Water Leak Allowance: Getting a Bill Reduced

A leak allowance is a reduction some water companies apply to a metered bill when water has been lost through a leak on the customer's side of the meter. The water went through the meter, so it was charged for, but it never reached a tap. Companies recognise that a customer cannot see a leak under a driveway or a floor, and most run a scheme to give back some or all of that charge. The allowance is not automatic. It is applied for after the event, and the company decides whether the leak and the repair meet its conditions.

The conditions are set by each company and they differ. Some look at whether the leak was underground or hidden and could not reasonably have been noticed. Some set a time limit for applying after the repair. Many limit how often an allowance can be claimed at the same property, and some only consider a first leak. The period covered and the way the usual consumption is worked out are also decided by the company. For those reasons we do not quote figures or promise an outcome. Read your own company's leak allowance page or call its billing team before you apply.

Whatever the company, the evidence asked for is broadly the same. They want to know where the leak was, when it was repaired and who repaired it. A leak detection report that shows the location, the method used and the readings is useful, and the repair invoice is usually essential. Meter readings before and after the repair show the drop in consumption. Note the meter when the leak is suspected, on the day of the repair and again a few weeks later. Many companies have a leak allowance form on their website, and some will ask for the documents to be uploaded or posted with it.

Around Watford and across most of Hertfordshire and north-west London the water supplier is Affinity Water, and across most of London it is Thames Water. Both are water companies that may consider a leak allowance once a leak on the customer's side has been found and repaired, each under its own conditions. If you are unsure which company bills you, the name is at the top of the bill. Some bills also carry a sewerage charge from a different company, so ask whether that part of the bill can be looked at as well. Neither company is involved in our survey, and we do not apply on your behalf.

Our part is to find the leak and to document it. The report records the symptoms, the meter test, the methods used, the readings and the position of the leak, with photographs. If we carry out the repair, the invoice describes the pipe, the location and the date, which is the information the water company asks for. We cannot say what the company will allow, but we can make sure the paperwork answers the questions on the form. Keep the report, the invoice and your meter readings together, and apply as soon as the repair is complete rather than waiting for the next bill to arrive.