Water bill after a leak: how to put together your reduced-rate request

Short answer: Repair the leak first, then send your water company a written request with proof of repair (plumber's invoice, before/after photos) and the meter reading taken after the repair. In Brussels, VIVAQUA accepts the request up to 12 months after the invoice through an online form. Wallonia and Flanders use other thresholds and deadlines, and no reduction is ever guaranteed.

Published on 28 October 2026 · Updated on 28 October 2026

The standard file: what every water company asks for

Whichever company supplies your water, the core of the file is the same: proof that the leak existed and has been repaired, plus meter readings. Who pays for the repair is a separate question, covered in our article on a leak after the meter; here we only deal with the request to reduce the bill.

• The plumber's invoice describing where the leak was and what was repaired. At Farys and De Watergroep, a leak-detection report without a repair invoice is not enough.
• Before/after photos of the leak and the repair, especially if you fixed it yourself (then add receipts for the materials).
• The meter reading after the repair and the meter number; Water-Link also asks for a reading after a leak-free period.
• The invoice concerned and your customer number, shown on the invoice.
• A clear description: date of discovery, cause, date of repair.

Keep copies of everything you send. These rules come from the water companies' official pages listed at the bottom of this article; they change, so check the current version before you submit.

Brussels: applying for the VIVAQUA leak rate, step by step

In Brussels the leak rate is requested through VIVAQUA's online form, within 12 months of the invoice being issued. It applies to the variable part of the bill, not to the repair itself.

1. Check the conditions: the volumes recorded by a VIVAQUA meter must be at least double your usual consumption, the leak must be on the private installation and not linked to a breach of VIVAQUA's technical requirements.
2. Get it repaired and write down the meter reading right after the repair.
3. Open VIVAQUA's leak-rate request form on customers.vivaqua.be. It asks for your customer number, meter number, the reading after repair, your address and your capacity (owner, tenant, agent or managing agent).
4. Attach proof of repair: before/after photos, a professional's invoice or any other evidence of the leak and its repair. Proof of repair is a required field in the form, which accepts 8 files of up to 2 MB each.
5. Submit, then watch the 2-month window: VIVAQUA expects the proof of repair within 2 months of your request. If you cannot provide proof, a VIVAQUA employee may carry out an inspection at no charge.

Once the complete file is received and checked, VIVAQUA says it applies the reduction within 15 days. Volumes above 2 to 4 times your usual consumption are billed at 50% of the rate, and volumes above 4 times at 10%, for both water and sanitation. This procedure is for a leak on the private installation, after the meter; for a leak in the street or before the meter, see the leak-after-the-meter article linked above.

Wallonia: SWDE, CILE and inBW (the « hidden leak » preferential rate)

In Wallonia the reduction only covers a « hidden leak »: a leaking cistern, a faulty washing machine or a seeping radiator connection do not count. According to the pages consulted, the request goes by email (SWDE) or contact form (CILE), with no dedicated form mentioned.

SWDE

• How: an email to customer service (« Aide et contact » page) explaining the situation and asking for a hidden leak to be recognised, with the repair invoices and photos.
• Repair deadline: within 60 days of learning about the hidden leak.
• Thresholds: excess consumption above 50 m³ and at least double the usual; annual meter reading submitted at least twice in the three previous years; a non-return valve and a stop valve after the meter are mandatory.
• Announced reduction: 50% of the excess billed on the distribution side, sanitation exempt, capped at 2,000 m³; for a faulty boiler safety valve, 50% on both distribution and sanitation.

CILE (Liège area)

• How: through CILE's contact form, with an express acknowledgement of the hidden leak, the circumstances and proof of repair (invoices, before/after photos).
• Specifics: a one-off preferential rate, granted once per customer, for household customers only; it does not apply if more than one estimated reading occurred in the three previous years; the customer must not have shown gross negligence; CILE may check on site.
• Announced reduction: 50% of the CVD (distribution part) for the excess consumption, CVA (sanitation part) exempt, capped at 2,000 m³, based on article D229bis of the Walloon Water Code.

inBW (Walloon Brabant)

inBW's page on this topic could not be consulted. The Walloon framework rests on article D229bis of the Water Code cited by CILE, but inBW's exact procedure (form, deadlines) must be confirmed directly with inBW before you send your file.

Flanders: the « minnelijke schikking » at De Watergroep, Farys and Water-Link

In Flanders this is called a « minnelijke schikking » (an amicable settlement), based on article 19 of the general water sales regulation (AWVR). Each company has its own online form.

