Why Is My Water Bill Suddenly So High?
If nothing about your household has changed but the bill has, the water is going somewhere. Here is how to find out where — starting with a free ten-minute check.
A sudden, unexplained jump in your water bill is one of the most common signs of a hidden leak — often an underground supply pipe, a central-heating feed or a toilet leaking silently into the pan. A simple meter check confirms it: turn off every tap and appliance, and if the meter is still moving, water is escaping somewhere.
How do I check if I have a hidden leak?
Do the meter test. Turn off every tap and water-using appliance in the house, make sure the toilets have finished refilling, then watch your water meter for ten minutes. Any movement means water is leaving the system. To narrow it down further, close the internal stop valve and check again: if the meter still moves with the house isolated, the leak is on the underground supply pipe between the meter and your home.
Where do hidden leaks usually happen?
The usual suspects, roughly in order: toilets leaking silently from cistern to pan (often only visible as a faint ripple), underground supply pipes, central-heating circuits (watch for a pressure gauge that keeps dropping), hot-water cylinders and their overflows, and pushfit or compression joints under floors and behind kitchen units. Outside taps and garden irrigation are worth a look too.
Who is responsible for a leaking supply pipe?
Usually you. As a general rule in the UK, the water company is responsible for the mains and the communication pipe up to the boundary of your property, and the homeowner is responsible for the supply pipe from the boundary into the house. Rules and goodwill schemes vary between companies, so it is always worth asking yours before commissioning repairs.
Will my water company help with the cost?
Often, partially. Many UK water companies offer a one-off leak allowance that refunds some of the excess charges after a hidden leak is repaired, and some assist with supply-pipe repairs. Policies differ — ask your company what it offers and what evidence it needs. A dated detection report showing where the leak was and when it was fixed is exactly the paperwork those schemes ask for.
How do you find a hidden leak without digging?
With detection instruments rather than excavators. Our surveyors use acoustic listening, tracer gas, thermal imaging and moisture mapping to locate leaks — including underground supply-pipe leaks — usually to within a few centimetres, so any excavation is one precise hole rather than a trench. See our leak detection service for how it works, and if you are claiming on insurance, our trace and access reports are written to support the claim. Same-day appointments across London and Surrey.
Meter moving with everything off? Stop paying for water you never use — we find leaks without digging.