A water bill rises even though the apartment has been used normally. There is no puddle on the floor, the taps appear closed and nobody remembers changing their routine. Before assuming the meter is faulty, check whether water is being used somewhere you cannot easily see.
A toilet can lose water into the bowl without flooding the bathroom. A concealed connection can leak before a visible stain appears. The practical task is to establish whether consumption has genuinely changed, narrow down the source and obtain evidence that the repair has worked.
Start with consumption, not the total bill
Check the water volume and billing period before treating a larger DEWA total as evidence of a leak. If water is actively escaping, damaging a ceiling or approaching electrical equipment, contact building management and emergency maintenance immediately rather than waiting to complete a consumption check.
1. Confirm what has actually increased
Open the relevant DEWA account and compare the water-consumption figures with previous periods. Keep the unit of measurement consistent and check how many days each bill covers. A longer billing period should not be compared with a shorter one using totals alone.
As a simple working measure, divide the recorded water volume by the number of days in the period. Then compare that daily average with a period of similar occupancy. Note extra guests, cleaning visits, appliance use, irrigation changes or a pool refill where applicable.
DEWA’s Smart Living dashboard provides tools for reviewing consumption and understanding the bill. Save the relevant screenshots and identify when the increase appears to have started. For a rented apartment, ask the account holder to share the relevant records rather than exchanging account passwords.
If the water volume has not increased, investigate the billing entries instead of commissioning leak detection solely because the final amount is higher. If consumption has increased without a clear explanation, move to a property inspection.
2. Treat a DEWA alert as a reason to investigate
The High Water Usage Alert identifies unusually high usage that may indicate an internal leak. It does not locate the fault or establish which component needs replacing.
DEWA explains in its consumer FAQs that alerts are sent automatically to registered contact details or through its smart application. Keep those details current and agree who will arrange access if the account holder is away.
Do not wait for an alert if there are already signs of a problem. DEWA states that the service does not guarantee detection of every leak. Equally, an alert should prompt checks rather than an immediate assumption that a wall must be opened.
From unusual usage to a verified repair
1. Establish the pattern
Compare water volume, billing days and occupancy. Save readings and alerts.
2. Locate the source
Inspect accessible fixtures and arrange targeted testing where the cause remains unclear.
3. Approve the scope
Separate diagnosis, repair, access work and reinstatement in the quotation.
4. Check the result
Record the repair test and monitor subsequent consumption under comparable conditions.
3. Inspect accessible fixtures before concealed pipework
Start with a visual inspection of accessible areas. DEWA identifies bathrooms, kitchens, tanks and swimming pools as common places for internal leaks, including taps, toilet tanks, pipes and water-heater connections.
- Toilets: listen for repeated refilling and look for water continuing to enter the bowl between flushes. Include bathrooms that are rarely used.
- Under sinks: look for moisture around accessible valves, hoses and connections, and for swelling or staining inside cupboards.
- Appliances: inspect visible areas around washing machines and dishwashers without moving heavy equipment or disturbing connections.
- Water heaters: report moisture, corrosion or discharge to a technician. Do not open electrical covers or alter safety valves.
- Villas: include accessible irrigation connections and signs of tank overflow. Ask the maintenance team to inspect roof-level or otherwise restricted equipment.
Photograph what you find and record whether it changes after a fixture is used. A wet patch alone does not identify the source: the technician must distinguish supply-water leakage from drainage problems, AC condensate or water entering from elsewhere.
4. Use a meter check to test unexplained flow
If the correct meter is safely accessible, a no-use comparison can help establish whether water is still passing through it. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense guidance recommends comparing readings across a two-hour period when no water is used; movement suggests a possible leak.
In a Dubai apartment, first ask building management to confirm which meter serves the unit and how it can be read. Do not enter locked service areas, break seals or operate shared valves.
- Choose a period when occupants will not use taps, showers, toilets or water-consuming appliances.
- Account for automatic uses, such as irrigation or tank refilling, with the maintenance team.
- Record the opening reading and time, ideally with a photograph.
- Record the closing reading after the agreed interval and note any water use that occurred.
- Give both readings to the technician if the meter advanced without an explanation.
