Water meters

You do not need our permission to fit a water meter. However, due to the setup of the water supply it is not possible to have a water meter fitted at:

• Lyme Green

• Chapel Court

• Harry Lawson Court

For anywhere else, you can ask your water supplier to install a water meter in your home.

Before you go ahead and have a meter installed, make sure you’re aware of the following:

• If you live in a block/flat please contact us first to ensure that the work to be carried out would not compromise any part of the building which is relied upon for fire safety etc. Failure to do so may result in recharges for additional works required to make the building safe again.

• We will not attend to alter cupboards/units for meters to be fitted, and please be aware that any damage caused may result in rechargeable repairs. Similarly if the work causes any leaks this may also result in rechargeable repairs.

• By changing to a water meter, you’ll pay for the actual amount of water you use. Most people make savings, but you might not. This may depend on the number of people in your household. Check with your water company to estimate how much water you’ll use and if you’ll save money. There’s also a water meter calculator on the Consumer Council for Water’s website.

• If you find you are not better off after changing to a meter, you can usually change back to how the bill was paid before within twelve months.

Every company offers the ‘WaterSure’ tariff. This puts a limit on bills for certain vulnerable customers.

To qualify you must meet the following conditions:

• You or someone else in the household must receive benefits or tax credits;

and

• There are three or more dependent children living in your home. Or the bill payer or someone else living with them suffers from a medical condition that involves using large volumes of water.

Some companies offer trust funds or payment matching schemes. Others have schemes for people in arrears or are on specified benefits that lowers costs. This means you can pay your water company directly from your benefit payments. If you are struggling we have a Tenancy Sustainment team who may be able to offer support.

If you’re getting a water meter fitted, please update us so we can update our records.