Moving house with Cambridge Water: register, meters and help
Short answer
Cambridge Water comes with the address, so there is nothing to compare. Register your move up to 30 days ahead, and take a meter reading the day before you move. Meters are usually free, but once one is installed you cannot go back to rateable value charges, whether you asked for it or it came through its metering programme.
Updated
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Household water suppliers you can switch to
Free
Meter installation for households in England and Wales, per Ofwat
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Cambridge Water's published window to switch back after a meter
Cambridge Water supplies Cambridge and the surrounding area, from Ramsey to Melbourn and from Gamlingay to Balsham. 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 Cambridge Water I have moved in?
You do not choose Cambridge Water: the address does. The job is telling it the right date so the charges start when your tenancy or ownership did.
- CCW lists Cambridge Water's area as Cambridge, extending to Ramsey, Gamlingay, Balsham and Melbourn.
- Cambridge Water: you can give the details of your move up to 30 days ahead. If you are on a meter, it recommends a reading the day before you move; without one, it uses estimated charges.
- Cambridge Water: landlords, managing agents and housing associations can tell it who is legally responsible for paying the water bill.
- 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: Cambridge Water: moving home (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 Cambridge Water your move-in date
Cambridge Water takes moves through online forms up to 30 days ahead, and recommends a meter reading the day before you move. 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 Cambridge 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.
- Cambridge Water: with a meter your charges are based on the water you use, instead of a fixed amount each year based on your property's rateable value.
- Cambridge Water: if a meter cannot be fitted at a reasonable cost, it offers an assessed charge based on property type, and keeps charging on rateable value if that is lower. All newly built properties are automatically metered.
- 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: Cambridge Water: meters FAQs (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 Cambridge 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.
- Cambridge Water: as a general rule, if there are more bedrooms than people you could be better off on a meter, but a water meter calculator will tell you for sure. Installation is usually free for household customers.
- Cambridge Water: whether you opted in or had a meter fitted under its metering programme, once it is installed you move onto metered charges and cannot revert to rateable value.
- 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: Cambridge Water: meters FAQs (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 Cambridge Water?
- Cambridge Water: its moving forms cover existing customers, new customers, closing an account and landlords.
- 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: Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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.
Cambridge Water at a glance
| What you are asking | What Cambridge Water publishes |
|---|---|
| Area served | Cambridge and the surrounding area, from Ramsey to Melbourn and from Gamlingay to Balsham |
| Services | Water only. Water UK's postcode checker names the wastewater company for your address. |
| Register as the new occupier | Online forms, up to 30 days ahead |
| Unmetered bills are based on | Rateable value, if the home has no meter |
| Switching back after a meter | No switch back once a meter is installed |
| Social tariff | Assure |
| WaterSure | Yes. Apply through Cambridge Water. |
| Contact | MyAccount and online forms |
Questions movers ask about Cambridge Water
Can I switch from Cambridge 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. Cambridge 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 Cambridge Water when I move in?
Yes, and as soon as you can. Cambridge Water takes moves through online forms up to 30 days ahead, and recommends a meter reading the day before you move. Give the date you became responsible for the property.
What is an unmetered Cambridge Water bill based on?
Without a meter, Cambridge Water charges a fixed amount each year based on the property's rateable value. Where a meter cannot be fitted, it offers an assessed charge based on property type, unless rateable value is lower. 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 Cambridge Water?
Cambridge Water usually fits meters free, but once one is installed you move onto metered charges and cannot revert to rateable value, whether you opted in or it was fitted under its metering programme. Check the current terms with the company before you apply.
What help does Cambridge Water give if I cannot afford the water bill?
Cambridge Water's Assure tariff helps customers on a low income or struggling to pay, and WaterSure can limit charges for water and sewerage. It also offers payment breaks. Ask early: CCW says companies can also offer payment plans and, in some cases, payment breaks.
Does Taupia switch my water supplier from Cambridge 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
Cambridge Water: moving home
OfficialThe company's own page for telling it you have moved in.
Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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: Cambridge Water: help with paying (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)