Water meter still not installed, should i do anything?

Harryp_24

I moved into my house 5 months ago and bristol(wessex) water told me that they will be fitting a water meter as they now have the right to do so. They also said that i would not pay for water usage until the meter was fitted. I set up a direct debit and the guy on the phone said itll kick in once they have installed the meter (within 4 weeks). Anyway a guy came, spray painted the cover outside and said he couldn't do it and they'd be back (within 4 weeks). I also have a letter from them telling me they need to do extra work to fit it and that i dont have to do anything and theyll let me know once its done. Anyway 3 months later and i dont believe anyone has been round, there is 100% no meter down there as i went and had a look and i still havnt been charged for any water yet. Should i bring this up with them or just let it carry on?

matelodave

They'll probably invoke the rateable value charges for the water they think you'll have used, so make sure you keep saving for when the bill comes in as even six months worth of water & sewerage will be the thick end of £200 or even more.

It's probably worth you making a formal request for a water meter, rather than just waiting and hoping. Make sure you write, dont phone so there's a record of your discussions

spiro

As long as you are putting money away each month to cover the water I wouldn't do anything. If you haven't been saving money you better hope you don't have to pay.

stelee844

I work for SEW, I'm not sure if other water companies follow a similar policy but if you requested the meter to be fitted they may look into taking several check reads to assess your daily average consumption and then will use this to backdate your charges. We typically say to allow up to 90 days for the meter to be fitted plus and extra month just to carry out leakage checks (which may have previously gone unnoticed)

Unfortunatly if you were just advised a meter would be fitted soon and you didn't request it you will be charged the standard RV rate until the day the meter is fitted, Your meter will be bulk uploaded on the systems and you will be charged metered charges going forward. If work is being carried out on the whole street as part of a metering programme the water company tend to require permission from the local authorities. Check https://www.roadworks.org to see if work in planned in the area..

Hopefully that will give you some answers.

teddysmum

I would pester as every day based on RV is a day you lose money.


As mentioned in another post, I was told that my meter would be out under the pavement, but the fitter said that this would involve a long wait, as a special team was needed to work on the pavement,so I agreed to have the meter under the sink.


Were you not given this option or have you asked for it, as the meter is only about 10 cm in diameter and is fitted near the sink so takes up little cupboard room and is read remotely, so no one needing entry to the premises.

akwexavante

I have a friend who was told she had to have a water meter, they visited three times before she received a letter saying no can do. So they estimated her usage based on a single person and are now billing exactly the same amount every 3 months. She's paying considerably less than she would be based on the properties RV.


Nobody looked out the back door of the property!!!!!! She's a keen gardener and her garden is a tad short of 2 acres in size! She was panicking to say the least initially but she's very happy with the outcome, who wouldn't be?