Where is my water meter?

mathilde

Hi everyone. I own a flat. The management company recently contacted me to ask where the water meters are for our building. It made me realise that after living here for five years, I don't know! And I really should know. 

I rang United Utilities who said it was "in the basement". I went into the basement storage area I have access to, no water meters anywhere.

So the logical explanation is that they're in some other area of the building which I don't have access to? (Management company don't know.)

I've rung/messaged UU a few more times, just trying to figure it out. They keep repeating, "Computer says it's in the basement!"

They've also said that someone will come read the meter in August. So great--I asked if I could get the contact info for that meter-reading team, since they would know where the meters actually are? 

No, impossible. That team has no number, email, or address. They evidently read the meters in utter secrecy and airdrop the figures to UU.

It's not terribly urgent and my bill seems accurate but this is getting ridiculous. I'd like to just know where it is in case of emergency and to check the meter myself!

Any ideas?

Slinky

How can you tell the bill is accurate if you can't check the meter?

DullGreyGuy

mathilde said:

Hi everyone. I own a flat. The management company recently contacted me to ask where the water meters are for our building. It made me realise that after living here for five years, I don't know! And I really should know. 

I rang United Utilities who said it was "in the basement". I went into the basement storage area I have access to, no water meters anywhere.

So the logical explanation is that they're in some other area of the building which I don't have access to? (Management company don't know.)

I've rung/messaged UU a few more times, just trying to figure it out. They keep repeating, "Computer says it's in the basement!"

They've also said that someone will come read the meter in August. So great--I asked if I could get the contact info for that meter-reading team, since they would know where the meters actually are? 

No, impossible. That team has no number, email, or address. They evidently read the meters in utter secrecy and airdrop the figures to UU.

It's not terribly urgent and my bill seems accurate but this is getting ridiculous. I'd like to just know where it is in case of emergency and to check the meter myself!

Any ideas?

Do you pay UU directly or is it part of the service charge?

In our area of London at least there tends to be a single meter for the building which is paid by the management company and then recharged to each flat/unit based on the normal service charge splits (current flat is 1/32, last place was based on floor area). No idea where the meter was in either building.

Why is the management company contacting you to ask?

mathilde

Exactly! I've asked United Utilities that several times now!

mathilde

I pay UU directly, based on usage.

The building manager was apologetic but just said she had no idea and did I happen to know. (Possibly she's stuck in the same feedback loop with UU). 

I've put UU on notice that I can't pay any more invoices until I could check the meter myself, and so I've left it with them.

mathilde

I should say, I also asked whether they could just tell me the day the meter reader is coming, so I could just ask them directly? No, it's just any day in August. So I'll quit my job and stakeout for all of August. 

p00hsticks

mathilde said:

I should say, I also asked whether they could just tell me the day the meter reader is coming, so I could just ask them directly? No, it's just any day in August. So I'll quit my job and stakeout for all of August. 

bear in mind that with some meters they can just read them remotely from the vicinity of the meter.... 

born_again

p00hsticks said:

mathilde said:

I should say, I also asked whether they could just tell me the day the meter reader is coming, so I could just ask them directly? No, it's just any day in August. So I'll quit my job and stakeout for all of August. 

bear in mind that with some meters they can just read them remotely from the vicinity of the meter.... 

If it anything like our's then it's a case of a van driving down the street (meter under sink at back of house away from road, so a good 20 yards) & reading remotely. Always spot on.

mathilde

Am I the only one who wants to check the meter reading myself before paying?

forgotmyname

Read my meter when we moved in 28 years ago and not given it a 2nd look since. Never had a reason to.

They can read the meter without even coming into the front garden so seems to have a decent range, there is a small
box outside the property which I assumed was an antenna?

matelodave

'tis always a good idea to check your meter regularly as a leak can go unnoticed for some time.

We read ours monthly and a few years back got a nasty shock when it was around 60 cu.m higher than normal. Sure enough there was a leak and, as we got it fixed quickly, we got a refund for the £250 worth of water that was lost.

Even worse my mate ended up with a water bill for over £5,000 when his underground pipe sprang a leak together with an even larger bill to have his porch rebuilt due to it being undermined by the leaking water causing the ground to subside.