Water Leak, costing money!

[doomey]

SO anyway a friend of mine has a water leak, the water board (severn trent) has been out and said they can not find the leak, and wont do anything because it is such a small leak.

Since this leak has happend, her bill has gone up.

Severn Trent are saying she has to pay the bill, and wont fix the leak because it is so small.

This doesnt seem right, they are making money of water she is not using, who is in the wrong here?

Also can She do anything about it?

Thanks In Advance Doomey

[ursula62]

If your friend has a water meter and the leak is after the meter (i.e. inside your friends property) then the water company will say that it is your friend's responsibility to deal with it, not theirs. 

Can she get a plumber to fix it instead? Try asking at your local B&Q as they may have a list of local tradespeople who may be able to take a look at it and give independent advice.

[secretspirit]

Unfortunately I think the water board are in the right. They can legally serve a Waste of Water notice on anyone with a leak or even a running overflow to oblige them to repair it. If the leak is within the curtilege (boundary) of your friend's property then she is responsible. A lot of water companies used to fix external leaks for free - we had one fixed about 3 years ago - but they are not obliged to do it and many of them have stopped providing the service. If it's outside her boundary then the water board will be responsible for it. I think the only solution is to pay a plumber to track it down and get it sorted.