Just found out we have a METER!!

chicky77uk

If the leak test comes up negative then don't lose heart.

You may find you are on a shared supply, especially if you are in a flat which is part of a conversion. Quite often builders may not realise that water pipes are shared and will leave one main meter for the property instead of requesting that internal meters are placed in individual dwellings etc.

Ask a neighbour to turn on a tap in their house while you look at your meter.

Or try turning off the tap on the water meter and see which of your neighbours comes knocking on the door to see if its only them that has no water!

It can be sorted fairly easily and you should get credited for any water that you haven't used once your own, correct usage has been established.

Or the water company may have a 'crossed meter' ie. they have yours and a neighbour's meter info muddled up. Again, easily resolved.

Good luck
ps. Only dirty people wash!

chillipepper_3

No signs of a leak and unfortunately all flats are separate as they are purpose built. Not all flats have meters so the previous owner must have agreed to have it installed.

Not looking forward to the bill coming in, my only gripe is that we didn't realize we had a meter so can not confirm their meter reading from when we moved in. The water co. sent us a letter with the reading but we didn't read it properly, so we are at fault there.

I am going to speak to the landlord to see if we can get the thing removed.

cattie

chillipepper wrote:

No signs of a leak and unfortunately all flats are separate as they are purpose built. Not all flats have meters so the previous owner must have agreed to have it installed.

Not looking forward to the bill coming in, my only gripe is that we didn't realize we had a meter so can not confirm their meter reading from when we moved in. The water co. sent us a letter with the reading but we didn't read it properly, so we are at fault there.

I am going to speak to the landlord to see if we can get the thing removed.

Unfortunately unless the meter was installed within the last 12 months, or your landlord actually paid to have the meter installed originally, it is not possible to get it removed.

Your consumption certainly sounds high & you are not heavy water users by the sound of it, so have a word with Thames Water. If you give them a call & tell them how many people live in your home & an outline of your average useage each week, they will be able to give you a pretty good estimate of how much your annual bill should be. By this you can work out if there is a problem after all & perhaps raise a dispute when your bill arrives.

deanos

It dosent matter how long the meter has been fitted you cant have it removed when you move into a house that has a meter you have to stay on a meter

KTF

For what its worth my bill was reduced when I asked to be moved to a meter. I have a 2 bed flat (with only me in it) and was on a standing charge based on 2 people living there.

Moving to a meter resulted in quite a saving on that bill.

chillipepper_3

I have over reacted to what others have said that the charges would be. We have just recieved our bill which is just over £90. Not too bad at all considering. Thames charge just under £1 for m3 water incoming and 0.25 pence per m3 water going out.

We have certainly reviewed how we use water, being a little bit more careful when using the washing machine and leaving taps running when cooking/cleaning etc.

So to cap it all, better news than we expected.:)