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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think fitting a water meter can put off potential buyers?

100 replies

Mydietstartstomorrow · 20/01/2020 11:32

That really. Our house is on the market, I'm moving out and estranged husband moving back in till the house sells. He wants to put a water meter in to reduce his water bill but I am worried this may put potential buyers off. Would it put you off buying?

OP posts:

aLilNonnyMouse · 20/01/2020 16:40

It would 100% put me off. I hate water meters and super hate pre-paid meters. I almost didn't move into my current flat because of the pre-paid meters and contacted the supplier to get their assurance they would be removed first.

I hate constantly feeling like I need to hurry up and not "waste money", I'd much rather use what I need without thinking about it and sort the bill out later.

I probably do end up paying more this way but it's 100% worth it to keep it out of mind. Anything else would cause enough stress to harm my mental health.

LBOCS2 · 20/01/2020 16:51

Water companies where I live are obligated to check whether a water meter can be installed whenever a house exchanges hands as we're in a "water stressed" area.

Likewise. We just got a letter telling us it would happen on a certain date when we moved in. But we'd just moved from a house with a meter, so it didn't make any difference to us.

LBOCS2 · 20/01/2020 16:53

We pay just under £40 a month for our water by the way. 5 of us, regular showers and baths, washing machine and dishwasher on constantly. I'd be looking for a leak if I was paying as much as £100pcm.

Yubaba · 20/01/2020 17:01

Doesn’t bother us we have one, 2 adults and 3 kids.
Between 2 and 5 showers a day depending, Maybe a couple of baths thrown in too, the washer on at least once or twice a day and an addiction to tea it works out at £40 a month. I think that’s a bargain.

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 20/01/2020 17:41

I think it would put families off. Better to leave the buyer to decide themselves whether to have one fitted. It's not a reversible decision.

lemontreebird · 20/01/2020 17:42

Yes, it would put me off buying and actually has, in the past.

MrsMoastyToasty · 20/01/2020 17:51

Any house built or converted since 1989 will be metered.

JoHarrison · 20/01/2020 18:06

I would prefer a house without a water meter as I know our bills are higher with one - but it wouldn't be a deciding factor for me personally as I think it's inevitable all houses will have one fitted soon (this is happening in London and other areas already). Depends where you live really. I do think it's a bit short sighted of him perhaps.

Fidgety31 · 20/01/2020 18:32

My £100 per month on a meter is for me and two kids . I work full time so aren’t in a lot during the day.

I don’t have a bath just a shower . Kids have either

Fidgety31 · 20/01/2020 18:33

Oh I only live in a two bed terrace. No garden or pool !

BentNeckLady · 20/01/2020 18:34

As a gardener it’d put me right off.

AlwaysCheddar · 20/01/2020 18:57

As soon as a property is sold where I live, the new owners have to have a water metre, no choice.

SoupDragon · 20/01/2020 19:01

In our area a meter is fitted as standard when a house is sold.

Same here.

coconuttelegraph · 20/01/2020 19:07

It wouldn't put me off, I think that as a general principle eople should pay for what they use.

Posters querying £100 a month maybe don't realize that in some parts of England water is really expensive, it doesn't necessarily mean that people are being wasteful

LBOCS2 · 20/01/2020 19:22

Ive just looked it up - I had no idea it varied so much! I stand corrected (although weirdly my water supplier wasn't on the comparison chart I found).

cochineal7 · 20/01/2020 19:30

Our bills were much, much lower with a water meter (family of 4, using washable nappies for a while too). So no, I’d be happy.

viccat · 20/01/2020 19:34

It's not something I would even think about when viewing a house and making an offer (obviously would find out much later on when the questionnaire with property information is completed).

I will say though that my bill went up when the meter was fitted! I live alone and really don't waste water and leaks etc. have been ruled out. It's what it is but kind of wish I hadn't rushed into getting one...

Baaaahhhhh · 21/01/2020 11:13

Southern Water customers, which includes residents in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent, pay the third highest amount in yearly bills at £673, the research showed

So I just found this... West Country average is apparently the highest, but I am in Southern Water, and only pay £35 a month with four adults, three cars, a large garden etc etc. Perhaps I am frugal with water usage, but I can't imagine using double the amount of water, and thats on average. The only water saving devices we have is three water butts. Just remembered we also have a water softener which switches out unsalinated water every so often, so effectively down the drain. Interesting.

pinkytheunicorn · 21/01/2020 11:55

Our four bed had a meter already fitted when we bought it. Didn't put me off at all. We've got two adults who shower daily and two young children who need frequent bathing/use a paddling pool in summer if there's not a hosepipe ban etc and our water bill is really low.

MeanwhileAtNumber98 · 21/01/2020 12:00

Reading with interest! We moved 3 months ago to a house with a meter, haven't had a bill yet but I'm sure the payment they initially put us on will be going up.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 21/01/2020 20:43

fidgety "My £100 per month on a meter is for me and two kids . I work full time so aren’t in a lot during the day. I don’t have a bath just a shower . Kids have either"

Has it never occurred to you to check this?
£100/month for that usage is astronomical.

There are loads of websites like this, of people listing larger households with higher usage paying far less.

Sounds like you gave some kind of shared pipe with your meter on the wrong side of it! Or a humongous billing error, like being charged business rates or something.

Cohle · 21/01/2020 21:13

Has it never occurred to you to check this?
£100/month for that usage is astronomical.

I really don't think people are aware how much the cost of water differs across the country.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/inews.co.uk/news/uk/uk-pay-most-least-water-bills-expensive-cornwall-sussex-devon-hampshire-london-305506%3famp

PuppyMonkey · 22/01/2020 17:00

Crikey, £100 a month?

I'm with Severn Trent and my last bill for the last six months of 2019 was £161.The one for the six months before that was £192. We don't do Direct Debits, we pay for what we use and they read the meter.

This was for me, DP, grown up DD and three kids for most of that (we are foster carers, so it varies a little depending on who is with us).

HaudMaDug · 22/01/2020 18:44

As removal of a meter may not be an option I'd be considering leaving things as they are at present.

The savings he might make by fitting a meter would be irrelevant really if house was likely to sell quickly.

TheFaerieQueene · 22/01/2020 18:47

I think with the state of the planet we should all be thinking about our consumption of natural resources. It wouldn’t worry me.

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