Our monthly series on the questions in the CON29DW looks at water meters.
Question 3.6 of the CON29DW reads “Please include details of the location of any water meter serving the property.”
Unlike some questions in the search, the reason for the inclusion of this information is relatively obvious – property owners and meter readers will need to know the location of the meter in order to take readings, allowing the property to be billed correctly.
The information included in the search is pulled directly from Severn Trent’s billing records. Meter readers have the ability to record the location of any meter on our records for the property, and the extract in the search is pulled directly from notes they’ve made.
While this means the location will usually be accurate, the downside of this is that it’s not written with a view to it being read by anyone other than other meter readers. These can often include abbreviations and jargon which can be confusing. Fortunately, we have listed the most common abbreviations here (this link is also included in question 3.6 of the search).
The most common abbreviation used for meter locations is ‘BB’ or ‘BBox’ which stands for ‘Boundary Box.’ These are (as the name suggests) boxes located in the pavement at the boundary of the property. Readers can check the meter in a boundary box without the need to enter the property or disturb the residents. It’s water companies’ preferred location for new meters, and where they’ll usually be located if possible.
Meters can also be located indoors, which would of course mean meter readers have to enter the property in order to take a reading. As with all water company assets, there are statutory rights allowing representatives to access assets on private land. Indoor meters are usually located on the water pipe near to where it enters the property, often near the stop tap. The location of an internal meter is something homeowners will also need to be aware of when considering any development work.
Besides meter readers visiting properties, Severn Trent Water also allows customers to submit their own readings via its website. Obviously, this requires the homeowner to know where the meter is located.
You can read more regarding water meters on Severn Trent Water’s website.