# Water Bill



## kdot21 (Oct 15, 2013)

I've been living in an apartment with 2 of my friends for a month now and the water company that supplies us water took out 115 euros out of my account. I just can't see how the water bill is so high. We don't drink water from the tap. The only water we use is the washing machine and the shower. Is their any chance that we are getting billed for previous tenants water usage.

Is water charged every month or every quarter?
Thanks


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

kdot21 said:


> I've been living in an apartment with 2 of my friends for a month now and the water company that supplies us water took out 115 euros out of my account. I just can't see how the water bill is so high. We don't drink water from the tap. The only water we use is the washing machine and the shower. Is their any chance that we are getting billed for previous tenants water usage.
> 
> Is water charged every month or every quarter?
> Thanks


Hi.:welcome:

I believe it's different in different regions.

Here our water bills come three monthly and include a charge for basura - rubbish disposal. There are two of us and a fair sized garden to water. Our bills are usually around 120 Euros. 

It might be that you have paid for the last three months, only one of which you have lived in the flat for.

We had problems with both electric and water when we first moved in (we rent) and I now read the meters every day (supposedly) and keep the readings on a spreadsheet (sad , I know!). 

The bills should have opening and closing readings which you can check against your spreadsheet. Also it will highlight any anomalies - like we found we used 1/4 tonne of water every day while we were away - leading us to a large leak in the garden.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

They do vary according to where you are. Some places include the rubbish collection and sewage disposal charges along with the water.

I'm guessing you don't actually have the bill in front of you, just a bank statement showing the amount?

If you can't get a copy of the bill from the Ayuntamiento, the bank should be able to tell you the period/services covered - or if you do your banking online, click on the details of that withdrawal.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

kdot21 said:


> I've been living in an apartment with 2 of my friends for a month now and the water company that supplies us water took out 115 euros out of my account. I just can't see how the water bill is so high. We don't drink water from the tap. The only water we use is the washing machine and the shower. Is their any chance that we are getting billed for previous tenants water usage.
> 
> Is water charged every month or every quarter?
> Thanks


My water bill used to be not much more than that for a whole year, and that was paying for the pool. We did pay €35 a year for basura separately.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Just to make everyone feel a little better, when we had the bar, the water/basura bill was over 500 Euros a quarter...


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

Our Water Company, Aguagest, do online billing as an option.
Go to your water co website and see if they do; you can then register and check your usage more easily. Idea?


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Our water bill is charged monthly and is usually around €12. We live in the campo and do not pay for basura.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

thrax said:


> Our water bill is charged monthly and is usually around €12. We live in the campo and do not pay for basura.


Are you sure about not paying Basura?

We live in the campo but still have to pay it - it's a standard fee per property. 

I would be very surprised if you didn't have to pay it one way or another - it's probably worth checking incase you get fined.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

kdot21 said:


> I've been living in an apartment with 2 of my friends for a month now and the water company that supplies us water took out 115 euros out of my account. I just can't see how the water bill is so high. We don't drink water from the tap. The only water we use is the washing machine and the shower. Is their any chance that we are getting billed for previous tenants water usage.
> 
> Is water charged every month or every quarter?
> Thanks


It depends where you live. Mine is only €120 a year, but in Marbella it could be 8 times that amount!

As Snkipoh says, water is combined with basura, which is your refuse


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Just had our last quarter's water charge - €8 for three months. Basura's (also quarterly) has gone up to €20. Sewage disposal €150 p.a.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Aron said:


> It depends where you live. Mine is only €120 a year, but in Marbella it could be 8 times that amount!
> 
> As Snkipoh says, water is combined with basura, which is your refuse


wow! it's not that unusual to pay that per 2 months here!


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Alcalaina-Do you lick youself clean and drink bottled water? Something wrong there-it's incredulous!
Why should water charges vary so much from region to region? it's a necessity of life and charges should be regulated and standardised.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

We just got both the water and the rubbish bills (two separate bills). The water/sewerage was 130€ for 3 months. And the rubbish was 62€ for 6 months.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

snikpoh said:


> Are you sure about not paying Basura?
> 
> We live in the campo but still have to pay it - it's a standard fee per property.
> 
> I would be very surprised if you didn't have to pay it one way or another - it's probably worth checking incase you get fined.


We rent and all the bills are in the landlord's name. We see the bills but there is no mention of basura. Our neighbour, who has lived here since 1993 has never paid basura either...


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

extranjero said:


> Alcalaina-Do you lick youself clean and drink bottled water? Something wrong there-it's incredulous!
> Why should water charges vary so much from region to region? it's a necessity of life and charges should be regulated and standardised.


No, I stay dirty and drink beer. 

I don't know why they vary so much. The charges are set by the ayuntamientos, there are no water authorities like in the UK. We're just lucky I guess.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> No, I stay dirty and drink beer.
> 
> I don't know why they vary so much. The charges are set by the ayuntamientos, there are no water authorities like in the UK. We're just lucky I guess.


