Water supply

[Landrover]

If someone "hypothetically" connected to a private water supply without asking the owner of said supply what would be the legal situation regarding this ? Nobody who currently uses this supply pays for it and never will but this is a new build and a connection has never been discussed, it's just a pipe to the site at the moment but will be a house in the future !

 

[Goweresque]

I'd say its theft. Just because the owner didn't pay for the water from someone else (one assumes this is a private supply of some kind) does not mean he doesn't still own it. He presumably paid for the piping and the reservoir or whatever that creates the supply, so the water in the pipes is his. After all the water companies don't pay for the water they sell us, its free out of the sky or from the aquifers. Yet if we tapped into their pipes we'd be stealing.

 

[Bongodog]

If its a private water supply, it may well in times of drought not supply enough water for two dwellings, the owner would be distinctly angry if their until now reliable water supply dried up

 

[Lili]

Private water sources supplying more than a certain number of properties (cant remember how many) are legally required to be regularly tested for water quality. If the new property people become ill through dodgy water they may well have a claim against the owner of the water source.
More problems if the water source is not enough to guarantee a year round supply to all the properties.

 

[renewablejohn]

Simple they would be tampering with a private water supply and could be sued for it. We had similar with our mains supply as the next door neighbor had connected the barn conversion onto our water line. They refused to admit this until the water board turned off our supply as we had gone onto spring water. About a week later they came knocking on the door saying they ran out of water. They then had to put in there own independent supply.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Private water sources supplying more than a certain number of properties (cant remember how many) are legally required to be regularly tested for water quality. If the new property people become ill through dodgy water they may well have a claim against the owner of the water source.
More problems if the water source is not enough to guarantee a year round supply to all the properties.

If it were my supply, I would want to fit a meter and charge for the water

 

[Landrover]

Private water sources supplying more than a certain number of properties (cant remember how many) are legally required to be regularly tested for water quality. If the new property people become ill through dodgy water they may well have a claim against the owner of the water source.
More problems if the water source is not enough to guarantee a year round supply to all the properties.

The water is tested every year, the reason there is no charge is that there is no guarantee of a quantity or quality of supply, each property has a letter from a solicitor outlining this, but this is a site for a house that is not built yet a it's suspected that the owner is just going to connect without asking as the previous owner of the site who also didn't have a agreement about water will have just told them to connect up !

 

[Lili]

The water is tested every year, the reason there is no charge is that there is no guarantee of a quantity or quality of supply, each property has a letter from a solicitor outlining this, but this is a site for a house that is not built yet a it's suspected that the owner is just going to connect without asking as the previous owner of the site who also didn't have a agreement about water will have just told them to connect up !

People like that are trouble!

 

[steveR]

The water is tested every year, the reason there is no charge is that there is no guarantee of a quantity or quality of supply, each property has a letter from a solicitor outlining this, but this is a site for a house that is not built yet a it's suspected that the owner is just going to connect without asking as the previous owner of the site who also didn't have a agreement about water will have just told them to connect up !

I know of a similiar situation where the oroginal supply was for a couple of horse.

The suggestion I made was for the supplier to put in a restrictor of the flow and pressure to the new property.... I think that they will need a new connection soon

 

[Goweresque]

The water is tested every year, the reason there is no charge is that there is no guarantee of a quantity or quality of supply, each property has a letter from a solicitor outlining this, but this is a site for a house that is not built yet a it's suspected that the owner is just going to connect without asking as the previous owner of the site who also didn't have a agreement about water will have just told them to connect up !

Surely thats easy then, just disconnect the supply on your side of the boundary. You'll soon get an aggrieved phone call to which you can reply 'Yes of course I can turn it back on, just as soon as you provide me with a copy of the legal agreement that entitles to to a supply of my water'.

 

[betweenthelines]

About as legal as going into someone's house and clearing their kitchen cupboards because all that food is "unused" and "going spare"

 

[Highland Mule]

Just ask for clarification of whom to send the £10k connection charge to…

 

[renewablejohn]

Just ask for clarification of whom to send the £10k connection charge to…

Thats probably cheap for some connecting to the mains in rural locations.

 

[thesilentone]

Surely thats easy then, just disconnect the supply on your side of the boundary. You'll soon get an aggrieved phone call to which you can reply 'Yes of course I can turn it back on, just as soon as you provide me with a copy of the legal agreement that entitles to to a supply of my water'.

Simply the best course of action to take, disconnect the supply.

If the supply pipe is through your own land, then a legal agreement and easement is required for future supply, who pays, who is responsible for maintenance and repairs up to the new connection point.

If additional work is required, everything should be charged.

My advice would be to avoid a sub-supply at all costs, they are a pain in the axxe !!

If you do agree, fit a meter after the new connection on your supply and one on the new supply. Then, if any bursts happen before the new supply take off, they are responsible for the loss.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

first question, where does the water come from? Is it a mains supply? Or a private spring or bore hole? If it is private supply, I would be inclined to send a letter to all the users outlining that the supply is not potable.

 

[Matt]

sorry if answered already. did they cross onto your land to connect to supply? if so, tell them to fudge off (nicely ish) are they going to the souce of the water when you draw from or tapping into a pipe?