Water bill help!

sl09 · 4 January 2020 at 6:44PM

Hi, I would appreciate any advice regarding a very high water bill.

I moved into a rented 1 bedroom flat on 31/05/19 as a single tenant, and didn't submit a water meter reading when moving in because I couldn't find the meter. I didn't think much of it, until today.
Today, I received a bill for £537 for the period 31/05-31/12, which was based on an estimate of 134 cubic metres. The bill also said I was using on average 649 litres a day.
I initially thought it was wrong because it was based on an estimation, but I eventually found my meter and the reading was 131 cubic metres. There's no way I've used that amount of water, so either, I have a leak, or the first meter reading was incorrect. According to the website, the first meter reading was done on the day I moved in, but it wasn't done by me. Is it possible for the water engineer to get it wrong? Do they just accept the last reading from the previous tenant?
I've arranged for a plumber to check for leaks to rule that out. I'll also turn the stop tap and wait a few hours to see if the meter still moves to identify a leak.

Is there anything else I can do to ensure there hasn't been a mistake? Thank you

Cardew · 4 January 2020 at 7:29PM

Welcome to the forum.

I doubt if the meter has been read by a water company employee. It would normally be done by a letting agent/owner or previous occupant.

It is unlikely that you would have a leak of that magnitude.

A current reading of 131m3 is meaning less unless you know the start reading on 31/05/19. What is the start reading on the bill?

It is a puzzle why a water company would estimate such a high consumption unless there is a history of high consumption for the flat.

Possible mistakes? - the bill is not based on your meter i.e. you are being billed for another flat's consumption. Check the meter serial number is the same as your bill; although that won't help if the wrong meter has been allocated to your flat.

Sometimes with old flats you could be paying for two flats, if a pipe from your flat leads to the next door flat.

sl09 · 4 January 2020 at 7:58PM

Thanks for your reply!

So the meter reading on the 31st May was 2493.
Today's reading was 2624 = 131 cubic metres

I don't know who submitted the reading on 31/5, but it wasn't me or the letting agent. The letting agent noted the gas and electric readings and wrote them in the tenancy agreement. She couldn't find the water meter.

Come to think of it, the previous tenants must have had issues with their water bills too, as a debt collector knocked on the door a few months ago. I wonder if they falsified the final reading, or they had the same issue?

Talldave · 6 January 2020 at 5:27PM

I think you need to challenge the reading from the 31st May. Could it have been a misread of 2593?

It might be worth logging weekly readings for a couple of months, then you have some typical consumption data to present to the water company, which might allow you/them to reverse engineer things back to last May.

The lesson here for everyone is to never take responsibility for a property without reading all the meters yourself and supplying those readings to the respective utility companies. Never allow a letting agent to do it for you as they're usually incompetent.

Norman_Castle · 6 January 2020 at 8:46PM

sl09 wrote: »

I don't know who submitted the reading on 31/5, but it wasn't me or the letting agent.

Previous tenant hoping to pay for less than they used? Contact the supplier explaining the usage is unrealistically high and ask who supplied the initial reading. They may then charge based on averages or future use. They will be able to check historic readings, if the have always been very high check or ask them to check that you are not also supplying other properties.

cannynic · 27 January 2020 at 1:53AM

Can anyone help. Just moved into new flat. Communal 16 flats. Registered online to Northumbrian water it says I've got a water meter, where is is. How do I read it ? They want a reading personally I don't think I'm on metered. But can't change that on the website.

t0rt0ise · 27 January 2020 at 2:15AM

cannynic wrote: »

Can anyone help. Just moved into new flat. Communal 16 flats. Registered online to Northumbrian water it says I've got a water meter, where is is. How do I read it ? They want a reading personally I don't think I'm on metered. But can't change that on the website.

Ask the water company where the meter is. It's their meter.

matelodave · 27 January 2020 at 2:27PM

You should ensure that you know where the water, gas and electric meters are - ask the building supervisor, janitor or landlord to give you access to them all so you can read them and ensure that you are reading the meters that actually supply your flat (check bills and statements against serial numbers).

If you don't (or didn't) you could end up paying for the consumption of the previous tenant/owner. Its the very first thing you should do when you take over the keys. The next thing is to set up water, gas and leccy accounts with the existing suppliers, again to avoid paying for someone else and to ensure that you start off with a clean slate.

Norman_Castle · 27 January 2020 at 4:46PM

Meters in flats are often close to where the water supply enters which is often in the kitchen or bathroom.
Ask the neighbours, if the flats are modern the meters may have been installed during the build and could be grouped together outside your property.

wild666 · 28 January 2020 at 8:43PM

I log a weekly water meter read so if they say I have used more they are wrong and any leak would be before the meter. In nearly 10 months I have used 15m. My meter was installed just before the stopcock. I am paying an estimated bill on what they think I will use this year, 50m3. The first thing I do when moving into a new property is check all meter readings, gas, electric and water if a meter is installed.

Water bill help!

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