No wonder Spain is in a state!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

extranjero said:


> No wonder Spain is in a state!


You'd prefer the UK system then?



> Water companies pay little or no tax on huge profits
> Thames Water and Anglian among companies paying little or no corporation tax while executives pocket huge bonuses
> 
> All the companies made hundreds of millions of pounds in operating profits and some have rewarded their senior executives with performance-related bonuses and investors with huge dividends. Martin Baggs, the chief executive of Thames Water, which enjoyed a £76m tax rebate in 2012, was given a bonus of £420,000 on top of his £425,000 salary and is in line for a further windfall of £1m based on company performance through to 2015.


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

We paid 52 euros for rubbish (per year)

Water is usually no more than 20 a month, considering we do have a pool and gardens that we water daily, it is quite cheap. Last year we paid 230 for the whole year. 

If you live 'en el campo' and you need to take the rubbish with you in the car, I think you don't have to pay, I do have friends in the campo and they never paid rubbish as they take it with them and drop it in some bins in town. eeekk! (that's what happens when you live in the middle of nowhere).


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

My water per 2 months is 34,47€. That's 7€ for 11m3 consumption, 24,34€ standing charge +IVA.Rubbish is 13,12€/2 months.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

This article shows how much the prices vary according to where you live. An average family in Murcia (the most expensive place) will pay over €400 more p.a. than in Valladolid (the cheapest). Alicante, Córdoba and Santa Cruz de Tenerife are the next most expensive.

Ambientum - Actualidad Medio Ambiente - As vara el precio del agua en Espaa


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

so for one of the poorest regions we've the dearest water & some of the highest road tax .lol


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> You'd prefer the UK system then?


Yes, it 's fairer, doesn't have wildly different charges!


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## David1979 (Feb 15, 2013)

thrax said:


> Our water bill is charged monthly and is usually around €12. We live in the campo and do not pay for basura.


Yeah, I pay €20 per month for water, and that's it (aside from electricity & rent, obviously).


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I have a pool and a lawn. My next house will not! :fingerscrossed: 

Since the house is on the market I try and keep everything looking gorgeous  and my bi-monthly water bills range from €27 in the winter months to over €300 in the summer. 

Be aware, people, that private pools don't run themselves! My British SiL once said to me, 'Oh, you don't need holidays, you have a pool.' No, dear, I don't have time for holidays as I'm vacuuming the bottom of the pool, checking pH levels, paying for and adding chemicals, fishing out leaves and bugs, scraping euros together for the water bill (and the tri-phase electricity to run the pump)...


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Madliz said:


> I have a pool and a lawn. My next house will not! :fingerscrossed:
> 
> Since the house is on the market I try and keep everything looking gorgeous  and my bi-monthly water bills range from €27 in the winter months to over €300 in the summer.
> 
> Be aware, people, that private pools don't run themselves! My British SiL once said to me, 'Oh, you don't need holidays, you have a pool.' No, dear, I don't have time for holidays as I'm vacuuming the bottom of the pool, checking pH levels, paying for and adding chemicals, fishing out leaves and bugs, scraping euros together for the water bill (and the tri-phase electricity to run the pump)...


Far better to have FRIENDS with pools ... 

Lots of the villas on the Costa de la Luz get their pool water from their own wells. I've also heard of pools being filled with seawater. I guess that is cheaper? (Though not in Madrid!)


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Far better to have FRIENDS with pools ...
> 
> Lots of the villas on the Costa de la Luz get their pool water from their own wells. I've also heard of pools being filled with seawater. I guess that is cheaper? (Though not in Madrid!)


Yes, I do fill mine from my well, until it runs dry in around August - just when evaporation is highest! Frankly, it's swings and roundabouts, as the free water gets pumped by expensive electricity. 

Goodness knows how one gets seawater into one's pool!


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> No, I stay dirty and drink beer.
> 
> I don't know why they vary so much. The charges are set by the ayuntamientos, there are no water authorities like in the UK. We're just lucky I guess.


We are lucky, water rates are set by the ayuntamiento in our areas, not by PLC's they have in the UK following nationalisation.
Someone has mentioned the UK being a fairer system, well, their water is a heck of a lot more expensive than the vast majority of areas in Spain!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Madliz said:


> I have a pool and a lawn. My next house will not! :fingerscrossed:
> 
> Since the house is on the market I try and keep everything looking gorgeous  and my bi-monthly water bills range from €27 in the winter months to over €300 in the summer.
> 
> Be aware, people, that private pools don't run themselves! My British SiL once said to me, 'Oh, you don't need holidays, you have a pool.' No, dear, I don't have time for holidays as I'm vacuuming the bottom of the pool, checking pH levels, paying for and adding chemicals, fishing out leaves and bugs, scraping euros together for the water bill (and the tri-phase electricity to run the pump)...


