£3k water bill for 6 months

StressedOutWithWater · 12 March 2017 at 11:20PM

Got a letter from water supplier asking me to call them before they issue my bill as they noticed my consumption has increased. I called and they said they noticed increase in September but have only just notified me as bill due, previous bills have been around £130 for approx 30 cubic meters (3000 litres) every 6 months, single person in 2 bed semi. Last meter reading was 83, 6 months ago. Reading on Friday was 585, meaning they say I've used 502 cubic meters, or 520,000 litres in 6 months, and its rising by 3 cubic meters or 3000 litres per day. The water company insist I have a leak in my property and that I'll have to pay.They dug up the path outside my property in November for a week (due to a leak my neighbour said) but i was unaware of any leak and don't know if their works are connected to the issue I'm now having. They fitteda water meter at my neighbours property at the same time, and we are the only 2 properties on the street with a meter, mine was fitted without consent, outside the boundary of my property 2.5 yes ago, as they insisted when the builder refurbished it prior to my purchase it was a conversion, its not, its as built in 1976 but they said despite me having council tax bills it didn't have a rateable value. Now I'm faced with this huge bill, I've checked for leaks in my property and can't find anything, no dripping taps, no leaky toilet, no damp and surely if 3 tonnes of water was leaking in or under my property every day since September last year it would be bubbling up through the tarmac/drains/my block paved drive, my foundation's, or my garden would be a swamp, in fact surely I'd be in a sink hole by now and my house and my neighbours would be floating away? I'm really stressed out by all this, after 3 calls they've agreed to send an engineer out in 2 wks time to investigate, but meanwhile the bill is still racking up and they're insisting it has to be my leak and that I will have to pay.

Tiexen · 12 March 2017 at 11:25PM

Can you take a meter reading over 24 hrs see what your using?

Cardew · 13 March 2017 at 10:06AM

Welcome to the forum.

They don't need your permission to fit a water meter when there have been substantial changes to a property. In any case, as a new owner, under The Water Act, they can fit a meter.

Council Tax bills are nothing to do with Rateable Value(RV).

It is very unlikely a leak of such magnitude would be in the house, unless the water was running directly into the drains/sewer.

Is there any possibility that the work in November has somehow connected the supply to other houses in the street through your meter?

brewerdave · 15 March 2017 at 5:40PM

I would just turn off the external stop !!!! -ensure that the meter stops moving then wait to see if anyone complains that they have no water -that would eliminate the possibility of your meter supplying other properties and confirm that the "leak" has to be downstream of the meter point.
EDIT -Having said that -remember a hosepipe can use 20 litres per minute so 3000 litres per day is the equivalent of a couple of hours of watering.

irisheyes153 · 16 March 2017 at 2:52AM

please do not turn off the external stop valve without permission from your neighbours. If a water company engineer has come out to check if you have a leak then they will have already done this test, the stop valve stopping the streets water is not a conclusive test of a shared water supply, this test would have been done before your meter was fitted.
Dependant on where any leak is, you may be able to get what is known as a leak allowance, insist on being sent a form although I cannot promise you will be given any help.
if this is a rented property I would suggest explaining the situation to your landlord and asking for advice, or if you own it and it's proved the leak is on your property it looks like you will need a plumber and to contact your home insurance.
sorry to be blunt,.
Your council tax is nothing to do with the ratable value of your property, if there is no meter at the property then the old 1973 ratable value comes in to play, regardless of the year of the build.

Crabulon · 19 March 2017 at 1:32PM

It sounds like you've a leak on the supply that's worsened over time. The water company won't have been immediately aware if they hadn't read the meter until recently.

In terms of your bill, most companies will offer some help where there's been a leak once its been repaired and will give you an allowance against some of your charges. It'll be worth asking once you know what the problem is.

If you pay per bill, have you asked to set up an arrangement or anything whilst this is looked into so you're not worrying about the balance?

£3k water bill for 6 months

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