Apply for a leak or burst pipe allowance

What is a leak allowance?

A leak allowance, which you can choose to apply for, is an option provided by your regional water wholesaler to help reduce charges that may be incurred due to a leak or a burst pipe at your premises.  

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. 

Leak Allowance Guide

How it works

1. Repair the leak or burst first 
   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 at the bottom of this page, 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 on your application 
   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 Leak Allowance Application Form 

Before you get started, you’ll need to ensure:

• you have a water meter at the premises
  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.  
• you have two meter readings taken 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.  
• you have the repair date and an estimate start date of the leak or burst pipe 
  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 at business-stream.co.uk/contact-us.   

Application form 

For leak allowances, please select ‘Apply for a Leak Allowance’ from the drop-down menu.