Moving house with Bournemouth Water: register, meters and help
Short answer
Bournemouth Water comes with the address, so there is nothing to compare. Use its online moving form with your billing address, a meter reading taken on moving day, and your landlord's details if you rent. Meters are usually free to fit, and once one is installed you have two years to decide whether to switch back.
Updated
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Household water suppliers you can switch to
Free
Meter installation for households in England and Wales, per Ofwat
2 years
Bournemouth Water's published window to switch back after a meter
Bournemouth Water supplies Bournemouth and surrounding areas. This page covers the move-in steps in the company's own terms: how to register as the new occupier, what the first bill is based on, how to get a meter and whether you can go back, and the help it publishes for households that cannot afford the bill.
How do I tell Bournemouth Water I have moved in?
You do not choose Bournemouth Water: the address does. The job is telling it the right date so the charges start when your tenancy or ownership did.
- CCW lists Bournemouth Water's area as Bournemouth and surrounding areas. Bournemouth Water describes itself as part of the South West Water family.
- Bournemouth Water: to complete a move you need your billing address, your landlord's or letting agent's name, address and phone number if you are a tenant, a meter reading unless the previous occupier gave one, and your bank details.
- Bournemouth Water: on the day of your move, take a meter reading at the home you are leaving and at your new home.
- Ofwat: under the current legislation, household customers are not able to change their water supplier or sewerage service provider. The company that supplies your property depends on where you live.
Sources: Bournemouth Water: moving home (read 13 October 2026); Bournemouth Water: about us (read 13 October 2026); CCW: find your water company (read 13 October 2026); CCW: what if I move to a property with a meter? (read 13 October 2026); Ofwat: changing supplier (read 13 October 2026)
- 1
Read the meter on the day you move in
If the home has a water meter, take a reading as soon as you move in. CCW says this ensures accurate billing, and a dated photo of the dial settles any later question about the opening figure.
- 2
Tell Bournemouth Water your move-in date
Bournemouth Water takes moves through its online moving form, and asks for your billing address, a meter reading, your bank details and, if you rent, your landlord's or letting agent's details. Give the date your tenancy or ownership started.
- 3
Check the first bill against that date
The first bill should start on your move-in date, use your opening reading if there is a meter, and show whether sewerage is on the same bill or comes from a second company.
What is my first Bournemouth Water bill based on?
Two systems run side by side: a meter measures what you use, and an unmetered home is charged on a valuation that has nothing to do with usage.
- Bournemouth Water: take a meter reading on moving day. You do not need to give one if the previous occupier already has.
- Ofwat: if you do not have a water meter, your bill is not based on how much water you use. It is usually a fixed charge plus a charge based on the rateable value of your home, a valuation last updated in 1990.
- CCW: if your new home already has a water meter, you must pay metered charges based on your usage and you cannot switch to an unmetered bill. Take a reading as soon as you move in.
- CCW: a water company can install a meter when you move in, but not if you have already received an unmetered bill for that property. It tells you when you report the move.
- Ofwat: you may receive your water supply from one company and your sewerage services from another, which means you may get two separate bills.
Sources: Bournemouth Water: moving home (read 13 October 2026); Ofwat: unmetered customers (read 13 October 2026); CCW: what if I move to a property with a meter? (read 13 October 2026); CCW: can my water company install a meter before I move in? (read 13 October 2026); Ofwat: your water company (read 13 October 2026)
Can I get a water meter from Bournemouth Water, and can I switch back?
A meter is the only lever a household has on this bill, so the question is whether you can try one without being stuck with it.
- Bournemouth Water: in most cases it can fit a meter free of charge.
- Bournemouth Water: if you have a meter installed and decide it is not for you, you have two years to decide whether to switch back.
- Bournemouth Water: you do not need your landlord's permission to apply for a meter, unless you are in a fixed-term tenancy of less than six months.
- Ofwat: household customers in England and Wales can choose to have a meter fitted in their homes free of charge. If a meter cannot be fitted, the company must offer an assessed charge instead.
- Ofwat: in England, where the company is legally obliged to act on your request, it must begin measuring your supply within eight weeks of the day you ask.
- CCW: you can usually switch back to the unmetered charge within two years if you are unhappy with the change, except for customers in areas of England where compulsory metering is introduced. Where the company publishes its own rule, as above, that is the one to go by.
- CCW: you can ask for a water meter to be fitted if you rent your home in England.
Sources: Bournemouth Water: water meters (read 13 October 2026); Ofwat: metered customers and applying for metered charges (read 13 October 2026); Ofwat: assessed charges (read 13 October 2026); CCW: should I get a water meter fitted? (read 13 October 2026); CCW: can I ask for a water meter if I rent my home? (read 13 October 2026)
What if there is a leak, or a dispute with Bournemouth Water?
- Bournemouth Water: once you have your customer reference number you can register for MyAccount to tell it you are moving, give a meter reading, apply for a meter and see payment plans.
- CCW: the homeowner is responsible for maintaining the water pipes on private property up to the boundary of the road. The water main, the connection up to your boundary, the outside stop tap and the meter are the company's.
- Ofwat: companies are required by their licences to reimburse the cost of water lost through leakage by way of credits to your bill, a leakage allowance that can apply to water and wastewater charges. You can only claim once the leak has been repaired, and it can be refused if you did not arrange the repair within the company's timeframe.
