Please note, leak allowance policies vary depending on your regional water wholesaler area. For more information on the policy for your specific region, please refer to the ‘Leak Allowance Guide’ linked below.
How it works
1. Repair the leak or burst
It’s important that, if you identify a leak or a burst pipe at your premises, you have this repaired before applying for a leak allowance. If your leak or burst pipe is within the boundary of your premises, it’s best to contact a plumber first and foremost. If your leak or burst pipe is external to your premises boundary, you can get in touch with us on 0330 123 2000, Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm and we’ll be happy to help. If you need support outside of these hours, please contact your water wholesaler directly.
2. Apply for a leak allowance
Once the leak or burst pipe has been fixed, please use the application form on My Business Stream, selecting ‘Apply for a Leak Allowance’, to provide us with all of the details of the incident, including an estimated start date, the location of the leak or burst pipe, and a plumber’s or contractor’s report of the repair work.
3. We’ll keep you up to date
Once we receive your leak allowance application, we’ll review the details to check your eligibility and confirm if your request fits the leak allowance criteria. If successful, we’ll raise the request to your regional water wholesaler on your behalf for their review. If your application is approved, your water wholesaler will grant an allowance for the excess water consumption lost during the leak or burst pipe period.
Before completing the application, please ensure:
1. Your premises has a water meter
Leak allowances are only available to metered customers. If your water and waste water services are split between retailers, you may need to apply for an allowance through another retailer, but we’ll be here to help advise you.
2. You take two meter readings one week apart
Once the leak is repaired, take a meter reading. Repeat the meter reading at least one week later. This will allow us to ensure that your water supply has returned to normal.
3. You have the repair date and an estimate of when the leak started
If you don’t know the exact start date of the leak or burst pipe, please refer to the first time there was a spike in consumption on your bills. If you’re unsure, we can help to identify this. You can find a range of ways to get in touch with us here.
