Water Bill has increased by 300%!!

fluffy123

Hi all, I've lived with a housemate in an apartment for over two years now and have paid roughly around the £200 mark per year for the past two years. We've paid monthly by direct debit, therefore it's came out around £17 per month and thats been fine.

However, we had a new bill through yesterday and the cost of it was £883, working out around £67 per month! There's no way after two years that our consumption can suddently have risen by 300%, especially when we work 5days a week, take 2 showers per day between us and obviosuly the usual evening use for washing etc which hasn't increased by any large amount.

We phoned Untied utilities yesterday and spoke to quite an unhelpful lady who advised that that was the amount on screen and the only thing it could be down to otherwise is a leak. Fair enough, but the meter for the apartment is kept locked away in a cupboard that only the building maintenance company can open, therefore it would be possible to tell whether there has been a leak. The girl basically advised us to wrench the door open to do a check for a leak and advised us, that even if there was a leak, it'd be down to us or the landlady to foot the costs.

I'm not particular happy that it is down to us (or even the landlady, it's not her fault either) so if we can't even get access to check for any leak on a regular basis especially when we've had no problems for the 2 years we've been there?

Does anyone have any further advice please?

bryanb

Ask the building maintenance company for access to the meter. Check the reading.

Headsabovewater

Your first port of call is to gain acces to the meter so as Bryanb states contact the maintanance company.
Check the reading and do a flow test to confirm no leaks or that the meter is not running on.

deanos

Were the previous bills estimates ?

fluffy123

Hi all, well somebody came out - I think around a year ago- to do a meter reading from UU. He mentioned something about the meter being crossed with another flat (or words to that effect) but said he'd get that looked into....do you think it could be linked to that as the rate has gone up four-fold?

I'm not 100% sure how the system works, but I think we've provided 2 readings whilst in the flat- so I take it they're not estimates?

Even so, nigh on £900 is far too much for 2 people who work for 70 hours of the week combined isn't it.....?!

My worry is if there is a leak (which in a way, there has to be, because this cannot be down to consumption) and where it stands from there. We can't get any access to the meter at all to even see that there has been a leak for however long, so how are we meant to know?!

Tried the building company this morning anyway, no answer....might try UU again tonight and mention about what the chap last time said to us (it only hit me this morning that he'd said that last time....)

Headsabovewater

A crossed supply is when the water company has a meter regestered to your property but it supplies a different property.
Find what meter supplies your property and note down the serial number
Call you water company and confirm your meter serial number matches the meter you are being billed to.

dzug1

You were probably being underbilled before the meter mix up was discovered.

They are now playing catchup, so probably no leak. It would be as well to check anyway.

Gothicfairy

As the above have said you might have paid too little and now it has caught up (that is legal and they are able to back bill for 6 years)
Check you meter serial number and find out what you are being billed to..At this point you don't need to call the company. Get the break down of your bill and you meter serial number will be listed on that bill, is it the same as supplies your flat.
To confirm what supplies your flat you can turn the supply off at the meter and see if you have any water> Or turn off your stop tap and see if any meter is moving or stopped

if however you have a leak it will be after the meter (to record on the meter the water must have gone through it) it might well be you or the landlord who is responsible as how is it the water companies fault no one can gain access ?
The water companies have to comply to the Director General rules which state all meters must be read once a year so they would not be aware of any fault either until they obtained a reading

oldnthrifty

Consider writing to UU and ask when they last read the meter and how they managed to gain access to read it. Also ask them for the meter serial number which they last read and check that serial number with your previous bills.

Watermeters are mechanical and as such can fail.

fluffy123

Thanks all. I'm going to call them again tonight anyway and get somewhere with it.

With regards to underpayment, thats fair enough, however would that occur even if one of their men read the meter?! It just doesn't seem right all in all. The crossing thing makes me suspicious too.

The thing with them having no access to the meter, they have just as much opportunity for access as I do or the landlord - the landlord never even turns up to the property, therefore if we're not permitted to enter the cupboard (or than commiting damage to it to force it open) to check the meter to see if there is a leak, how are we expected to know that there is one and pay out for it? I seem to remember that they obtained a key from the bulding maintenance company when they checked it a year ago so they do have an opportunity for access, how do we know that they've spotted a leak and failed to report it, for example?

I guess these are all points/concerns that I'll have to raise at them.

bryanb

Just a suggestion- if they loan you the key,make a copy of it.