Where exactly is the boundary between council pipes and mine?
The meter is the border post. The water main in the street, the service line to your property and the meter assembly, including its stop tap, are network assets. From the meter's outlet connection onward, every millimetre of pipe is private and belongs to the property owner, all the way to the last tap. This split matters for two reasons. First, it decides who pays for the repair. Second, it decides who pays for the water: leaks on your side pass through the meter, so every litre appears on your bill until it is fixed. A network-side leak costs you nothing on either count.
How do I tell which side is leaking?
Get down and look at where the water is actually coming from, and use the meter itself as the referee.
| What you observe | Which side | Who fixes and pays |
|---|---|---|
| Water weeping from the meter body or its street-side coupling | Network side | City of Gold Coast, no cost to you |
| Water bubbling up between the street and the meter box | Network side | City of Gold Coast, no cost to you |
| Leak at the fitting where your pipe joins the meter outlet | House side | Owner, via a licensed plumber |
| Wet ground between the meter and the house, meter ticking with taps off | House side | Owner, and the water is on your bill |
| Meter spinning with everything off, no visible water | House side, concealed | Owner, leak detection then repair |
The meter test settles arguments: turn everything off and watch the flow indicator. If it turns, water is passing through the meter, which means the leak is downstream on your side. If the ground is wet but the meter is dead still, the leak is upstream and belongs to the network.
The leak is the council's side. What do I do?
Report it to the City of Gold Coast, which maintains the meters and mains, and note the meter number stamped on the body when you call. Network leaks and damaged meters are repaired at the council's cost. If water is flooding rather than weeping, say so, because gushing network leaks get priority response. What you should not do is let anyone, including an enthusiastic neighbour with a shifter, attempt repairs on the meter assembly itself. It is not your asset and working on it can put the fault, and the bill, back on you.
The leak is my side. What happens and what does it cost?
House-side repairs are licensed plumbing work in Queensland. The most common failure we see is the connection fitting just after the meter or the first stretch of poly or copper heading to the house, often nicked by years of garden edging or fatigued at an old joint. As of 2026, an accessible burst repair runs $250 to $650 plus parts as a fixed quoted price. If the meter shows flow but nothing surfaces, the leak is concealed along the service run, and leak detection at $200 to $500 or more finds it before anyone digs. Two practical tips from the tools: photograph the meter reading the day you notice the leak, and keep the repair invoice, because a concealed leak repaired by a licensed plumber can support a water bill remission claim with the council, and the claim windows are short.
How do I stop the leak while I wait for a repair?
For a house-side leak, the meter's stop tap is your friend. Turn it clockwise a quarter turn on newer lever-style taps, or wind it down on the older wheel type, and the flow to the property stops, along with the spend on your bill. If the household cannot manage without water, a practical compromise is shutting it off overnight and whenever the house is empty, which cuts the metered loss substantially while you wait for the repair. Note a meter reading each morning so you can show the loss rate later. For a network-side leak there is nothing you should touch, but a phone photo and a quick report gets it on the council's list, and flooding leaks are worth describing as exactly that. Either way, do not let the leak run unreported for weeks, because remission claims and goodwill both favour owners who acted as soon as they knew.
Wet ground at the meter and a ticking dial? Call Hills Plumbing & Gas on 0472 657 042 or book at /services/burst-pipe-repairs/. QBCC licence 15243081, fixed price quoted before the shovel comes out.
Sources: City of Gold Coast water services (meter ownership, fault reporting and concealed leak remission); Queensland Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018.