Thames Water Moving House: Your Complete Guide

If you’ve just moved to a new property and your water supplier is Thames Water, we’re sure you’ll have lots of questions about the Thames Water moving house process. That’s why we’ve prepared this Thames Water moving house guide to help you get all set up as quickly as possible!

Thames Water Moving House

The first thing to do when you’re moving house is check if Thames Water supplies water at your new property.

The counties that Thames Water supplies are:

• Berkshire
• Buckinghamshire
• Greater London
• Oxfordshire

You must contact the Thames Water moving house team if you are moving into a home in one of those counties. If you are moving to a different county, you will need to contact the supplier for the county you’re moving into.

If you need the full list of contact methods for Thames Water, check out our Thames Water Contact guide.

What's the average Thames Water bill? The average yearly water bill for the Thames Water in 2022-2023 will be £423. This includes £232 for clean water and £191 for wastewater services.

Due to the energy crisis, many water suppliers have had to change their rates and Thames Water is one of the water suppliers who has increased their prices. However this is only a £3 increase from last year.

If you want to see how your bill compares, check out our Average UK Water Bill guide.

Thames Water Moving In

Some tenants will pay their own Thames Water bill, whilst others may have the bill included within their rent.

If you are a tenant and responsible for paying your own water bill, you will need to let Thames Water know when your tenancy starts and submit a water meter readings if the property already has a Thames Water meter installed. If you have a smart water meter these readings are sent automatically.

We recommend you check your rental agreement, or speak to the landlord or agency to find out who is responsible for the water bill at your property.

If you are moving out of a property in the Thames Water supply area, you’ll need the Thames Water moving out team.

Thames Water Moving Out

It’s also important to speak to the Thames Water moving out team when you move out. The Thames Water moving out team will need to prepare a final bill, and might ask you for a forwarding address.

If you pay by direct debit, they will take your last bill as usual for the amount due, and if your account is in credit, the Thames Water moving out team will refund your credit to your bank account. You can also choose to keep the credit in your Thames Water account if you’re moving out within the Thames Water region.

The Thames Water moving out team might also ask you for a final water meter reading so you should have this ready when you do move out. You should make sure you take another water meter reading when you move to a new property and give this to the Thames Water moving out team if you’re only changing address.

After you’ve submitted all the readings and settled any outstanding payments, the Thames Water moving out team will close your account or change your address.

Thames Water Change of Address

You can organise a Thames Water change of address if you are currently a Thames Water customer and are moving to another address that is within the Thames Water region.

The process to change address with Thames Water is simple, but you’ll need to have following information ready to give to Thames Water moving house team:

1. Your new address
2. Your Thames Water account number
3. The date you’re moving - up to 27 days in advance
4. Your latest meter reading, only for home with a water meter

When you move with the Thames Water supply region, you will keep your account number and will keep any debit or credit that is on your account.

There are two ways to change your address with Thames Water. You can call them on 0800 980 8800 and choose Option 2, then Option 2, then Option 1 to speak to the Thames Water moving house team.

Alternatively, you can fill out the Thames Water change of address form on the Thames Water website. Make sure you choose the option for Existing Customers.

Thames Water Moving House New Customer

You should register as a Thames Water new customer if you’re moving into a property that Thames Water supplies for the first time. Unfortunately, you can't switch water suppliers, so if you move into a Thames Water area you will have to stay with them and set up your water bill.

Is Thames Water a hard water area? Like most of England, Thames Water supplies hard water to its customers. This is due to the higher concentration of minerals in the drinking water. To find out more about how to handle hard water, check out our Water Hardness guide.

To register as a Thames Water new customer, you need to have the following details ready:

1. Your new address
2. Contact details for the person who will pay the bill
3. The payment information for setting up the new account
4. The date you’re moving - up to 27 days in advance

When you’re setting up as a Thames Water new customer for the first time, you can choose which way you would like to pay your Thames Water bill. You can read our guide about the options available for paying for your Thames Water bills.

If you need help with your water bill payments, check out our How To Pay Your Water Bill guide.

There's more than one way to pay Everyone’s finances are different and some people manage their payments with one method over the other. With water bills, there are a lot of options to pick from and it’s important to find the one that is most comfortable for you. Check out our How To Pay Your Water Bill guide to find out more.

You can choose to register online, or call the Thames Water moving home team on 0800 980 8800 and choose option 2, then option 3.

It can be a good idea to add additional account holders at the same time you register. This way, the other account holders can discuss water bill matters with Thames Water. You can also add and remove additional account holders by contacting Thames Water.

Thames Water Change of Name

Changing the name of the account holder with Thames Water is straightforward. However, you will need to be an existing account holder or additional account holder to make the Thames Water change of name. There are of course exceptions, such as when the only account holder has passed away.

To change name, the Thames Water moving home team needs to know the contact details of the new account holder. You also need to give the Thames Water moving home team updated details about how the water bill is paid when you make the Thames Water change of name.

You will need to call Thames Water on 0800 980 8800. Choose option 2, then option 2 again to speak to a Thames Water representative about updating the account details.

Thames Water Moving House for Landlords

Landlords can notify Thames Water of a change of tenant by using the free nationwide Landlord TAP portal. This portal lets landlords to manage their property portfolio online, you can use Landlord TAP to:

• Add and remove properties within your portfolio
• Let Thames Water know about changes to tenant details, including changes of tenancy
• Notify Thames Water when a property becomes empty
• Inform Thames Water if you sell or stop managing the property

Thames Water Empty Property

On a Thames Water empty property, they will still levy water charges if the property can be occupied - for example, it’s furnished.

They will waive charges on metered properties that are unoccupied and unfurnished continuously for at least three months. You may have to provide proof that the property is empty, and Thames Water grants the waiver at their discretion.

Thames Water Moving House for Tenants

Thames water tenants will need to check if they are responsible for paying their water bill or if it’s included in their rent.

Check your water rates If your water bill is not included in your rent, you should know how your water bill is calculated. We’ve prepared a guide to UK Water Rates so you know how they’re calculated.

Thames Water Moving Home Students

Similar to tenants, some landlords might include the water bill in your rent.

If you pay the water bill as a student and live with housemates, we recommend you split the water bill between yourselves and appoint one student to collect and pay the water bill.

You can add your housemates as additional account holders. As additional account holders, the other students can discuss the water bill with Thames Water.

Thames Water Moving Complaints

If you’ve had problems with your Thames Water moving house experience, you should let them know as soon as possible. If you need to make a complaint, you should first give Thames Water time to put it right.

If Thames Water does not resolve your issue within 8 weeks, you should take your issue to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW). Do not contact the water regulator Ofwat for they will be unable to help you.

Don’t take your complaint to Ofwat! If you have a complaint, do not take it to the water regulator Ofwat as they will be unable to help you. Ofwat only deals with anti-competitive behaviour in the water industry and does not deal with the individual complaints against water suppliers. The CCW is the correct body.

Thames Water Moving House and No Water

If you've just moved into a property and there's no running water, don't worry! Usually when a tenant or occupant leaves a home, Thames Water will shut off the water. If you're renting, sometimes your landlord will also shut off the water.

Fortunately, there's an easy way to get the water running again before needing to call the Thames Water moving house team:

1. Locate the stop tap. This is normally found near the water meter.
2. Turn it anti-clockwise to release the flow. Don't force it! It should turn easily.
3. Test the water by running the tap.

If you want a more detailed guide on how to get your water back on, consult our No Water in House guide.

Thames Water Moving House with WaterSure

If you’re currently with Thames Water and you’re moving either to another Thames Water supplied property or another supplier area, you might be worried about whether you can still receive the WaterSure Scheme.

The WaterSure Scheme is available to customers who need to use more essential water than usual due to a medical condition or a larger household.

The WaterSure Scheme is offered by all water suppliers, so even if you move to a new area and you have been eligible before, you can still apply for WaterSure when you become a Thames Water customer.