[Help] Southern Water - Metered Bill / Leak, advice please

[Leegull]

In anticipation of an issue ahead with Southern Water, I wonder if anyone on NSC has any recent experience or can offer some advice? In fairness to SW they have been very helpful in my two calls to date but something that they have just said makes me feel that I may have an issue ahead!

Yesterday I received my metered bill for the period from 1st December 2018 - 13 June 2019. It shows that our water usage has increased by more than 400% each day, we are now using c400 litres per day as opposed to 280 litres per day for the many years that we have lived in the property to date (14 years). From speaking to SW it sounds like the usage increased to this level at some point in November of last year.

So for 10 months, my usage has increased by 400% per day and the first I hear from SW is a metered bill telling me that I now owe them £994.64 and my monthly payment is going to increase from £34 per month to £110 per month moving forward.

Tests done and we've established (obviously) that the problem is an external leak. They are sending an engineer this time next week! to try and locate the leak. It sounds like the problem will almost certainly be "Supply Side" and as such, even when located, it's down to me to get plumber in and get it fixed. Currently checking home insurance to see if we're covered for this under our policy.

My query relates more to the nearly £1k that they say I owe to them. The lady that I spoke intimated that if the problem is "supply side" and for me to resolve, then this balance will still stand and I'll need to pay them what has been "used"... Is this correct? Any experience on the board?

My main gripe, surely if they have known since November 2018 via my metre that usage has increased by that much, then the onus should be on them to contact me and tell me that I may have a problem that needs resolving. It seems like pure profiteering on their part to leave it 10 months and then just send me a bill and tell me that it will stand. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but forewarned is forearmed.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We've had a similar problem with a faulty overflow which went back into the toilet bowl. Our bill is over £200 so not as drastic as yours.
We do get a bill every 6 months so the August bill showed a marked difference to our February bill.

 

[Brian Parsons]

I had a similar issue last year up here in Northumberland. The general rule of thumb is the meter and pipes leading to it are the responsibility of the water company. From the meter and into your property is your responsibility. In my case it was the meter that was faulty and all "false " readings were ignored. No expense to me apart from a 20 minute spell with no water as new meter was fitted. Hope this helps your cause.

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

 

[Mr Bridger]

We do external water leaks via Anglian Water and as long as you sort it within a 30 day deadline they give you a leak allowance, more or less cover the cost of the loss of water. I would contact your buildings insurance as sometimes this is covered depending on what policy you have. Most will only cover accidental damage and trace and locate, which means they won’t cover the actual repair, which to be honest is the cheapest part.
Find approved plumbers to carry out the repair on the Watersafe website.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Feel for you on this.
How long have you had a meter in place?
Has anyone else in your road got meters?
Do you remember Southern Water fixing any other leaks prior to you metre being installed?

 

[Leegull]

We've had a similar problem with a faulty overflow which went back into the toilet bowl. Our bill is over £200 so not as drastic as yours.
We do get a bill every 6 months so the August bill showed a marked difference to our February bill.

So in that instance, it’s in the house and your problem but did that bill stand or did they offer you some sort of relief (pardon the pun) given that it was an obvious fault

 

[Leegull]

I had a similar issue last year up here in Northumberland. The general rule of thumb is the meter and pipes leading to it are the responsibility of the water company. From the meter and into your property is your responsibility. In my case it was the meter that was faulty and all "false " readings were ignored. No expense to me apart from a 20 minute spell with no water as new meter was fitted. Hope this helps your cause.

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

I guess that’s the other option that they will investigate. The meter may be faulty. Keeping everything crossed that may be the case but I’m not usually that lucky...

 

[Leegull]

We do external water leaks via Anglian Water and as long as you sort it within a 30 day deadline they give you a leak allowance, more or less cover the cost of the loss of water. I would contact your buildings insurance as sometimes this is covered depending on what policy you have. Most will only cover accidental damage and trace and locate, which means they won’t cover the actual repair, which to be honest is the cheapest part.
Find approved plumbers to carry out the repair on the Watersafe website.