This is a screening check, not a location test. Storage tanks and automatic equipment can complicate the result. An unchanged reading during one interval also does not exclude an intermittent leak. Where access or system layout is unclear, let the maintenance team carry out and interpret the check.
5. Brief the technician before approving work
Send the contractor a short evidence pack: the consumption change, dates, photographs, alert details and any meter comparison. Explain whether the apartment was occupied and whether the symptoms are continuous or appear after particular fixtures are used.
Request a diagnostic visit with written findings. Ask what has been tested, which fault is confirmed and what remains uncertain. If specialist testing is proposed, the quotation should explain what it is intended to establish and whether further access work may still be needed.
Before approving wall or ceiling opening, ask why that location has been selected, how much access is required and who will reinstate the finishes. Urgent containment may need to proceed immediately, but a broad repair quotation should still distinguish confirmed work from provisional work.
| Item | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Diagnosis | Call-out charge, testing scope and whether a written report is included. |
| Repair | Identified component, replacement specification, labour and parts. |
| Access and reinstatement | Openings, building permissions, drying, making good and decoration. |
| Verification | Post-repair testing, photographs and follow-up if the symptom returns. |
| Commercial terms | VAT treatment, exclusions, additional-work approval and warranty terms. |
If you have an annual maintenance contract, check whether specialist leak detection, concealed pipework, replacement parts and reinstatement are included. An included plumbing call-out does not establish that every subsequent task is covered. Our annual maintenance contract checklist explains how to compare the scope.
6. Involve building management where systems overlap
DEWA distinguishes between its network responsibilities up to the meter and internal connections after it. That utility boundary does not, by itself, settle how a repair cost should be allocated between an apartment, shared building systems and another affected unit.
Ask building management to identify the affected pipe or asset and coordinate access where necessary. Keep its findings with the contractor’s report. If the suspected source is outside your unit, avoid authorising work on shared infrastructure without the appropriate involvement.
For an occupied rental, agree access with the tenant and keep a written record of the notification and response. Separate the immediate task of limiting damage from any later discussion about allocating costs.
7. Escalate unexplained consumption to DEWA
If the internal inspection and consumption review do not explain the increase, use DEWA’s Consumption Verification service. It provides a route for investigating unexpected changes in electricity or water consumption and, where required, physical verification.
Submit the account details, affected period and maintenance findings. Review the service’s applicable fees and conditions before booking. A verification request should be supported by the evidence already collected; it is not a substitute for dealing with an active internal leak.
8. Verify the repair before closing the job
A completed invoice records that work was charged. Ask for a completion report showing the fault found, the work performed and the result of the relevant post-repair test.
Where appropriate, repeat the no-use meter comparison with the technician. Then review the following consumption data under comparable occupancy and usage conditions. Record the repair time so that readings before and after the intervention can be distinguished.
If consumption remains unexplained, reopen the investigation. The first repair may have addressed only part of the problem. Where finishes were wet, agree how drying will be assessed before repainting or closing the affected area.
The maintenance file to keep
- Water-consumption records showing the billing period, units and occupancy context.
- DEWA alerts, dated photographs and any opening and closing meter readings.
- The contractor’s diagnosis, with confirmed findings separated from suspected causes.
- Approved scope, itemised price and any building-access arrangements.
- Completion report, post-repair test results and warranty terms.
- Follow-up consumption records and any remaining drying or reinstatement work.
Reduce the chance of another unnoticed leak
Make visible plumbing checks part of the property’s routine inspection and ask occupants to report repeated toilet refilling or new damp patches promptly. For a vacant home, DEWA’s Away Mode can help monitor unusual consumption while you are absent.
The monitoring arrangement needs a response plan: a named person who receives notifications, can arrange access and has an agreed spending limit for urgent attendance. For broader preventive servicing, see our guide to AC, plumbing and electrical maintenance in Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Compare water volume and billing days before treating a higher total bill as evidence of leakage.
- Use alerts, visible checks and meter readings to guide diagnosis; none identifies every possible fault on its own.
- Separate investigation, repair and reinstatement when approving a quotation.
- Close the maintenance job with test results and follow-up consumption evidence.
Compare maintenance services in Dubai
Review maintenance providers and ask about leak diagnosis, specialist testing, emergency attendance and written completion reports before booking the work.
