Where is my water meter?

A question about : Where is my water meter?

Here's a question for you, where is my water meter?

Until quite recently I lived in a purpose built block of 22 flats, lived there for ten years. The water was on a meter and I got bills, with meter readings every three months. I never thought about it, just paid the bills, but when I got the last bill I got to thinking that in ten years of living in the flat I had never seen, or even known where my water meter was.

So I asked the landlord. He says there are no water meters in the building or in the surrounding grounds.

He bought the building in the spring to renovate it and sell the individual flats. He says he has seen the plans for the building, and grounds so many times he has them imprinted on his brain and no longer needs to look at them. He has been over the entire property with surveyors, builders, electricians, plumbers etc. and swears there are no water meters.

So, if there are no water meters how do I get bills with meter readings?

The final one was for 18 cubic meters, but there is no meter between where the water pipe enters the property and splits into 22 separate pipes. So how can the water company know how much water I have used?

Best answers:

• Usually a little cupboard at ground level, Joe, near the bins storage, near the electric meter cupboard.Good consumption figures so don't wake up a tiger.
• Hi geordie joe,
  On your bill should be a meter serial number.
  Ring your water provider and quote that number and they should be able to either direct you to it, or schedule a visit for someone to show you where it is, or even provide a map for you if you're out.
  If they can't tell you or distinguish where your meter is, then you may have to ask them to get someone from their surveying team, who should have plans of the water pipes, to visit and locate it for you.
  Some properties may only have 1 meter and have the water cost divided equally amongst them.
  If you do have a dedicated meter, and you live in purpose built flats it's highly likely to be under an 18in by 24in cover.
  These things have a nasty habit of being surrounded by vegetation, so poke about a bit.
  Hope this helps.
• 60 cubic metres per person per year is a figure seen on this board and below 75 cu metres to latch onto any low user tariffs. Anglian Water Board do a Solow rate.