moving into house- automatic water meter?

mrs_baggins

I am moving into a house soon (no meter currently) which I was really looking forward to as I am currently on meter and wanted the freedom of not being on one but someone tells me that when you move house now after you move a water meter is automatically installed. does anyone know if this is true?

DigForVictory

AFAIK it is not true.
A new build will have a watermeter built into it - that is mandatory.
Older houses - you can request a water meter if you want. It doesn't appear to be mandatory as there are still technical difficulties (metering individual flats etc) at present, as well as the fact that it will be political dynamite.

macman

No it's not. The water utilities have the right to compulsorily meter new occupants (subject to it being technically possible to fit a meter), but not all enforce that right. It will depend on the supplier-what region is it?
Post 2 is not correct in thsi respect.

Cardew

Post#3 above is correct about mandatory fitting of a meter.

Many posters have 'complained' about a meter being fitted compulsorily.

If a meter cannot be fitted for technical reasons(mainly in flats) then the occupant will be offered an assessed tariff.

It is not clear how long the water company's right to fit a meter lasts. In theory any change of occupant since April 1990 renders the property liable for the mandatory fitting of a meter. I haven't seen anything that gives a time limit for that option, albeit I have not read of a company exercising that right after the first year.

matelodave

It may be worth doing the sums - sometimes being on rateable value can be everso expensive unless there are a lot of you in the house and you use a lot. Our water meter costs us half of what the RV water charge would be

mrs_baggins

I was told by South staffs water that as the owner has changed hands and it meets the criteria the only option is for me to have a meter fitted. When I questioned what criteria i was told its a 2 bed semi not previously council owned which is surprisingly what he asked me two minutes before

Cardew

What does he mean by 'only option'?

As stated above, there is no doubt that the water company can insist you have a meter fitted.

Perhaps the question about type of property was to ascertain if it was a flat or not. Flats often have problems in getting a meter fitted.

macman

https://ssw.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/73

SailorSam

I live alone so would probably benefit financially by having a water meter, but the thing that has put me off getting one is the thought that if i sell it may put some prospective buyers off.

macman

Why, since the new owner is anyway likely to be metered anyway, whether they want to be or not?

SailorSam

macman wrote: »

Why, since the new owner is anyway likely to be metered anyway, whether they want to be or not?

I thought the rules were, if there's a meter they have to keep it, they can't have it taken out. But if there's no meter it's still the new owners choice.