We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Shared supply after meter in block of flat

Options
Hi,

I have been living in the same flat for many years. I was always a bit surprised by the water bills, as I am fairly careful with water.

Fairly recently, Thames Water had to replace my meter and they installed a smart meter, reporting usage every day.

I went away for several days, and meter was still reporting up to 250 litres of water being used, which was of course not right and not consistent every day either (so not a leak).

I contacted Thames Water, they sent a technician (after months of escalations) and couldn't find any leaks nor an issue with the meter.

I went away for several weeks recently, and decided to cut off water outside of the flat. Water meter stayed at 0 every day, but a neighbour complained that they had no more water in their bathroom.

Basically, I have been paying for another flat bathroom water for many years, and they have a larger household. There have been three tenant families since I have moved in.

Thames Water said that, as it's after the meter, not their responsibility. I don't think we will be able to change the building internal plumbing to fix the issue, as pipes disappear into walls. Thames Water said being put on an unmetered tariff is no longer an option either.

What could be done?


Comments

  • wild666
    wild666 Posts: 2,181 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Put in a claim in the county court for a refund plus compensation and insist that they rectify their mistake in connecting to the wrong pipe. Connecting to the correct pipe could be as simple as turning off the water to all the properties and reconnecting one at a time until the water flows for you. It might be time consuming but I think that is the only way you will be connected correctly.
    Someone please tell me what money is
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,763 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    wild666 said:
    Put in a claim in the county court for a refund plus compensation and insist that they rectify their mistake in connecting to the wrong pipe. Connecting to the correct pipe could be as simple as turning off the water to all the properties and reconnecting one at a time until the water flows for you. It might be time consuming but I think that is the only way you will be connected correctly.
    Claim on who ? It's not TW's fault
    Never pay on an estimated bill. Always read and understand your bill
  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 17,897 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    sebtomato said:

    Thames Water said that, as it's after the meter, not their responsibility. I don't think we will be able to change the building internal plumbing to fix the issue, as pipes disappear into walls. Thames Water said being put on an unmetered tariff is no longer an option either.

    What could be done?
    TW are correct, after the meter it's not their responsibility.Do you own your flat, or do you rent? If you rent it might be something for your landlord to fix, but if you own your flat it's probably your own problem to solve.
    You might want to speak to the landlord of the other flat, too, as they will need to do their own work to connect their bathroom to their own supply once you cut them off.
    Robin9 said:
    wild666 said:
    Put in a claim in the county court for a refund plus compensation and insist that they rectify their mistake in connecting to the wrong pipe.
    Claim on who ? It's not TW's fault
    I guess you could try a claim against the landlord of the other property, for taking your water, but without knowing exactly how the OP got into this situation (and without having spoken to the landlord in question) I'd be reluctant to try it.
    N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
    2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.
    Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.
    Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!
  • sebtomato
    sebtomato Posts: 1,119 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 17 August 2021 at 2:06PM
    wild666 said:
    Put in a claim in the county court for a refund plus compensation and insist that they rectify their mistake in connecting to the wrong pipe. Connecting to the correct pipe could be as simple as turning off the water to all the properties and reconnecting one at a time until the water flows for you. It might be time consuming but I think that is the only way you will be connected correctly.
    Thanks. The issue is that there are 35 flats in the purpose-built block of flat, some not occupied, and some flats have a tank on roof. Even if you turn off water, it can take days for such tank to empty as those are quite large.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,058 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    Presumably the block has managing agents. It is their problem to sort out the issue.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.7K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.7K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.5K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.8K Life & Family
  • 256.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.