Water bills increased

[lemonyellows]

We have recently moved house. All good

Except my estimated water bill has increased by 250% and said they will review it in July!! Anyone know why this would be. I'm querying it with the water company but they haven't replied yet. I'm on a meter but I think it is out in the street, not accessible to me.

Thanks.

Your meter will be accessible to you even if in the street. It will be under a round grid and you can prise it open with the end of a spoon or a blunt knife. Take a torch and look down and you should be able to read the meter. Turn all of your taps etc off and check that it isnt ticking over, if it is you may have a leak which could be your issue. You do need to check that you have the right meter if there are several and you are not sure which is yours.

In my experience most water meters are in the street (footpath / grass verge usually) so easily accessible for checking.
As PP says, just check you have the correct meter.

Many years ago we found our supply pipe was leaking so we reported it to the water company and they installed a new pipe all the way from the meter (in the footpath) to the kitchen at the rear of the house.
Normally they only provide a single repair per property (after that you are on your own) but they acknowledged that the pipe was rotten along it's entire length (1970's black PVC) so they did a full replacement FOC. Also, they took our previous year's readings for the bill rather than making us pay for all the lost water.

We take readings every couple of months and can track our consumption and identify any increased use (watering the garden through the summer etc).
In the 25+yes we have been on a meter our consumption has been pretty consistent, even in different houses.

They say the bill is not based on meter and on predicted use. Even though it's sky high. No explanation on how it's worked out even though they can clearly see how much we used in previous house.

Located the meter but it is full of water. Guess from all the rain (I hope!!) can't see the meter reading at all. Why is nothing ever simple ?

Then the bot just tells ask me for household income etc to help us pay the bill. Aargh. I am concerned about overcharging.

It is normal for a meter cover to lose its seal over time and allow water into the meter chamber. You can remove the water with a cup or sponge. I would try to remove the water in case it is from a leak. My leak was visible but I didn't see it, I was having an extension built and the builder saw it and reported it.

I would argue it as they have your consumption from the last house. If this house has a larger roof so more water to drain off that might affect the price but if they won't budge, tell them you will stop the direct debit and set up a standing order so you control how much money is sent to them each month and tell them you will review it in July.

As above, check the meter. If you're not sure which is yours the water co. should be able to advise and provide a number by which you can positively identify it. Assuming there's no leak and it's working properly monitor it over a month and you've got some facts to argue with.

Estimated usage is fairly crude using the number of people in the house and a count of basins, lavatories etc.

Are there any signs of leaks within the house, or can you hear water running even when all your taps are off? We had a massive leak under the kitchen sink, below the main stopcock where a joint, made a few months earlier when the units were refitted, had popped open. Plumber accepted liability and repaired it v quickly and at no cost to us.

If there is a leak and it's cost money check whether the water co. will give a leakage allowance.

Is it definitely metered or a Rateable Value bill?
Are you paying for sewerage? (Some areas of the country have separate water and sewerage companies, some have both services with one company).
Do you have any leaks inside or outside? (Includes cistern overflows, header tank overflow dishwasher and washing machine).
Are there damp patches in the drive or garden when the rest of the ground is dry?
Can you hear the sound of running water when everything is off? Listen late at night when the house and outside is quiet.

There has been no bill generated. It is metered but I have been billed as estimated future use only. So don't think leaks are the issue as it's not as though the meter reading is high.

They are sending someone out to check the meter and hopefully will be more accurately billed then. Who knows though. It's all a bit random.

This happened to us when we moved house and had a meter installed. I think they automatically set the debit very high so that you don't fall into arrears. We were told that although the company wouldn't review it for several months, we could log our meter readings and ask for it the direct debit to be adjusted down based on these.

If you've been overcharged once they see your actual usage then the extra is credit on your account, it's not like they just keep your money.

Last time someone checked our meter out in the street, he had trouble reading it because water had got in. I guess this is a common problem caused by cheap instalation. A better quality meter would alleviate the problem.

Estimate will be based on previous occupant's use. Yours may differ depending how much you use washing machine, bath etc and how many live on the household. It is normal to review six monthly. Were you on a water rate base don house value previously, or in a different water supplier's area?

We’ve just had notification that ours is going up this month. We moved house last Jan from a house with no meter (rates) to a metered house and they estimated our bill but with 4 of us in the house including 2 teens who shower every day after gym sessions it’s a lot more consumption that anticipated.

not much I can do other than encourage shorter showers - we only use a bath occasionally. Don’t have a dishwasher but washing machine is on usually every day

Hard to say unless you know something about how they predicted it.

For example, they could have predicted it on the previous occupants use.

Or predicted it based on council tax band. Or on the average bill in the street where some houses are much bigger than others.

My guess is their prediction systems are not well suited to put in particular circumstances.

I would have thought the most important thing is that you can read your meter and provide a reading as you take over the property, as well as checking there is no leak.

If they charge more now based on an incorrect prediction, then it will all come out in the wash :)

Are you moving to a larger house? If so that will be it. They charge you not just for water used but sewerage charges and surface water dispersal too. It's all on one bill. We have a large driveway and we get hammered for it because of surface water.