When you are a homeowner and have a water leak outside your property, you may be wondering what I should I do? and who is responsible for water leaks outside?.
The four water companies said that the property owner is responsible for any pipework that is inside of the property up to the property boundary where the water companies would then take responsibility this would also include the water meters
Out of the four water companies, I spoke you they all said the same, which gives us a good understanding of who is responsible for water leaks inside and outside a property; therefore, wherever you live in the UK, you can use this guide to know what to do if you leak outside.
If you read on, I will give you more information about what the water companies told me including what you need to do if you have a water leak.
I have carried out comprehensive research to find out several different questions from four water companies around the UK to give you the best answers and guides, and for what you need to do if you have a water leak outside your property
Water companies I Spoke With
I asked them all the same questions, and here is what they said:
Q1 - Are homeowners responsible for mains water breakages outside their property
1. Southern Water
"We would not usually grant an allowance for a leak which happened on internal pipework however outside pipe which is beyond the property boundary we would be responsible for carrying out maintenance and repairs".
2. Northumbrian Water
"The homeowner is responsible for any pipework within the property boundary of their property bar the water meter".
3. Severn Trent Water
"Severn Trent is responsible up until the external stop tap (or until the property boundary if the stop tap is in the road/ footpath). We are responsible for the meters regardless of if they are in the property boundary".
4. Walsh Water
"The owner is responsible for any pipework from the inside of the property up to the property's boundary".
Q2 – At what point is the homeowner responsible
1. Southern Water
"The homeowner is responsible for any internal leakage at the property and if we have the account registered in his/her name. If not the account holder will be responsible".
2. Northumbrian Water
"The homeowners are responsible for any water leak that is inside the property boundary except for water leaks on the water meter regardless of whether the water meter is inside or outside the property boundary".
3. Severn Trent Water
"The homeowner is responsible for all work leaks that is inside the property boundary but not including the water mater or external stop tap ".
4. Walsh Water
"The owner is responsible for any pipework from the inside of the property boundary".
Q3 – Is homeowners responsible for the water meter when inside the property boundary
1. Southern Water
"Yes, however, if there is an issue with the meters, our meter inspector will visit the property and assist accordingly>.
2. Northumbrian Water
"The homeowners are not responsible for the water meter inside the property boundary".
3. Severn Trent Water
"We are responsible for the meters regardless of if they are in the property boundary".
4. Walsh Water
"We are responsible for the water meter even if it is inside the boundary of the property".
Q4 – How much does it cost the homeowner if they need to replace the main stop valve outside the property boundary
1. Southern Water
"You would need to contact the team that would deal with pricing as I do not have the access to the check the details regarding this".
2. Northumbrian Water
"The external stop tap which is our apparatus, therefore, it is our responsibility to carry out repairs".
3. Severn Trent Water
"We would replace the external stop tap for free if it were faulty".
4. Walsh Water
"It is free of charge for us to replace the external stop tap as it's our asset".
Q5 – What happens if a homeowner needs to turn off the water outside and can't turn off the water
1. Southern Water
"The answer was unclear, and they could not give me any I information on how they would deal with this".
2. Northumbrian Water
"If anyone is unable to turn off the external water stop tap, you would need to contact ourselves. Depending on the urgency of the situation, we would either book an appointment or attend the same day".
3. Severn Trent Water
"If they can't operate the stop tap, they would need to call us to book in an appointment to inspect it. It's a good idea for them to check the external stop tap is working before they need it as we cannot always get out quickly".
4. Walsh Water
"If the owner is unable to turn the water off externally, we can attend free of charge to do so".
To some up on the questions that were asked
The homeowners are responsible for all water that is inside the property boundary, but this does not include the water meter or external stop tap which is the property of the water companies
With this begin said plumbers like LocalPlumber-uk of other similar companies could turn off the water mains from the external stop tap if required to carry out any plumbing work inside the property boundary.
This would also include an underground water mains pipe that is inside the property boundary.
For more way for how to find a good plumber, check out my guide
How To Find A Water Leak That Is Outside
If you have a large water bill that is out of the ordinary this could be because you have a water leak, now this water leak could be outside the property, and therefore you may not know that you have a leak.
The best way to find out whether you have a leak outside first turns of the mains stop valve inside the property and go outside to the water meter, if the water meter is still spinning you have a water leak that is after the water meter but before the internal stop valve
Now you know you have a water leak contact the water company just to tell them you have a leak and where the water leak is this will allow them to investigate and hopefully give you an allowance on your bill and also they may be able to help with the repairs or give you details of someone that could help.
Seven Trent Water Allowance
I asked Seven Trent if someone has a water leak that was unknown to the person would they offer an allowance to help with the bill
Seven Trent Told me:
"If a leak is inside a property, the customer/ bill payer is liable for the bill".
If you rent a property
"We call it a 3rd party dispute if they rent. The homeowner isn't liable to pay it to us, but sometimes the homeowner will contribute towards the tenant's bills".
"We normally only offer an allowance on external leaks that are on the supply pipe and are unknown and not visible".
"However, at the moment we are offering an allowance on internal leaks, but this isn't always guaranteed. This is reviewed by our allowance team".
(This is as of 16th January 2021) and may not apply after this date.
Thames Water Leak Allowances
Thames Water has a full leak allowance program so if your property has a water leak and you have a water meter, and it is simple for Thames Water to calculate an allowance.
They will compare how much water you have used in the past, during a comparable period, against the amount recorded by the water meter during the time of the water leak.
From there, they will calculate the difference in cost to use this amount against your allowance and credit your water bill.
more information about Thames Water allowance you will need to visit their website or contact then directly to speak with them
What To Do If You Have Low Pressure Or No Water
There are a couple of different reasons why you could have low pressure or no water.
The most common reason is that the water company is carrying out emergency water supply work in your area or near your home.
When the water company has a burst pipe in the road, it is necessary for them to turn off the water supply temporarily, if you have low pressure or no water the best thing to do is to make sure you turn off all water taps and showers and then check with your water company.
How To Test Your Water Pressure
You can quickly test your water pressure using a water jug and a timer, During the test, you will need to make sure that there is no water running in your home, so if you have a washing machine on please turn it off or wait for it to finish first
You need to turn on your kitchen tap all the way, then put the 1-litre jug under the flowing water, as you put the jug under the water start the timer. It should take between 6 and 8 seconds to fill the jug to the top.
Here is a video with how to do is:
