Water charging

Our Experts Answer:

For water charging the second property should have a check meter so that the actual usage of both properties can be accurately measured. There is a potential problem with having only one main meter and a second check meter: if there is a leak in the feeder pipe between properties it may go unnoticed and the wastage will result in higher water charges for the tenant of the first property.

The better solution is to have a check meter for each property on the pipe that goes into the house. Each tenant then pays for their own usage on the basis of the check meter reading and, if there is a leak in the feeder pipe, it will be evident from the differences between the readings of the check meters and the main meter.

For electricity it is very sensible to have separate supplier meters for each property. This will avoid the problems that can arise with one tenant paying for a single supply contract and then recouping a share of the usage costs from the other tenant on the basis of a check meter reading.