MOVED HOUSE, NO WATER.

[Phil Pascoe]

Any ideas anybody on this one? We completed on our house this morning, and started to move stuff in - fortunately we've a rented bungalow till xmas. We read the meters, (the water's not metered) turned everything on and when I turned the stopcock on, nothing happened, I did however hear water running back through the system. We rung the agents, who got in touch with the vendors and they have ascertained that there are only two stopcocks, one in the kitchen and one in the pavement outside. This is where the fun starts. The outside one supplies my neighbour's house as well. We have information which states this as the house was let, and all the details were written down for the tenants, and there is a warning that if the supply is turned off to be aware that it cuts the neighbour off as well. He has in the last couple of weeks re-plumbed the house from the doorstep in, and I think he has bypassed my supply. He hasn't stripped out the old pipework, so I'm going to get a few gallons of water back through a tap to see if it comes out the cut end. There's a chance it's nothing to do with him, but the ex owners were there two weeks ago and the water was ok then. All I can get from him is a shrug and "what do you expect me to do - your water supply shouldn't be under my floor". Common sense would say that, but it doesn't alter the fact that it is. He wants a meter put in, and points out that he couldn't have one with my supply joined to his - I don't want a meter, so that doesn't really matter to me. The water board are no help, because the junction is inside the boundary. If the water board agreed to his meter, they couldn't just say - Yeah, go ahead, just cut your neighbours supply off. For that reason I think they would refuse to fit one. I would rather my supply was totally separate, but a large bill seems a bit unjust when I didn't cause the problem in the first place.
The guy is being a bit of jerk, but I really don't want to fall out with them before I've even moved in.

 

[Goulss]

Could you not tell them you want a meter as well? Just a thought.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It crossed my mind, but I'd still have to run a main from one side of the house to the other and out to the road. It will be eating away at my Triumph Rocket 3 money.

 

[mind_the_goat]

It reasonable to expect the house to have water, unless it was mentioned in the sales documentation then it seems to be it's the vendors responsibility, even if they knew nothing about it it seems the water supply was cut off while they were still in possession. I'd have a word with your solicitor about that, and about your neighbors right to cut off your supply. Anything in the deeds about shared water pipes?
Seems unfortunate that your neighbor might cause a falling out before you've even moved in.

 

[Berncarpenter]

If that happened to me i think i would turn off the stop tap in the street and fill the access hole with quick drying concrete :evil: Park the car over it and go for a pint. See how your new shoulder shrugging neighbour likes that. #-o On a more serious note shortly the water board could do something for you ?Good luck with this on Cheers Bern.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The water board say it's nothing to do with them as it's on private property.

 

[MARK.B.]

Even big water companies would think twice before cutting off a domestic water supply and then only after legal advice. If you neighbour has cut your supply accidentally or on purpose then the mention of a solicitor and huge legal bills may change his attitude if not follow berncarpenters advice. If the guy is a a ss hole now then being nice to him probably wont work,go for the jugular and he will think twice next time he thinks about giving someone the rough end of a pineapple.

Owning the Rocket 3 will put a bigger smile on your face than being friends with this d ick head

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There's no question of anything deliberate - I think he's inadvertently bypassed a junction that he didn't know existed.
I really don't want to fall out - I'll probably be next door to him for the rest of my life.

 

[MARK.B.]

Ok give him the benifit of the doubt but if he did it then its up to him to put it right.

 

[Flynnwood]

I'm not sure what you mean by this:

"I think he has bypassed my supply. He hasn't stripped out the old pipework, so I'm going to get a few gallons of water back through a tap to see if it comes out the cut end."

Has he bypassed your supply? What cut end? Where is it?

Have you tried asking him what has changed in the last few weeks to leave you without a water supply. You need more info.

If his actions have caused you to be without a water supply (from the shared stopcock) try to be nice and reasonable and friendly. He has perhaps taken the opportunity to "get onto" a water meter to save money and may have fessed up in the process. Most people can be reasonable. Ask how it can be sorted.

If he rejects, then you will have other options. But since you are about to move in, I'd suggest you park up the legal aspects until you've tried a friendly approach.

 

[Graham Orm]

Seems a rather big coincidence that he's re-plumbed and you have no water. A job for the solicitor I reckon. I'm certain there will be something in the deeds if your supply passes under his house.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

He has disconnected the old plumbing just inside the front door, that's where the cut end is. I shall go around in the morning and pour a couple of gallons of water back through the cold tap, that should show whether I'm right. I can't see any other possible cause, though.

 

[No skills]

What a ******* ridiculous situation to be in. I hope your neighbour becomes more helpful rapidly, one of my neighbours was a richardhead on the very night we were trying to move in and it has continued since.

 

[Lons]

Your solicitor should have picked up the shared water supply in the searches and worth a 'phone call to ask why he didn't. Your supply should be protected as a matter of right and you certainly wouldn't reasonably be expected to complete purchase with no water supply.

Sounds to me as if this guy knows full well what he's done and has taken the opportunity to get rid of the supply pipe "shouldn't be under my floor" . If it was there when he bought his property then it's an established supply route and he's stuck with it and has no right to remove it. - End of story in my book!

My son is due to complete on his new (old) house next month and we'll have some fun with a neighbour who has built an extension and vented his extractor into my son'r yard. I'm going to build an extension and block it up so he ain't going to like it when I politely inform him he should re-route it before I block it up :lol:

Bob

 

[MMUK]

Personally I'd go back to the vendor and say sort it or lose the sale.

 

[Graham Orm]

Personally I'd go back to the vendor and say sort it or lose the sale.

Too late for that once completed, and it's not really their fault it's numpty-next-door.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Already bought and paid for, so that route is closed. I suspect I'm going to bite the bullet and have mine re-routed, which isn't the easiest of jobs as the pipe has to go under a concrete path and five steps before it gets to the front door, then under two laminate floors to the kitchen. It may be better to do this anyway as we may wish at some stage to go on a meter - at the moment it doesn't suit us to. I'll test it this morning to be 100% sure what's happened, then I'm going to speak to my b.i.l. who does ground works for a living to see if he comes up with any alternative. I don't wish to fall out the guy next door, as I wish to build a workshop extension at the back and I'd rather work with him than against him.

 

[Graham Orm]

Already bough and paid for, so that route is closed. I suspect I'm going to bite the bullet and have mine re-routed, which isn't the easiest of jobs as the pipe has to go under a concrete path and five steps before it gets to the front door, then under two laminate floors to the kitchen. It may be better to do this anyway as we may wish at some stage to go on a meter - at the moment it doesn't suit us to. I'll test it this morning to be 100% sure what's happened, then I'm going to speak to my b.i.l. who does ground works for a living to see if he comes up with any alternative. I don't wish to fall out the guy next door, as I wish to build a workshop extension at the back and I'd rather work with him than against him.

What a dire state of affairs Phil. That won't be a cheap job. I'd go to your solicitor first, the guy doesn't sound like he'll be cooperative whatever you do. Why do some people have to be such a**e holes?

 

[Max Power]

A wise decision Phil, although very easy to fall out with him over this, its much better to maintain a decent relationship given your workshop plans

 

[Lons]

What a dire state of affairs Phil. That won't be a cheap job. I'd go to your solicitor first, the guy doesn't sound like he'll be cooperative whatever you do. Why do some people have to be such a**e holes?

+1