Water bills

Water bill too high? Check for leaks, claim an allowance and dispute it

Short answer

If your water bill jumps, first check it uses an actual reading rather than an estimate. Then test for a leak: turn off every tap and appliance and see whether the meter still moves. Water companies can credit water lost through a leak once it is fixed. If a complaint stalls, CCW can take it on for free.

Updated 15 October 2026

10 working days

For your water company to reply to a complaint

£40

Payment in England if it misses that deadline (£20 in Wales)

8 weeks

After which CCW can take your complaint on without a final response

See your company's leak allowance Find your water company

A water bill that suddenly jumps usually has an ordinary explanation: an estimated reading, more people at home, or a leak you cannot see. This page goes through the checks in order, the leak allowance each water company publishes for metered homes, what an unmetered bill can and cannot be argued about, and how to take a complaint to the company and then to CCW.

The usual reasons

Why is my water bill suddenly so high?

Most high bills come down to a handful of causes, and the first ones to rule out are on the bill itself.

CCW lists the most common reasons: more people than usual staying in your home, new appliances that use more water such as a power shower or garden sprinkler, a previous bill based on estimates rather than a meter reading, leaks on pipes, toilets, taps or other appliances, and home renovations that use more water.
Citizens Advice (England): before you contact the company, check the bill is in your name, especially if you have just moved and may be billed for the last resident's water. Check it covers the usual period, is not estimated, and does not include money owed on earlier bills.
Citizens Advice adds that estimates are sometimes based on previous high water use, so an estimated bill can stay high until the company gets a real reading.

Sources: CCW: why is my water bill high? (read 15 October 2026); Citizens Advice: paying for water without a meter (England) (read 15 October 2026)

The leak test

How do I check whether I have a water leak?

If your home has a water meter, the meter itself is the test. It takes a few hours and no tools.

CCW: turn off all taps and appliances that use water, take a picture of the meter or write the reading down, wait a few hours and take another reading.
If the second reading is higher than the first and you are certain no water has been used, CCW says you may have a leak.
If you cannot carry out the checks, CCW says to contact your water company for help.
Thames Water, for example, says a leak on your property could increase your bill if you have a water meter, which is why the repair and the leak allowance both matter.

Sources: CCW: why is my water bill high? (read 15 October 2026); Thames Water: leak allowance (read 15 October 2026)

Unmetered homes

Why is my water bill high when I do not have a meter?

An unmetered bill does not measure water at all, so a leak or a full house does not change it. What can change it is narrower.

CCW: if you do not have a meter, you are charged based on the value of your property, not on what you use.
Citizens Advice: an unmeasured charge is often a standing charge plus a charge that varies, and you cannot have the rateable value reassessed.
So check the same things on the bill: whose name it is in, the period it covers and any arrears added. Ofwat's rules also set charges for each year from 1 April, so a new year's bill can rise on its own.
If the charge feels high for how little water you use, the way out is a water meter. The rateable value guide works out the unmetered charge, and CCW's calculator estimates a metered one.

Sources: CCW: how is my water bill calculated? (read 15 October 2026); Citizens Advice: paying for water without a meter (England) (read 15 October 2026); Ofwat: Charges Scheme Rules from April 2023 (read 15 October 2026)

Work out a rateable value water bill

Disputes

How do I dispute a water bill?

There is a set route, with deadlines on the company at each stage and a free service at the end of it.

CCW, step one: contact your water company, explain what went wrong and give it a chance to put things right.
In England, the law says a water company must give a substantive reply to a valid complaint, or to a query about whether an account is correct, within 10 working days, or pay you £40. In Wales, a written complaint or account query must be answered within 10 working days, or the company pays £20.
CCW, step two: if you are still not happy, ask the company to move your complaint to stage two. It reviews it again and replies within another 10 working days.
CCW, step three: bring the complaint to CCW. Its service is free, and you need either a final response from your company or to have waited eight weeks, plus any evidence such as emails, bills or notes of calls.
CCW says it does not make legally binding decisions or award compensation, and that if you are unhappy with an offer for a loss you may wish to take the matter to the small claims court.

Sources: CCW: make a complaint (read 15 October 2026); legislation.gov.uk: Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008, regulation 17D (England) (read 15 October 2026); legislation.gov.uk: Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008, regulation 7 (Wales) (read 15 October 2026); CCW: complaints policy, how we will handle your complaint (read 15 October 2026)

Step by step

What should you do about a high water bill, step by step?

