On a complex the bulk account is usually the first symptom. It climbs, nobody can point at a unit, and the trustees are asked to approve a repair nobody has located.
Reconciling bulk against sub-meters sizes the loss before anything is dug up. Wider scope at Leak Detection Cape Town.
Send the number of units, the bulk reading and what the account is running at.
Get a Complex Leak QuoteHow a Complex Is Worked Through
- Reconcile the bulk meter against the sum of the sub-meters. The gap is the unaccounted loss.
- Read the bulk meter overnight with the complex at rest. That figure sizes the leak.
- Isolate zones in sequence to narrow it to a section.
- Audit fixtures across units, since a dozen leaking toilets add up faster than one buried break.
- Acoustic tracing on common-property mains under paving and lawn.
- Written report allocating cause between common property and individual units.
Common Property or the Owner
In most schemes the mains, shared risers, the slab and its waterproofing are common property maintained by the body corporate, while the installation inside a unit is the owner's. The report identifying where the failure sits is often worth more than the detection itself, because it decides who is levied for the repair.
Complex Leak Detection Prices in Cape Town
| Job | Indicative range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Complex leak detection | From R4,750 | Scoped on units and connections. |
| Bulk versus sub-meter reconciliation | R2,400 – R6,500 | Sizes the unaccounted loss. |
| Overnight zone isolation testing | R3,500 – R9,500 | Out of hours, low demand. |
| Fixture audit, per unit | R450 – R950 | Toilets, taps and cisterns. |
| Correlator survey on common mains | R1,800 – R3,800 | Per run. |
| CCTV survey of shared drainage | From R4,750 | Priced per run or per block. |
| Report for trustees or managing agent | R1,200 – R3,500 | Cause, location and responsibility. |
| Ongoing monitoring, monthly | R1,500 – R6,500 | Meter tracking and alerting. |
These are indicative market ranges, not a quotation. They are compiled from published South African leak detection and plumbing pricing to give you a starting point for budgeting. They are not the rate card of any company on this platform.
Get the loss quantified in kilolitres per day, not just located. On the City's stepped tariff that number is what turns a repair into a decision the trustees can justify at an AGM.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Our bulk account has jumped but no unit reports a leak. Where do we start?
Reconcile the bulk meter against the sub-meters to size the gap, then read the bulk meter overnight with the complex at rest. Any movement then is loss, and the volume tells you how big a leak to look for.
Who pays, the body corporate or the owner?
It follows where the failure is. Common property plumbing is the scheme's; the installation inside a unit is the owner's. A written report identifying the location is what settles the allocation.
Can the complex claim a City rebate?
A rebate application for an undetected underground leak is possible where the complex falls inside the City of Cape Town. It normally covers up to about three months, allows one claim per property, and excludes pools and irrigation.
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