Southern Water have said that they will locate the leak. Given the size of the bill they think it’s a large leak and will be easy to trace.. they’ll then advise whether it’s my problem or theirs... checking home insurance as we speak!

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

I had the same issue with Southern Water and once I repaired it (digging up my back steps - twice!) they actually said that they would refund part of what they calculated the extra was. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. Maybe ask them if a refund might be a possibility and see what they say.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

So in that instance, it’s in the house and your problem but did that bill stand or did they offer you some sort of relief (pardon the pun) given that it was an obvious fault

I've tried but had no answer yet. I will ring them again as the SEWater guy did say I should get some leak allowance.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have you tried turning the water off and on again?

 

[Leegull]

Feel for you on this.
How long have you had a meter in place?
Has anyone else in your road got meters?
Do you remember Southern Water fixing any other leaks prior to you metre being installed?

Oddly enough my parents are having a similar experience over in Woodingdean currently and are having trouble locating the leak, having already spent a few hundred on plumbers trying to resolve the problem but their meter keeps spinning!

Not exactly sure but reckon they have been in for between 3-5 years now.
I think all on the road have meters now. I looked at my next door neighbours yesterday and was very jealous that theirs wasn’t spinning whereas mine was going around like a spinning top!!
No I don’t remember seeing SW in the street at any point. This is the first ever conversation I’ve needed to have with them in 14 years and it’s proving to be very expensive so far.

 

[Leegull]

Have you tried turning the water off and on again?

Control, Alt and Delete.

Yes tried that but didn’t work

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Six years ago I was rushed into hospital (which ended up a six week stay) with sepsis, on that same day the water pipe link from outside to inside our house, and AFTER our meter burst. The result was thousands of gallons of water shot out the end of the pipe and it took a couple of hours before anyone noticed. Once spotted they turned off the supply at the meter and repaired the pipe .... suffice to say my Wife had had better days!

Southern Water were fantastic, the fault was due to the wrong fitting being used by our builder yet still they created a very reasonable bill.

* I knew noting about this for months until my Wife told me when I was much better, bless 'er!

 

[Triggaaar]

SW are the worst company I've ever had the misfortune to have to deal with. Get ready to contact Ofwat.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

In laws had a leak on the joint from the meter to the house. Determined it was a Southern Water issue and they dealt with it.

 

[Leegull]

SW are the worst company I've ever had the misfortune to have to deal with. Get ready to contact Ofwat.

Thanks for that Triggaaar, no beating around the push with that.
As I say, the impression I got from the call, was that they were lining me up to pay them what is ‘due’

Not a question to you specially but to anyone generally. How do these water meters work?

Is it like your Gas and Electricity, i.e all estimated until they send a person around to physically read the things.
Or are they linked to SW so they can always see what I am using at all times. I’ve never been asked to give them a reading.

If the latter then surely the responsibility is on them to contact their customer directly if they see usage increase by more than 400% and not to just keep ticking up the pound notes for 9 months to a completely unaware customer...

 

[Springal]

Is it like your Gas and Electricity, i.e all estimated until they send a person around to physically read the things.
Or are they linked to SW so they can always see what I am using at all times. I’ve never been asked to give them a reading.
.

They come out and read them as they are typically in the street just outside your property. Not sure how often they are read but doubt it is that frequently.

You can check it yourself - my nutty neighbour does it *Every day*

 

[Leegull]

In laws had a leak on the joint from the meter to the house. Determined it was a Southern Water issue and they dealt with it.

That seems to be the key bit. If the leak is on my property then my problem. If the joint is faulty or the leak is in the very small (less than a foot) gap between the meter and my property boundary, then it’s their issue.
The odds seem to be very heavily stacked in the favour of SW in this instance.

Lessons to be learned on my part I guess for moving forward.

 

[Leegull]

They come out and read them as they are typically in the street just outside your property. Not sure how often they are read but doubt it is that frequently.

You can check it yourself - my nutty neighbour does it *Every day*

Once resolved I may just end up like your nutty neighbour, especially if I’ve been stung for a grand, which has literally just been flushed down the drains...