Five steps, in the order that rules out the cheap explanations first.

1
Check the name, dates and reading on the bill
Make sure the bill is in your name, covers the usual period and uses an actual meter reading rather than an estimate. If it is estimated, send the company a reading.
2
Test the meter for a leak
Turn off every tap and appliance that uses water, note the meter reading, wait a few hours without using any water and read it again. If the reading has gone up, you may have a leak.
3
Get the leak fixed and claim the allowance
Arrange the repair quickly and keep the invoice. Companies credit water lost through a leak only once it is fixed, and most set deadlines for the repair and the claim.
4
Complain in writing if the bill still looks wrong
Explain the problem and give the company a chance to put it right. It must reply within 10 working days, or make a payment under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme.
5
Take the complaint to CCW
If you are still unhappy, ask the company to move the complaint to stage two. Once you have its final response, or after eight weeks, CCW will take the complaint on for free.

Sources: CCW: why is my water bill high? (read 15 October 2026); Citizens Advice: paying for water without a meter (England) (read 15 October 2026); CCW: make a complaint (read 15 October 2026); legislation.gov.uk: Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 2008, regulation 17D (England) (read 15 October 2026)

Where Taupia fits

How does Taupia help with a high water bill?

Household water cannot be switched, so there is no commission in it for anyone. Taupia keeps the water bill next to your energy, broadband and mobile, with the amount and the due date.
In a shared home, Taupia splits each bill, including a high one, on the rule your household sets and tracks who has paid, without moving any money.
Taupia does not contact your water company or make the complaint. You deal with the company and CCW yourself, and nothing changes without your approval.
Taupia is free.

Company by company

What leak allowance does each water company offer?

As each company's own website or published policy states it, read on 15 October 2026. Check the current terms with your company before you rely on them.

Every company in the table publishes a leak allowance for homes with a meter. Without a meter the bill is based on the property rather than the water used, so a leak does not change it.
Most limit you to one allowance at a property, or one in five years at Bournemouth Water and Portsmouth Water. Thames Water allows supply pipe claims as often as needed, United Utilities one internal and one external leak, Wessex Water up to two claims for internal leaks, and Bristol Water half the allowance for a second leak.
Most want the leak fixed within four weeks to a month for a full allowance. Bristol Water's deadline is 21 days, Portsmouth Water allows 60, and Southern Water gives a partial allowance up to 90. Several start the clock when the company tells you about the leak, not when you find it.
Some also help with the repair. SES Water, Affinity Water and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water offer free repairs on their own terms, and South West Water, Bristol Water, Bournemouth Water and Portsmouth Water pay towards repairing or replacing a leaking supply pipe.
If a different company bills your sewerage, check it adjusts that charge too. Southern Water says it mirrors the water company's allowance, which can take up to two months, and Wessex Water adjusts sewerage charges once it knows the leak is repaired.
Keep the plumber's invoice, the repair date and meter readings from straight after the repair and about two weeks later. Most of these companies ask for some or all of them.