• De Watergroep: written request within 6 months of the date of the consumption or final invoice, through the « Aanvraag tussenkomst bij verborgen lek » form. The leak must be repaired before you apply. De Watergroep may require an inspection of your internal installation at your cost. Follow-up is by email, quoting the case number.
• Farys: online request through its « Tussenkomst bij een verborgen lek » page (solidarity fund). You need a repair invoice with a clear description of the leak; if you repaired it yourself, receipts for materials and before/after photos, plus the reading after repair. The page consulted gives no fixed filing deadline: check it on the form.
• Water-Link (Antwerp area): request within 6 months of the invoice date through its web form. Have ready the repair date, photos of the finding and of the works, the repair or parts invoice, a detailed description of the defect, your bank account number, the final invoice, the meter number and the readings after repair and after a leak-free period.

Common thresholds at De Watergroep and Farys: the excess consumption, restated over a year, must reach at least 150% of your average annual consumption or at least 100 m³; the cause must be hidden, you must have acted as a prudent and reasonable person, and your internal installation must meet the rules. For a household, both companies publish a 75% discount (base and comfort rate) or 50% (flat rate) on the excess from 0 to 300 m³, and 95% or 90% above that. The VMM describes the general framework more broadly (excess billed at no more than 50% of the normal rate for the first 300 m³, no more than 10% after that): rely on your own company's rates. Outside a hidden leak, De Watergroep and Farys also offer an exceptional one-off goodwill measure under extra conditions (« afsprakenkader »): see their pages.

Comparison: deadlines, thresholds and announced reduction

Filing deadlines run from 6 to 12 months where they are published, and eligibility thresholds differ between companies. The table reflects what the official pages consulted say; « not stated » means the page does not give the information.

These reductions apply to the excess volume, not to the cost of the repair, and they depend on your file being accepted: none is automatic.

What happens after you send it, and common reasons for refusal

After you send it, the water company reviews the file, may ask for further documents or an on-site check, then recalculates the bill. Only VIVAQUA states an application time (15 days after receiving the complete file); the other companies' pages consulted publish none.

Refusal or blocking reasons that emerge from the official pages:

• Proof of repair missing or late: VIVAQUA wants it within 2 months, SWDE requires repair within 60 days.
• Only a detection report without a repair invoice (Farys, De Watergroep).
• A leak that is not « hidden » in Wallonia: household appliances, sanitary fittings and heating are excluded; in Brussels the test is consumption more than doubled by a leak on the private installation. Water-Link lists as never « hidden »: a dripping tap, a leaking toilet, a cellar that keeps flooding, a long-vacant property or a leak caused by a third party.
• Thresholds not met: under 50 m³ or under double in Wallonia; under double in Brussels.
• Insufficient reading history: SWDE (annual reading submitted at least twice in three years) and CILE (more than one estimated reading).
• Non-compliant installation: missing non-return valve and stop valve after the meter (SWDE), technical requirements not met (VIVAQUA).
• Deadline missed: 12 months in Brussels, 6 months at De Watergroep and Water-Link.

If refused, ask for the reasons in writing, supply any missing documents and use the company's complaints procedure (VIVAQUA has a « Plaintes » page). If the bill is heavy, also ask about a payment plan: SWDE and the VMM mention one on their sites.

Your plumber and the invoice: what to ask for

Your best asset for the request is a precise plumber's invoice, issued before you contact the water company. As soon as a leak is after the meter you need a plumber; for a leak in Brussels see also the water leak in Brussels page.

• Have the invoice state the exact location of the leak, its cause and the work done.
• Ask for before/after photos and the date of the visit.
• Write down the meter reading at the end of the job, with the plumber present.
• If the leak was concealed in a wall or floor, have the openings made recorded: these details can also help with your insurer (Water-Link advises contacting it about any damage).

To put the cost of a job in context, see our guide to plumber prices in Brussels.

• VIVAQUA : les tarifs en cas de fuite (conditions, délais, calcul)
• VIVAQUA : formulaire de demande de tarif fuite
• SWDE : fuite cachée, conditions, réduction et documents
• CILE : tarif préférentiel en cas de fuite cachée (art. D229bis Code de l'Eau)
• De Watergroep : tegemoetkoming bij lekverlies (minnelijke schikking)
• Farys : tussenkomst bij een verborgen lek
• Water-Link : minnelijke schikking bij verborgen lek
• VMM Waterloket : verborgen lek, wat nu ?