The Consumer Rights Protection Centre (CRPC) urges residents to exercise caution regarding offers to replace or verify water consumption meters in apartments. CRPC has received several complaints about potentially misleading commercial practices.
According to information available to CRPC, representatives of certain companies contact apartment owners by phone whose water meters have previously been replaced and claim that the meters’ verification period has expired and that they must therefore be inspected or replaced. During these conversations, consumers are often told that such verification or replacement requirements are still in force. CRPC emphasizes that this information is misleading.
On 5 June 2025, amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 289 of 14 May 2024, “Regulations on the List of Measuring Instruments Subject to State Metrological Control”, entered into force. These amendments abolished the requirement for periodic verification of water consumption meters installed in apartments.
What Residents Need to Know
Following the regulatory changes, the use of water consumption meters in apartments has become simpler. Residents should take note of the following:
- Periodic verification of water consumption meters in apartments is no longer mandatory;
- If a meter is functioning correctly and is not damaged, it may continue to be used;
- Meter inspection may be required only in specific cases, for example, if there are suspicions of incorrect operation or visible damage;
- If a residential building has established a unified water consumption accounting system, meters must be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s specified service life, or—if no such service life is specified—no later than 10 years after installation. In such cases, reinstallation of used meters is not permitted;
- By 1 January 2027, the building must adopt a decision on the future water accounting system—whether to switch to a unified system or to retain the existing one.
CRPC has also received complaints about potentially improper actions by residential building managers who require apartment owners to replace or verify water consumption meters, citing contractual provisions that provide for repeated meter verification.
Current legislation no longer provides for legal consequences if water consumption meters are not verified. Therefore, demands to carry out repeated meter verification based on contractual provisions deriving from now‑repealed regulations are unfounded.
CRPC reminds that when offering services to consumers, traders are obliged to provide truthful, clear, and unambiguous information about the necessity of the service and applicable legal requirements. Providing misleading information about regulatory obligations may be assessed as an unfair commercial practice.
CRPC Calls on Residents to:
- Carefully assess offers related to the replacement of water consumption meters;
- Verify applicable legal requirements where necessary;
- Inform CRPC about any suspected misleading commercial practices.