Leak allowances by water company

Company	What the allowance covers	Deadlines and conditions
Thames Water	Metered homes: the cost of water lost through a leak, credited to the water and wastewater account once the leak is fixed and approved. Supply pipe leaks can be claimed as often as needed; internal leaks once, and usually only if you could not reasonably have known about them.	Repair within four weeks of being told about the leak or finding it, with a plumber's invoice or a Thames Water job number, and claim within three months of the repair.
Anglian Water	Metered homes: water charges for water lost through a leak, and sewerage charges for the water that did not go back to the sewer.	Claim within 18 months of the leak becoming evident, and repair it within 30 days of Anglian Water verifying it. Up to 12 months of charges ending on the repair date. The claim form asks for two readings at least 14 days apart after the repair. Not given for negligence, or for a leak you knew about and did not fix.
Severn Trent Water	Metered homes: charges above your normal usage while the leak ran, for up to 12 months or two bills on actual readings, whichever is longer. It says it considers leaks wherever they were.	Repair within 28 days, and the leak must not have been caused by your negligence or a third party. One allowance per customer per property, so if a small rise in your payments would cover a leak, it suggests saving the claim for a bigger one.
United Utilities	Metered homes: the water lost through a leak on internal or external pipework, worked out from two readings 14 days apart after the repair. It can often adjust the sewerage charge too.	Repair within 30 days of finding the leak, unless United Utilities repaired it. One internal and one external leak allowance per property. Not given for higher use that was not a leak, or a leak you knew about and did not repair promptly.
Yorkshire Water	Metered homes: excess water charges from a leak, or wastage from faulty plumbing, worked out from the water you normally use.	The leak must have been repaired, or you must have asked Yorkshire Water to look into it, in the last 28 days, and it must not have been caused by your negligence. One claim only, unless a pipe Yorkshire Water repaired leaks again under guarantee.
Northumbrian Water	Metered homes: a reduction to a high bill to cover the water lost through a leak. Its January 2024 leakage code excludes internal leaks.	Find and fix the leak within 30 days. Once per customer per property, and not for a leak you knew about and left, or caused through negligence. Its page asks for readings about two weeks apart after the repair and its code four weeks apart, so ask which it needs.
Essex & Suffolk Water	Metered homes: the water lost the first time a leak on your external pipework pushes up a meter reading. Its January 2024 leakage code excludes internal leaks.	Find and fix the leak within 30 days, or within a month of being told about it. Once per customer per property, and not for a leak you knew about without arranging a timely repair. Its page asks for readings about two weeks apart after the repair and its code four weeks apart, so ask which it needs.
Southern Water	Metered homes: a one-time adjustment to water and wastewater charges for the extra water the meter recorded because of the leak, once it is repaired. Leaks from faulty pipes or fittings inside your home are not covered.	Repair within 30 days for a full allowance, or up to 90 days for a partial one, and contact Southern Water within three months of the bill in question. Not given for negligence, a leak you knew about and did not repair or report, or another leak after an earlier adjustment.
Wessex Water	Metered homes: leaks outside the property, and up to two claims for leaks inside it, worked out by comparing your normal use with what the meter recorded and backdated up to two years.	Claim within six months of the repair, and repair an outside leak within 28 days of a Private Leakage Notification. Read the meter straight after the repair and again two weeks later. If Bristol Water or Bournemouth Water supplies your water, it gives the water allowance and Wessex Water adjusts the sewerage charge.
South West Water	Metered homes: water and sewerage charges for water lost through a leak on your supply pipe, adjusted to your normal use. Homeowners can also get up to £100 towards a repair, or up to £250 towards replacing the supply pipe, once only.	Repair within 30 days of South West Water contacting you, or of the bill showing the higher use, whichever comes first. Not given for negligence or for a leak that is not on the supply pipe. Usually for the first leak only, and never more than two allowances at one property.
Bristol Water	Metered homes: a leakage allowance credits the bill for water lost once the leak is repaired, up to 100% for the first leak and 50% for a second. Homeowners also get an automatic £100 once a leak from an underground pipe is repaired, one payment per pipe, or £250 for replacing the supply pipe within 21 days.	Repair within 21 days of being made aware of the leak. Some Leakage Notices set a shorter deadline if a lot of water is being lost.
Bournemouth Water	Metered homes: a leakage allowance credits the bill for water lost through a supply pipe leak once it is repaired. Homeowners can also get a contribution towards repairing or replacing a leaking underground supply pipe, but its pages give different amounts, so confirm the figure with Bournemouth Water.	Its leakage code asks for the repair within 28 days of the leak being confirmed, and for you to get in touch within 15 days of a private repair. One allowance per property in any five years, and a later one only if you checked regularly, spotted the leak early and had it repaired quickly.
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water	Metered homes: a one-off allowance for the water lost through a leak on your supply pipe. It also offers a free repair of the private supply pipe where possible, and contributions towards a repair, or towards a new pipe if you share a supply.	Fix the leak within 30 days of it being identified. Contributions are one-off per supply pipe and paid once Welsh Water confirms the supply is leak free, with proof of payment.
Hafren Dyfrdwy	Metered homes: charges above your normal usage while the leak ran, for up to 12 months or two bills on actual readings, whichever is longer.	Repair within 28 days, and the leak must not have been caused by your negligence or a third party. One allowance per customer per property, so if a small rise in your payments would cover a leak, it suggests saving the claim for a bigger one.
Affinity Water	Metered homes: part or all of the cost of water wasted through a leak, reassessed on your past normal use. Leaks beyond the internal stopcock are not usually covered unless you could not reasonably have known about them. It may also repair a supply pipe leak free under its Leak Repair Scheme.	The first allowance at your home. Repair by the date in any Waste of Water Notice, or within one month of finding the leak. Not given for negligence, a leak you knew about and did not repair, or a supply pipe you were told to replace and did not.
South East Water	Metered homes: one allowance per property for water lost through a leak on the part of the supply pipe you are responsible for, worked out on how long the repair took.	Not available if the property has had a leak allowance before. Tell South East Water the repair date, who repaired it and a meter reading taken afterwards. A Waste of Water Notice gives 15 working days to repair the leak.
SES Water	Metered homes: water and sewerage charges for the first leak on your supply pipe, going back no further than your last two six-monthly bills. It also offers a free repair, on its terms, whether the leak is inside or outside your home.	Repair within 30 days of SES Water telling you or you finding the leak, or sign up to its free repair within that time. Other leaks only in exceptional cases, and no more than 50% if you delayed the repair.
Portsmouth Water	Metered homes: a one-time adjustment so you do not pay for water lost through a supply pipe leak, for up to the previous 12 months or two measured bills, whichever is longer. It also pays £100 towards a repair, or £200 towards replacing the whole supply pipe, done within 30 days of the leak being identified.	Repair within 60 days of the leak being identified, and contact Portsmouth Water before the repair starts. One allowance per property in five years, at its discretion.
South Staffs Water	Metered homes: the extra water from a supply pipe leak, compared with your past use and usually for one billing period, plus all the extra sewerage charge if that water did not reach a public sewer.	Its leakage allowance page says the repair must be done within 30 days, and its 2026-27 charges scheme within 28 days of being told about the leak, so 28 days is the safer target. Claim within 12 months of the work. A delayed repair gets 50% at most, there is nothing for negligence, and the scheme makes it once only per customer.
Cambridge Water	Metered homes: the extra water from a supply pipe leak, compared with your past use and usually for one billing period, plus all the extra sewerage charge if that water did not reach a public sewer.	Its leakage allowance page says the repair must be done within 30 days, and its 2026-27 charges scheme within 28 days of being told about the leak, so 28 days is the safer target. Claim within 12 months of the work. A delayed repair gets 50% at most, there is nothing for negligence, and the scheme makes it once only per customer.

