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Original poster

Would a water meter put you off buying a 4-bed, 2-bath family home?

102 replies

Aprexio · 20/02/2022 18:44

DH and I are empty nesters and the family home is worth about £450,000. We're thinking of having a water meter which would definitely save us money.

But, we may downsize in a few years and think a family would be the most likely buyers (just as we were when we bought it).

Would a water meter be a deterrent to buyers?
Have you bought a house without one in preference to a home which did have a meter?

One of the bathrooms has a power shower, there's a built in dishwasher and it's a medium-sized garden which needs watering from the mains only in very dry weather.

OP posts:
2KidsNoTime · 20/02/2022 20:19

Wouldn't put me off at all... but then every rental and house I've owned has had a meter. Pretty much all homes round here do, except from houses where the owners are maybe very elderly and haven't moved for a long time.

I assumed all homes were slowly moving to meter based?

tintodeverano2 · 20/02/2022 20:21

Well seeing as if there's no meters at the property you have to have one installed when you move in, it makes no difference really!

NoWordForFluffy · 20/02/2022 20:21

@drpet49

* Isn’t it common for a meter to have to be installed when a property changes hands anyway? So your potential buyer would have to have one.*

^This

Not here either. Apparently the water company can do this, but UU doesn't seem to. (Or didn't; I've not moved recently to know.)
DetailMouse · 20/02/2022 20:21

When we moved in here we had to have a water meter, even though the previous owners didn't. It was compulsory when the account changed hands.

LidlMiddleLover · 20/02/2022 20:23

No but you will have to realise it will cost you more to run If two properties were the same except the water meter I would totally choose the non meter one

DetailMouse · 20/02/2022 20:23

My parents live in an identical house to mine, just the two of them. We have two teens who have looong showers. Our metered water cost less than their unmetered supply. They won't change because they're gardeners and don't want to have to think before using the hosepipe.

Nervousseller2020 · 20/02/2022 20:26

Depends what council tax bracket it's in. As that's how water rates are calculated in our area. Higher the band higher the rates.

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 20/02/2022 20:28

Far more expensive when we didnt have a meter. I would always have a meter fitted, water rates are so much more expensive.

Original poster
Aprexio · 20/02/2022 20:33

If we stay unmetered, it's going to be around £72 a month, £522 annually for sewage and £342 for water we drink and use.

OP posts:
ExtremelyDelighted · 20/02/2022 20:36

Ours was about £28 a month for everything unmetered and now its about £48 with the meter. We're only band C though. Two adults, two teens, 4 showers a day, dishwasher once, washing machine about x10 a week.

HarrietSchulenberg · 20/02/2022 20:44

I wouldn't buy a house with a water meter if I could avoid it. It would have to be one amazing house to overcome that. My retired parents tried a meter in their 2 bed bungalow and their water bill quadrupled - they actually thought there must have been a leak. No leak, just the meter. They reverted to the unmetered supply and breathed a sigh of relief.

saraclara · 20/02/2022 20:45

@Aprexio

If we stay unmetered, it's going to be around £72 a month, £522 annually for sewage and £342 for water we drink and use.
Then you will be very much better off with a meter for the two of you, and a family would also be unlikely to pay more than the unmetered cost. That's very high.
saraclara · 20/02/2022 20:48

@HarrietSchulenberg

I wouldn't buy a house with a water meter if I could avoid it. It would have to be one amazing house to overcome that. My retired parents tried a meter in their 2 bed bungalow and their water bill quadrupled - they actually thought there must have been a leak. No leak, just the meter. They reverted to the unmetered supply and breathed a sigh of relief.
There was clearly something wrong with the meter then. That's not a normal occurrence.

