Unfair metre / sub metre system

tortoisemop

Hi all, I was wondering if you could please give me some advice. I live in a big old Victorian house that is converted into two flats. I own the ground and lower floors and then the other flat is made up of the top floor. Apparently we share a water supply but I have a water metre which is out side by the front door and then the guy upstairs has a submetre which is subtracted from my metre.

Now recently Anglian water wrote to me explaining that he had read his metre wrongly last time and that I actually owed an extra £50!! As you can imagine I was not amused, especially as they told me what his consumptionwas in comparisson to mine. we are both low users but he uses less than half what I use yet he showers sevrel times a day and uses his washing machine daily.

Problem number two is that because of the way the system is set up, I can not monitor my water usage because I can't see his metre and subtract his usage. He is not a trustworthy man, infact he is very intimidating. I don't feel that I should trust what he writes on the card he sticks to the front door every quarter. And as I can't even see the sub metre why should I trust that is is working properly?

The third problem is that due to the system Anglian water will not allow me to pay by direct debit.

I feel this is all really unfair. I pay the same as all other water metre users but I can't monitor my usage and I can't pay in the way I choose. Today I told them I was unhappy with the system and they basically said it was tough. They said I would have to pay for a seperate water supply, but I pointed out that I didn't have to because the supply is mine and if they wanted to make the guy upstairs pay that was their business. They weren't budging.

Please can any one advise where I stand on this and make any suggestions of what I could try.

Thanks
Jane

Cardew

Ask for an assessed charge. This is a charge where meters cannot be fitted.

Or.

Contact the Consumer Council for Water. - Google

tortoisemop

Thanks I will look into both options.

DVardysShadow

Another option may be to get your own sub meter if the plumbing is laid out so that you can do this simply.

deanos

Cardew wrote: »

Ask for an assessed charge. This is a charge where meters cannot be fitted.

I doubt you can get an assessed charge as meters are already fitted.

I take it the neighbours meter is internal, you could see if they can get an outreader fitted so it can be read externally and you can keep an eye on it, although i think he will have to ask for this.

Can i ask where abouts you live if you dont mind ?

I also cant get my head around why you cant pay on DD if you are on a network meter

Gothicfairy

Agree with deanos

I can't see why you can not have a direct debit as you must have a water bill in your name and that would be payable on either est readings or actual readings so there seems no reason that you could not have a payment plan.

Also I don't think assessed will apply as you have a water meter and are being charged on it, the fact you have a joint supply is difficult but not the end of the world if dealt with properly.

Oh and another word for an outreader can be touchpad (depends on your company)

deanos

The outreaders that AW use are not touchpad they are digital readouts behind a flap