Water Bill Charges

[Martin]

 
Dear forum members......just received a water bill for 4 months approaching £900 quid! I cant find last years bill....has it gone up that much this year???

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=6286.0

[bassett]

if you have an outside tap then i would suggest that someone may have used a water bowser to steal your water.
i speak from experience! p.s watch your electric to!!! :'(

[amber]

Just had our latest bıll, ıt was only for about 2 months but was 21 lıra.
As we lıve here ıts for 2 people who are showerıng at least twıce a day and we also use our washıng machıne daıly and hose down roof terrace etc.We dont have a pool.

[Em1]

Hi
We had a water bill this year, which cost over 200 pounds for just a few weeks habitation. We did not have an outside tap, we had no leaks and noone had access to our home who would misuse any water. The Belediye were completely useless and rude at best, when we asked if our meter could be tested.
We ended up paying the bill as we were threatened with extra charges if we did not pay in full. Maybe someone left a tap on?
Em

[kevincat99]

Hi
Has anyone else found that water bills this year seem to have inceased significantly.
Does anyone know if the Belediye have increased the useage costs?
Have just received one for our neighbours for the months of July / August when they were not here and the only useage was the gardener watering a small garden every three days or so and no pool - 223 TL !!!
Mine for two people living there all the time + Guests - washing machines washing , dishwasher - garden watering - pool all for - 94TL
Strange or what??
Anyone else found this

[tiamaria]

I agree with Bassett, if you've got an outside tap some one could be using your water. Also check the toilets and outside walls if you have a pool, if you have either leaking, you will get a big water bill. We've been out here all summer, showered daily, used the washing machine, topped up our pool when needed, along with watering the gardens, our water bill for 2 months 76 lira......I do know a couple of people who have received crazy water bills for the same 2 months. I would suggest you check your outside taps, walls and toilets, also if possible get some one to read your meter every week to see what the usage is.............and take photo's of readings so you have a record of them. Photo's with dates don't tell lies...............
Good luck
 

[Bee]

Does anyone know if there are different rates, ie business rates, for those who let their properties?
 

[bassett]

there are builders rates. about three times more than normal rates. if the property has not been signed off then you will still pay builders rates for water and electric! :'(

[Cosetta]

Water went up very significantly in price this year.  Our neighbors with a big garden, 1500 sq meters, got a 2-month bill for TL 1673.00.  And no outside or publicly accessible tap.  They read their meter every two days, the usage amount shown on the bill is correct.  However, they have noticed that the meter sometimes turns when no water is being used.

It is also the case that the more you use, the higher the rate.

It is possible that those who are paying such low rates have a non-working meter.  This happened to one of our neighbors.  the Belediye did check and found the meter to be not working.  They held the owners responsible. The back charges plus fines and interest came to 1800 quid !  This was probably a deliberate thing on the part of their builder when he was building, and it never got fixed.

[kevincat99]

Hi Cossetta
We have a neighbour in a similar situation who has just been presented with a bill for 7000 TL !! and from what I gather the Belediye are being totally unhelpful about the situation.
Perhaps they should have a Help Desk at the Belediye with someone speaking English to help in these matters as the translation problem can be frustrating on top of the worry of things being wrong

[Cosetta]

There is someone in the Belediye who speaks English.  His name is Hakan.  You can also perhaps speak with Demet who is on the municipal council.  She and her husband run the souvenir/art shop under the Pirat Hotel.

The Belediye is now checking on unpaid water bills and non-working meters.  Every owner is responsible for his/her meter.  If it is in fact not working correctly, the home owner will face a very big bill.

[lorilou]

This is interesting reading - there doesn't seem to be any consistency -  some poeple have very modest bills, some are staggering! The difference in amounts are marked ...

If like us, you were considering investing in a property in Kalkan, how would you go about making sure you don't get hit with shockingly high bills? (Presuming you had already followed the advice here and had the meter checked, ensured no leaks, water taps are tamper proof, etc) ... ?

[kevincat99]

Cosetta - how does one check whether your meter is working or not - if you pay the amounts requested by the Belediye when they give you the usual bill - surely that should be an end to it.
Not for them to then say - sorry it wasn't working correctly here is another bill !!
How does the customer know whether it is or it isn't??

[howmad]

Just over a year ago the meter reader presented us with a bill for O . We went to the belediye and explained that this was not possible. They told us that the meter was probably broken and to replace it. We went to Cati bought the required meter for 50 lira and then got a plumber to fit it. You then have to go back to the belediye with the old meter and the bill for the new meter and the new serial number. The beledye then gives you an estimated bill based on your water usage from previous bills. In our case it was very easy to check the meter as the dial did not spin when the water was on.
 
   But pipes do become crossed either by accident or design. I know this because a water pipe from my meter runs into the old hotel. If you turn the water on in the hotel my meter spins round . Thankfully the hotel is empty.
 
 One of the problems that you can encounter in Kalkan is that many of the toilet cisterns get clogged with the dirt in the water and so do not allways shut off. This simple problem can use tons of water and is easily remedied by fitting new units which cost only a few lira.
 
 
   My normal winter bill is about 30 lira but the last  bill was 192 lira although we were watering the garden very heavily in the hot weather. In an effort to save water we have stopped hosing the terraces every day.

[Cosetta]

We read our meter every two days.  Have been doing this for several years so we know on average how many tons of water we use each month of the year. 

We are now running a test.  We have closed all inlet valves and read the meter.  Now we are using only the water that is currently in our reserve tanks.  Tomorrow morning we will read the meter again before reopening the water valves.  it should be at the same number as all incoming water is shut off. If not, we will ask the man in the Belediye to authorize us to buy a new meter.

My husband believes that the amount of water we used in July and August is consistent with all Julys and Augusts of the past few years.  Only the price has changed.

One of the reasons why the prices are so high is that most of us get water from Saklikent ... very far away.  The equipment and the pipes are old and constantly breaking.  Supposedly there are 13 water pumps but only about 3 that work.  But we got a new street sweeper! 

As you see, the water contains mud.  We have put filters between the inlet and the reserve tanks, but some fine dirt still gets in.

Those people who live in Kordere (high up toward Saribelen) get their water from Gumbe.  It is MUCH cheaper and is never cut off.  There is talk in the belediye about getting more water from Gumbe but no resolution of the problem.