Water Bill for Unoccupied SF House $2500!

[Zoabe Hafeez]

I have a headache pier and beam foundation SF home that ultimately required a $30k complete redo of the foundation and flooring in the beginning of April.  They installed pressed piers, floor joists, replaced sub flooring, and vinyl floors.  Now, I get my April water bill and it's $2500!  I spoke with the foundation guys, a reputable company here in Houston, and they said they did a small pipe repair but restarted the water after finishing and didn't see any water.  The city will do a manual reading today and I'll drive down there tonight and see what's going on (though I've been there a few times already and there are no obvious signs of leak).

Another contractor did some basic dry walling, painting, and yard work to make ready for sale but I can't imagine that had anything to do with anything.

A few questions to anyone who's been in this situation:

- What are some possible explanations for this insane water bill on a 1700 sqft SFH?

- If this bill is real what can I do to appeal it (I'm in TX)?

- What steps should I take right now to remedy the situation?

All things pass and you don't get into real estate if you can't handle a little action, but this is a first for me so any guidance would be greatly appreciated.