Moving house with South West Water: register, meters and help

• ✓CCW lists South West Water's area as Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset.
• ✓South West 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.
• ✓South West 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: South West 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)

• ✓South West Water: over 88% of its household customers currently pay by a metered or equivalent charge.
• ✓South West Water: it reads your meter twice a year, and you can send more readings through MyAccount or by calling 0344 346 1010 to keep the bill up to date.
• ✓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.

Sources: South West Water: water meters (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)

• ✓South West Water: the switch to a meter is free, and it installs within 56 days of receiving your application.
• ✓South West Water: you have two years to decide if a meter is for you and can switch back at any time during them. Under its Lowest Bill Guarantee, if you pay more on a meter it refunds the difference annually.
• ✓South West Water: if you are a tenant you do not need your landlord's permission, though it recommends telling your landlord.
• ✓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: South West Water: water meters (read 13 October 2026); South West Water: financial support (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)

• ✓South West Water: WaterCare reduces bills by between 15% and 85% for customers on very low incomes, based on income and household size.
• ✓South West Water: to be eligible you need a water meter or assessed charges, an equivalised household income of less than £400 a week, and a bill to income ratio higher than 5%.
• ✓South West Water: under ReStart it agrees a payment plan with you and contributes up to £2.50 for every £1 you pay until a debt is cleared. It also lists WaterSure, FreshStart and WaterDirect.
• ✓CCW: every water company has a social tariff scheme which can help reduce your bills if you are on a low income, and who is eligible and the level of support varies depending on your water company.
• ✓CCW: WaterSure caps the water and sewerage bill of customers on a water meter who receive an income-related benefit and either get child benefit for three or more children under 19 or use extra water because of a medical condition.
• ✓GOV.UK: a WaterSure reform is set to come into force in early 2027. People on disability benefits become eligible where household income is below £25,745 a year, the cap moves to the lowest possible average bill, and the paid-for doctor's note goes. Scheduled, not yet in force.

Sources: South West Water: financial support (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)

• ✓South West Water: you can manage the account, send meter readings and apply for a meter through MyAccount, or call 0344 346 1010.
• ✓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: South West Water: water meters (read 13 October 2026); South West 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)

• ✓Taupia keeps the South West 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.