Where is your stop tap and how do you turn off the water?

Find it today, and you will be calm on the day.

The answer in 2 lines. Your internal stop tap is usually under the kitchen sink. If it is not there, look where the water pipe comes into the house: a downstairs toilet, utility room, airing cupboard, garage or cellar. In a flat it may be in a cupboard by the front door or in a riser on the landing. Turn it clockwise until it stops, then run a cold tap to check the water stops. Never force it. The outside stop tap under a small cover in the pavement belongs to your water company: call them if the leak is outside your home.

The first 3 steps

If only one appliance is leaking (toilet, washing machine, sink), close its own small isolating valve first: turn the slot or lever across the pipe.
Otherwise, turn the main internal stop tap clockwise by hand, without forcing it.
Cannot find it or it will not turn: call your landlord or building manager; your water company if the leak is outside; otherwise a qualified plumber.

Stop: danger

Water near a socket, light or the consumer unit: touch nothing wet. Switch off the power at the consumer unit only if it is dry and you can reach it without standing in water.
Smell of gas: no switches or flames, get out and call 0800 111 999 from outside.
Danger to anyone: call 999.

Where to look

House: under the kitchen sink first, then wherever the incoming pipe enters (downstairs toilet, utility room, under the stairs, garage, cellar).
Flat: kitchen, bathroom, airing cupboard, a cupboard near the front door, or a riser cupboard in the corridor. Your landlord or managing agent should know.
Each appliance: toilets, washing machines and dishwashers often have their own small isolating valve.
Outside stop tap: usually under a small metal or plastic cover in the pavement or front garden. It belongs to the water company: do not use it unless they tell you to.

How to turn off the water, step by step

Round handle (stop tap): turn clockwise until it stops. Remember: "righty-tighty".
Lever or slotted isolating valve: a quarter turn, so the lever or slot sits across the pipe.
Check: open a cold tap. After a few seconds, the water should stop. Close it again.
Turning it back on: open slowly, let a tap run a few seconds to clear the air, and watch for the leak.

What not to do

Forcing a stiff stop tap with pliers, a wrench or a hammer: it can snap and turn a drip into a flood.
Opening the outside stop tap cover and turning it yourself: it is the water company's equipment.
Taking a leaking stop tap apart: get it replaced by a qualified plumber.

Who is responsible

Water company: usually the pipes up to the boundary of your property, including the outside stop tap.
The owner: normally the supply pipe from the boundary into the home, and the pipes inside (Ofwat, CCW).
If you rent: your landlord must keep the water supply and pipes in repair (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11). Report a stuck or leaking stop tap in writing.

In your city

Your water company's name and 24-hour leak line are on your water bill and its website, and Water UK has a postcode finder. Call them for a leak in the street, at the meter or at the outside stop tap.

London: Thames Water for most of the city (a few outer areas have a different supplier: check your bill).
Birmingham: Severn Trent.
Manchester and Liverpool: United Utilities.
Leeds and Sheffield: Yorkshire Water.
Newcastle: Northumbrian Water.
Bristol: Bristol Water for the water supply.

In Scotland the supplier is Scottish Water; in Northern Ireland, NI Water.

Good to know

A stop tap that is never used tends to seize up: turn it off and on again once or twice a year.
Label it ("Water off here") so everyone at home, or a neighbour helping out, can find it.
Protect pipes and the stop tap from frost if they are in a garage, loft or unheated space.

When she moved into a flat in Manchester, Chloe could not find a stop tap under the sink. Her letting agent told her it was in the cupboard by the front door. She turned it off, checked the kitchen tap stopped running, then turned it back on. It was very stiff, so she emailed the agent, who had it replaced.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 18 October 2026, for England. Confidence: high for where to look, how to turn it and the split of responsibility for pipes; high for the water companies listed by city (check your bill if you live near a boundary); medium for the location of the stop tap, which varies from home to home. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis.