No — households in England and Wales can’t switch their water
supplier.
Water and sewerage are regional monopolies, so whoever serves your area is
your supplier. Only business customers have been able to switch retailer since
2017.

What protects you instead

Because you can’t shop around, regulation does the protecting: Ofwat sets
price limits and standards, and the Consumer Council for Water takes up
complaints for free. If bills are hard to afford, help includes social
tariffs, the WaterSure cap, and payment plans.

Learn more

See our Water page for help with bills,
meters and complaints.

Sources

Ofwat; Consumer Council for Water. Reviewed: 3 September 2026.