We took out the lawns as they took too much water. We tiled the front which is quite small, and put down gravel in the back which is a bit bigger. Both have borders around the edge for flowers and bushes.
We have the community pool which is a haven in the summer, but no way would I want a pool myself for the reasons MadLiz states and also because of ecological reasons.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Pesky Wesky said:


> We took out the lawns as they took too much water. We tiled the front which is quite small, and put down gravel in the back which is a bit bigger. Both have borders around the edge for flowers and bushes.
> We have the community pool which is a haven in the summer, but no way would I want a pool myself for the reasons MadLiz states and also because of ecological reasons.


My house had wall to wall lawn when we arrived here and I gradually reduced it to a small patch which I kept green, then dispensed with it altogether. I selectively weeded and added wildflower seeds to make a haven for wildlife. I had a combination of stoned areas (think Brighton beach!), wildflower meadow which was never watered, with other large areas of shrubs. BUT the desire to sell forced me to reinstate the 'lawn' between house and pool as Spanish buyers seem to expect it! I think lawns are the most ridiculous waste of resources here and I thought the same in the UK. Watering, feeding, weeding, raking, moss-clearing (yes, even in Spain), mowing - the hours of my life that lawncare has stolen from me....  Never again!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Madliz said:


> My house had wall to wall lawn when we arrived here and I gradually reduced it to a small patch which I kept green, then dispensed with it altogether. I selectively weeded and added wildflower seeds to make a haven for wildlife. I had a combination of stoned areas (think Brighton beach!), wildflower meadow which was never watered, with other large areas of shrubs. BUT the desire to sell forced me to reinstate the 'lawn' between house and pool as Spanish buyers seem to expect it! I think lawns are the most ridiculous waste of resources here and I thought the same in the UK. Watering, feeding, weeding, raking, moss-clearing (yes, even in Spain), mowing - the hours of my life that lawncare has stolen from me....  Never again!


Sounds lovely, any photos?

I do empathise, Before moving here I seemed to spend half my free time maintaining lawns and cutting hedges. Here, the only outdoor space in my house is the roof terrace, which I have turned into a "garden" of sorts with planters and climbers. But we have a 180º view of forests and meadows. Bliss!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Madliz said:


> My house had wall to wall lawn when we arrived here and I gradually reduced it to a small patch which I kept green, then dispensed with it altogether. I selectively weeded and added wildflower seeds to make a haven for wildlife. I had a combination of stoned areas (think Brighton beach!), wildflower meadow which was never watered, with other large areas of shrubs. BUT the desire to sell forced me to reinstate the 'lawn' between house and pool as Spanish buyers seem to expect it! I think lawns are the most ridiculous waste of resources here and I thought the same in the UK. Watering, feeding, weeding, raking, moss-clearing (yes, even in Spain), mowing - the hours of my life that lawncare has stolen from me....  Never again!


Yes, I do see where you're coming from with the reinstating of your lawn to entice Spanish buyers.
When you sell (which you will, eventually) are you looking to buy in the same area? I think you said smth before about going south??


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Madliz said:


> My house had wall to wall lawn when we arrived here and I gradually reduced it to a small patch which I kept green, then dispensed with it altogether. I selectively weeded and added wildflower seeds to make a haven for wildlife. I had a combination of stoned areas (think Brighton beach!), wildflower meadow which was never watered, with other large areas of shrubs. BUT the desire to sell forced me to reinstate the 'lawn' between house and pool as Spanish buyers seem to expect it! I think lawns are the most ridiculous waste of resources here and I thought the same in the UK. Watering, feeding, weeding, raking, moss-clearing (yes, even in Spain), mowing - the hours of my life that lawncare has stolen from me....  Never again!


Lawn's easy after you've had bamboo ! Cut it down , walk away, look back & it has grown a metre !!!!!
 :lol:


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes, I do see where you're coming from with the reinstating of your lawn to entice Spanish buyers.
> When you sell (which you will, eventually) are you looking to buy in the same area? I think you said smth before about going south??


Thanks for asking, Pesky. I said this evening, gloomily, that I reckoned we'd be here for another couple of years at this rate...

We went to look around Cantabria a couple of months ago and loved it, as expected, but know nobody and nothing up there. I have my daughter and other members of my 'Spanish family' - my late husband's family (now 'out-laws'??) living in Malaga and am off there on Monday for a few days. This time of year, when I look at the forecast and see next week showing 14º here and 25º there makes it seem appealing, it's just the summer heat that I think I'd find hard to cope with. I'll take some time to tour around the inland pueblos, the property is much cheaper there. When the house was first valued in '07 I was imagining buying something half the size but pretty nice, for half the money and having a nice lump sum left over. Now with plunging values it looks like I'll be left with small change - local agents have opined that values have dropped 50% and I was lucky to be offered what I was last month, although that finally fell through because it was 'too black'. I'm just stuck here feeling like a slave to the house, garden and pool, keeping everything as perfect as possible. I sometimes yearn for a one-bed flat with, _maybe_ a window box. I just yearn for somewhere warmer in the winter!

Back on topic, water - and IBI - should be cheaper for me there too!


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