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Home / Who we help / Offices
Last updated August 2026
Who we help
Business Water for Offices
Office water is a quiet cost. Kitchens, toilets and cleaning draw on it every working day, and because the bill is small next to rent and energy it tends to run on whatever arrangement came with the building.
You can switch retailer. Office occupiers have had that right in England since 2017. Most never have. This page covers where office water costs come from, how to switch retailer, and where overpayment usually hides.
| Wholesale supply | Comes from regional water companies (Thames Water, Severn Trent, Yorkshire Water, and others). |
|---|---|
| Contracting | Occupiers with their own meter can contract directly with retailers, and portfolios can contract centrally across buildings. |
| Biggest savings levers | Tariff reviews, deemed contract checks and surface water drainage rebates. |
| Landlord or tenant | Whoever holds the supply account chooses the retailer. In multi-let buildings that is often the landlord, who recharges through the service charge. |
| Moving in | A new occupier without an agreed contract sits on deemed rates until one is chosen, under the market rules published by Open Water. |
| Licensed retailers | Around 20 are licensed by Ofwat to supply non-household water. |
Where the money goes
Why offices pay more for water than they should
The usual story on an office bill is that the supply arrangement came with the building, nobody chose it, and it has quietly renewed itself ever since. The five checks further down are where that shows up.
Office water use is steady and predictable, which should make it easy to price well. In practice most offices sit on default or deemed arrangements that were never compared, because the bill is too small to fight over and too regular to notice.
Occupancy has also changed. Hybrid working means many offices use meaningfully less water than they did, while the tariff, and sometimes an estimated billing pattern, still reflects the old occupancy. Actual readings and a fresh comparison bring the bill back in line with how the building is used now.
Where it shows up
The five areas offices overpay
Where offices overpay and why it matters.
Deemed rates that were never replaced
An occupier that moved in without agreeing a contract sits on deemed rates, and many stay there for years. A supply that has never been chosen is rarely priced as if it had been.
Estimated billing from higher occupancy
Estimates built on pre-hybrid usage carry on until actual readings correct them. Submitting regular readings keeps the bill in line with how the office is used now.
Surface water drainage on the demise
Charged on the footprint by default, but how drainage is assessed depends on your regional wholesaler. Where car parks and landscaping drain to soakaways rather than the public sewer, the charge can be challenged, and in many wholesaler regions rebates can be backdated.
Leaks running out of hours
A passing toilet cistern or a faulty urinal control runs all weekend in an empty building. Comparing weekend usage with weekday usage on the meter catches it early.
Portfolios on building-by-building tariffs
An occupier or landlord running each building on its own inherited tariff leaves money on the table, as retailers can discount on a single portfolio contract with one point of contact.
Results
Case studies
Consolidated multi-site billing onto a single contract with one retailer and one point of contact.
Worth knowing
Landlord or tenant, who holds the supply
The right to switch follows the supply account. An occupier with its own meter and its own account is the customer and can choose the retailer. In a multi-let building the landlord often holds one supply for the whole block and recharges occupiers through the service charge.
Recharged occupiers can still act. A landlord can switch the building supply and pass the better rate through, and service charge water costs are a fair thing to query at review. The official market rules for business customers are published by Open Water, the body that runs the market.
The market
Can offices switch water supplier?
Yes. England’s non-household water market opened to competition in April 2017 and Scotland’s opened in 2008, so every office occupier with its own supply can choose a different water retailer. Wholesale supply still comes from your regional water company; only the retailer (the company that bills you and reads your meter) changes.
The 12 retailers below are all licensed by Ofwat to supply non-household water. Pricing, service and sector experience vary from retailer to retailer.
Choose your route
Routes to procurement
Three ways office occupiers and landlords typically bring a new water contract in. Each comes with its own trade-off between control, effort and how sharp the price lands.
Direct with a retailer
The occupier signs straight with a licensed retailer. Best for a single office with its own meter. You handle the comparison and the switch yourself.
Portfolio or landlord contract
Landlords and multi-office occupiers can put every building on one central contract. Efficient at volume, but each building is tied to whichever retailer was chosen centrally.
Broker-led market test
A water broker compares the market for you, handles the paperwork and manages the switch from start to finish. Nothing changes in the building.
Why choose The Business Water Shop
- Award-winning independent brokerage, not owned by or tied to any water retailer.
- Rated 5 stars on Google and 5 stars on Trustpilot by UK businesses.
- Experts with experience in business water for offices, landlords and managed portfolios.
- We compare quotes from up to 14 licensed retailers.
- We handle the whole switch, from the comparison and paperwork to the supplier contact.
- One point of contact for multi-property portfolios.
Questions
Office water FAQs
Our landlord recharges water through the service charge. Can we still switch?
Not directly, because the landlord holds the contract. It is still worth raising, since the landlord can switch the building supply and pass the better rate through the service charge, and water is a fair item to query at service charge review.
We have gone hybrid. Should the bill have come down?
Usage almost certainly has, but the bill only follows if readings are actual rather than estimated. Submitting meter readings and reviewing the tariff against current usage brings the two back in line.
We are moving offices next quarter. What should we do about water?
Tell the current retailer the move date so the account closes on an actual reading, and agree a contract for the new office rather than sitting on deemed rates. Both are quick and stop the common overcharges either side of a move.
Will switching affect the building or the plumbing?
No. A switch is paperwork rather than plumbing. The wholesaler still owns and runs the pipes, there is no engineer visit and supply is not touched.
What are deemed rates?
Deemed rates apply when an occupier uses a supply without an agreed contract, typically after moving in. They are set on the retailer’s default scheme terms and are rarely the sharpest available, which is why new occupiers benefit from comparing early.
We occupy several buildings. Can they go on one contract?
Yes. Retailers operate nationally, so a portfolio can consolidate buildings in different wholesaler regions onto a single retailer, one contract and one point of contact.
How do I get a quote?
Send a recent water bill for the office. The SPID, annual volume and current retailer are all on it. We come back within two working days with an alternative quote and a flag if anything looks worth checking on drainage or billing.