I had a problem with my bill shooting up massively last year. I hadn't noticed the DD go up, but the water company contacted me because they'd noticed what appeared to be very much increased usage. Initially they assumed a leak, but it turned out to be something else. They fixed it, and my payment halved (and I got a refund on the extra that had been taken out)

ShallWeTalkAboutBruno · 20/02/2022 20:56

@Aprexio

If we stay unmetered, it's going to be around £72 a month, £522 annually for sewage and £342 for water we drink and use.
That’s hugely expensive for 2 people, more than double our (metered) bill for 5 people.
Dougieowner · 20/02/2022 20:57

Water meter every time.
Moved from our old house (which has a meter) into my parents old house (which doesn't have one) for a few months until our new house was ready and our water bill doubled.

LubaLuca · 20/02/2022 21:07

Our house is bigger than yours and had a meter when we bought it. It wasn't a consideration at all and certainly wouldn't have put us off if it had been highlighted to us - we're happy to pay for what we use, and it's not like it's one of the big bills that needs to be given much thought. Besides, you don't use more water just because you can all shower in different bathrooms.

megletthesecond · 20/02/2022 21:10

It wouldn't worry me.

I have a water meter. 2 loads of laundry every day, dishwasher every day, 3 of us having showers. £43 a month.

FawnFrenchieMum · 20/02/2022 21:13

We moved from a three bed with no meter (no dishwasher and one shower) to a four bed with a dishwasher & three showers. We also keep a very large fish tank that has a 40% water change weekly (in both houses) and are paying less in the new house then the old house so definitely wouldn’t put me off at all.

SpiderinaWingMirror · 20/02/2022 21:14

We have been on a meter fir the last 20 years.
2 different similar 4 bed houses. One East Anglia, one South East Water. Use Water without thought. We pay on average £50 per month, and have done for the entire 20 years. At peak had 2 teens and toddler. Now the 2 of us plus teen and frequent visitors.

rubytubeytubes · 20/02/2022 21:15

It would put me off but wouldn’t stop me buying it, many homes have them. If it suits you, I would say have it installed

FawnFrenchieMum · 20/02/2022 21:16

I say new house! We’ve been here five years so not a fluke bill or anything, it’s still less or around the same as the old house.

FawnFrenchieMum · 20/02/2022 21:17

@LubaLuca

Our house is bigger than yours and had a meter when we bought it. It wasn't a consideration at all and certainly wouldn't have put us off if it had been highlighted to us - we're happy to pay for what we use, and it's not like it's one of the big bills that needs to be given much thought. Besides, you don't use more water just because you can all shower in different bathrooms.
People definitely spend longer in our showers when the whole families not outside waiting to pee or shower themselves!
Kite22 · 20/02/2022 21:35

Isn’t it common for a meter to have to be installed when a property changes hands anyway? So your potential buyer would have to have one.

I've never heard of that either (and have been involved with 3 young couples buying homes this last month!) so I presume it must be regional / certain water companies.

Am envious of how low some of your water bills are though (again - not like you can switch companies like you can with broadband or gas and electricity). Our bill is £575 for the year (oddly, paid over fewer months, but would be £48 if paid over 12 months).

To OP's question, a water meter isn't something I'd look for in a property, but if it was the property I loved, it wouldn't be bad enough to put me off. Indeed, as other people have said, I don't think it would even necessarily occur to me to ask.

JaninaDuszejko · 20/02/2022 21:45

Council tax does not get rejigged. It remains in the band it was put in initially or when built unless an owner puts infor assessment.

Our house was reassessed when we bought it and our council tax band increased (previous owners had gone into the loft and built and extension).

We're not on a water meter and we pay £41pcm. I'd assume it'd go up on a meter, we're a family of 5 so washing machine on everyday, dishwasher on twice a day and lots of showers and baths every day. The water company offered us a meter when we moved in but we said no thankyou. Might consider it when the DC leave home.

user1497787065 · 20/02/2022 22:11

We have a water meter, Band G property for council tax £68 per month for water. Three adults but admittedly we do not wash cars or water the garden or waste water washing driveway like our unmetered neighbours.