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When to tell your water company about a leak
Mains Supply Leaks

When to tell your water company about a leak

By October 15th, 2023No Comments

Contact the south-east’s biggest water suppliers

For the purposes of this guide we will assume that you are the homeowner; if you are a tenant, we recommend that you simply contact your landlord or letting agent to arrange the repair.

Water leaks in your home don’t happen every day, but when they do, it’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed by the conflicting advice available online.

Taking a step back and giving yourself the space to understand your situation can help massively and that usually involves speaking to your water company. Here’s why:

There are four main parties involved in the response to any possible mains water leak.

  • You (the homeowner)
  • Your water company
  • Your home insurance company
  • The company you choose to fix your leak

Your first step before you take any direct action to fix your leak is to establish whether the leak is indeed your responsibility to fix. For this, you will need to consult with your water company.

A quick rule of thumb is that you are responsible for all the private pipework within the boundaries of your property.

  • If the leak is inside your home – Your responsibility
  • If the leak is outside of your home but on your land – Your responsibility
  • If the leak is outside of your home and on public land – Your water company’s responsibility

However, wherever your leak is – or wherever you suspect it to be – you should always inform your water company at the earliest opportunity.

Below is a list of the south east’s biggest water companies, their contact details and a summary of their leak policies.

Affinity Water

https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/my-water/leaks

Affinity Water supplies various areas of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Greater London, Hertfordshire, Surrey and even Kent.

Affinity’s website provides helpful step-by-step guides for checking for a leak at home and what do if you find one. There’s even a helpful video and a downloadable leakage booklet.

Affinity customers are advised to tell them about a water leak whether insider or outside of your home.

How to contact Affinity Water about your leak

  • Have no water or have seen a burst water main? Contact the 24 hour emergencies line on 0345 357 2407
  • Affinity Water also has a dedicated WhatsApp service available from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday. Simply add their number to your phone to chat: 07971 013 368
  • For non-emergencies, customers are advised to call the following numbers:

Thames Water

https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/emergencies/leaks

Thames Water is the UK’s largest water and wastewater services company, responsible for supply across most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Kent.

The Thames Water website itself is quite light on detail when it comes to resolving a possible water leak on your property and is quick to pass responsibility onto customers.

However, there is a much more useful guide available to download which outlines the company’s code of practice for domestic properties.

In the document, Thames outlines its commitment to avoid water wastage caused by supply pipe leaks with the promise to “step in to help” where they can:

“Our offer applies to water supply pipes up to a length of 30m, with a diameter of up to 50mm, and includes work on shared external supply pipes for domestic properties. We can usually provide this service for free, although we’ll always need the permission of the homeowner. We’ll repair your supply pipe up to where it enters your building, but we won’t fix pipework underneath a building.”

How to contact Thames Water about your leak

SES Water

https://seswater.co.uk/your-water/noticed-a-problem/leaks

SES Water is the supply company providing water to over 282,000 homes across east Surrey, West Sussex, west Kent and south London.

The SES website contains a vast amount of information about the company’s leak assistance scheme which, upon approval, qualifies customers for a free of charge repair either inside or outside of your property.

The leak assistance scheme even covers leaks on the mains supply pipe to your property. Full details of the scheme as well as its terms can be found in this fact sheet.

Like most water companies, SES may also be able to amend your bill after a leak has been detected on a metered property.

How to contact SES Water about your leak

  • Have a leak emergency? Call SES Water on 01737 772 000
  • The number above is available 24/7 for emergencies but also available for general customer service enquiries between 8am-6pm Monday to Friday.
  • Complete an online enquiry form or email [email protected]

South East Water

https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/help/how-to/finding-and-fixing-leaks/

South East Water suppliers drinking water to over 2.2 million customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.

The South East Water website contains comprehensive information about the steps to take if you suspect a leak in your home and an explanation of responsibilities.

The company offers a leak allowance scheme which can reduce your high water bill to cover the cost of lost water, as long as you find and fix the leak in your property within 30 days.

South East Water also has a downloadable Code of Practice about leaks from customers’ supply pipes.

How to contact South East Water about your leak

When to call us

If you’ve spoken to your water company or already know that your leak is your responsibility to fix, we can help.

We’re experts at tracing and repairing water leaks in all areas of your home and garden.

Call us free now on 0800 037 7078 to arrange a free visual inspection of your leak by one of our expert technicians.