High water bill FAQ

Questions about a water bill that looks too high

Why is my water bill so high when I have no leaks?

Check the bill first. CCW's common causes include more people at home, new appliances such as a power shower, and a previous bill based on an estimate. Citizens Advice says to check the bill is in your name, covers the usual period, is not estimated and does not include arrears.

How do I know if I have a water leak?

Use your meter. CCW says to turn off every tap and appliance, note the reading, wait a few hours and read it again. If the reading has gone up and you are sure no water was used, you may have a leak. Contact your water company if you cannot do the check yourself.

Will my water company refund a bill caused by a leak?

Usually, through a leak allowance, if you have a meter and get the leak fixed. Companies publish their own conditions: Thames Water, for example, asks for the repair within four weeks and the claim within three months. The table on this page sets out each company's rules.

Can I dispute an unmetered water bill?

You can query the bill's name, period and any arrears, but not the rateable value itself, which Citizens Advice says cannot be reassessed. If the charge is high for how little water you use, ask your water company for a free meter instead, after comparing the two with CCW's calculator.

How long does my water company have to answer a complaint?

Ten working days. In England a company that misses the deadline for a complaint or an account query must pay you £40, and in Wales £20. If you are still unhappy after stage two, CCW will take the complaint on once you have a final response or after eight weeks.

Does Taupia earn anything from water bills?

No. Household water has no supplier to switch to, so there is no commission in it. Taupia keeps the water bill alongside your energy, broadband and mobile, splits it between housemates on your rule and tracks who has paid, and it is free.

Where to go next

Your own company's page has its contact details, meter rules and help with bills. These guides cover the rest.

Start here

Who is my water supplier?

Recommended

Every household water company with its area, and a guide to each one's moving-in steps, meters and help with bills.

Official references

Cite this page

Taupia. "Water bill too high? Check for leaks, claim an allowance and dispute it". Last updated 15 October 2026. https://taupia.com/manage-bills/water-bill-too-high

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