Are public houses allowed to charge for tapwater?

Answer 1

No def not. No where is allowed to charge for tapwater.

Answer 2

Legally, no I don't think they can deny you public water or charge you for the water. However, they ARE legally allowed to charge you for the service they provide in fetching you the glass, filling it and washing it afterwards.

There are two types of pubs, and there is a difference though between a public house and a free house. Free houses are just that - you can go and sit in a free house and eat and drink nothing and they can't throw you out because you have a right to be there. The bar is run as a business, but the building is yours to sit in as long as it's open. In a public house, they can refuse you service if you're not eating or drinking anything because you don't have a right to be there if they don't want you there.

As regards the water - most places won't charge you, and the police frown on pubs and clubs charging for tap water when people are there to drink alcohol because we all need it for rehydration. But I think I answered the question in the first paragraph.

Answer 3

Yes they are allowed to charge, it is at the discretion of the landlord/lady. It is very rare to find a public house who will charge if you buy something else, but if you just go in for a glass of tap water they will be more inclined to charge. Also if you buy a glass of cordial they are actually charging you for the water as well.

Answer 4

I don't know about the water but as somebody has already stated,they can charge for service.What annoys me in this country ( UK ) the price of an alcoholic drink depends on the alcohol content i.e. 5% 10% etc. So why the HELL does non or low alcoholic drinks cost more than a full blown alcoholic drink?
NOW THAT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!

Answer 5

Legally i'm not 100% sure, but i dont think they are. I drink alot of water and 98% of the time i dont get charged. My mum was once charged 7p in a pub for a glass of water though.
My advice is to complain if they want to charge you. And say that most places don't and you have decided to bring your business (along as you've brought someone thing too) to them and so they should resecpt that.

Answer 6

They are def not allowed to charge for it.However they will always try to charge you for bottled water and say they aren't allowed to give you it from the tap.This is a ploy to stop a missed sale.I was manager of a pub for many yrs and were always told to up sell water this way.However no bar/pub/club is actually allowed to refuse to serve you tap water,so if it's really what you want,tell them you know your rights and they cannot refuse you.Failing that and if you want to really dig your heels in you have evry right to demand to see the manager and talk to them about it.

Answer 7

Well it's not illegal, if that's what you mean, but most of them don't charge for tap water. Of course, in certain circumstances like if a customer is choking and asks for a glass of water, they shouldn't refuse. And I think they have to state somwhere whether they do charge for it.

Answer 8

They aren't charging for the water, but for the use of the glass and the bar staff's pay for serving you and for cleaning the glass.

Answer 9

in most pubs i have been in thy dont but it all depends on the owner of the place at the end of the day they have to make a profit and if your not buting a drink they might charge you for water

Answer 10

I live in an apartment. We are charged $10.00 per person per month for water, and the kicker is, we can't even drink it! It is full of manganese, and have to drink bottled water. It is not good for washing clothes, it turns them yellow, showering isn't safe because one inhales the steam. The only thing it is good for is sewer water. Yes, we pay for our unsafe water.