests around 12 percent of consumers in Oeiras and 10 percent of households in Matosinhos fail to settle their dues.
The regulator has also put forward a proposal to increase fines for outstanding payments as well as a payment-by-instalments option for high-value arrears.
Meanwhile Portugal’s consumer rights watchdog, Deco, has suggested poorer families be shown leniency and be given more time to settle their overdue water and sanitation bills.
Deco suggests needy families should be conceded between five and ten extra days to settle their dues.