- CCW: complain to the company first and give it a chance to put things right. If it does not reply within 10 working days you may be entitled to a Guaranteed Standards Scheme payment. CCW can take the complaint on once you have a final response or have waited eight weeks, and its service is free.
Sources: Bournemouth Water: moving home (read 13 October 2026); CCW: who is responsible for my water pipes? (read 13 October 2026); Ofwat: metered customers and applying for metered charges (read 13 October 2026); CCW: make a complaint (read 13 October 2026)
Does Taupia switch my water from Bournemouth Water?
No, and nobody can. There is no water market for households, so there is no commission in this bill and nothing for a comparison site to sell you.
- Taupia keeps the Bournemouth Water account next to your energy, broadband and mobile: what it costs, when it is due, and each housemate's share on the rule your household sets.
- For energy, broadband and mobile, Taupia compares your tariff against the market and lines up a switch when one is worth it. Water is monitored only, because it cannot be switched.
- Taupia is free. You pay the water company directly, as you always have, and nothing changes without your approval.
Bournemouth Water at a glance
| What you are asking | What Bournemouth Water publishes |
|---|---|
| Area served | Bournemouth and surrounding areas |
| Services | Water only. Water UK's postcode checker names the wastewater company for your address. |
| Register as the new occupier | Online moving form or MyAccount |
| Unmetered bills are based on | Your meter readings if metered; otherwise the unmetered charge on your bill |
| Switching back after a meter | Two years to decide |
| Social tariff | WaterCare |
| WaterSure | Yes. Apply through Bournemouth Water. |
| Contact | MyAccount and online forms |
Questions movers ask about Bournemouth Water
Can I switch from Bournemouth Water to a cheaper water company?
No. Ofwat says household customers cannot change their water supplier or sewerage provider, because the company depends on where you live. Bournemouth Water is the company for your address, and the only choice you get is how you are charged: on a meter, or on the property's unmetered charge.
Do I need to tell Bournemouth Water when I move in?
Yes, and as soon as you can. Bournemouth Water takes moves through its online moving form, and asks for your billing address, a meter reading, your bank details and, if you rent, your landlord's or letting agent's details. Give the date you became responsible for the property.
What is an unmetered Bournemouth Water bill based on?
Bournemouth Water bills a metered home on its readings, starting from the one taken on moving day. Its pages read for this guide do not describe how its unmetered charge is worked out, so check the basis on your first bill. Using less water does not change an unmetered bill, because nothing is measured. A metered home pays for the water recorded plus a standing charge.
Can I switch back to unmetered charges with Bournemouth Water?
Bournemouth Water fits meters free in most cases and gives you two years to decide whether to switch back. Tenants do not need the landlord's permission unless they are on a fixed-term tenancy of less than six months. Check the current terms with the company before you apply.
What help does Bournemouth Water give if I cannot afford the water bill?
Bournemouth Water's WaterCare tariff cuts bills by between 15% and 85% for metered or assessed households with an equivalised income under £400 a week and a water bill above 5% of income. It also runs WaterSure and the ReStart debt scheme. Ask early: CCW says companies can also offer payment plans and, in some cases, payment breaks.
Does Taupia switch my water supplier from Bournemouth Water?
No, because nobody can. Water is a regional monopoly with no household market, so Taupia monitors the bill rather than switching it. It sits alongside your energy, broadband and mobile, where switching is possible, with the due date and each housemate's share. Taupia is free and you keep paying the water company directly.
The rest of the water setup
The supplier hub lists every company. The move-home guides cover the steps that are the same whoever your company is.
Start here
Who is my water supplier?
RecommendedEvery household water company in the UK, with the area each serves and a link to its own moving-in guide.
Water bill setup when you move in
The company-neutral version: find the supplier, give notice at the old home, take the reading, check the first bill.
Water meter or rateable value
Whether a meter is likely to cost you less, with CCW's calculator and the switch-back windows company by company.
Moving out bills checklist
Closing the water account at the home you are leaving, with the notice each bill needs.
Do students pay water bills?
Shared student houses, halls and tenancies that include water.
Manage bills
The hub for the bills you keep paying: what each costs, when it renews, and who has paid their share.
Official references
Bournemouth Water: moving home
OfficialThe company's own page for telling it you have moved in.
Bournemouth Water: help with bills
OfficialThe company's published support for households struggling to pay.
Water UK: find your supplier
OfficialThe postcode checker that names the water and wastewater provider for any address.
CCW: help with bills
OfficialThe consumer body's list of every company's social tariff, WaterSure and payment support.
Keep the water bill with the rest
There is no water deal to switch to and no commission in this bill. Taupia keeps your Bournemouth Water account, move-in reading and dates next to your energy, broadband and mobile, and splits the bill with housemates on the rule you set. Free, and nothing changes without your approval.
What help does Bournemouth Water offer if I cannot afford the bill?
Two separate kinds of help. A social tariff is the company's own discount for low-income households. A bill cap protects metered homes that have to use a lot of water.
Sources: Bournemouth Water: financial support (read 13 October 2026); Bournemouth Water: water meters (read 13 October 2026); CCW: help with bills (read 13 October 2026); CCW: what is WaterSure? (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: reduced bills for around 300,000 households in WaterSure reform (read 13 October 2026)