Problems in water search during conveyancing - should I be cautious?

ftb_1993

Bit of background...

I'm a FTB currently in the middle of buying a 2 bed first floor flat in Zone 4 London. It's part of what was your standard mid-terrace house (built around 1900s), which has just been converted into two flats. The owners have done a lot of work in terms of refurbishing, putting in new kitchens etc. but the water search on the conveyancing has possibly just thrown a spanner in the works...

My solicitor came back to me two weeks ago after initiating the water search, and said the search company can't find a water account for the property. They sent a question back to the sellers' solicitor to clarify whether they have a bill/proof the water supply is connected to the property, but they STILL haven't responded.

I then tried to speed things up by going to the Estate Agents - they also still haven't managed to get any response from the seller, but sent someone round the flat today to see if they can get a bill. They couldn't find one in the mountain of post, but the estate agent kept trying to confidently state over the phone that he was sure there's a separate meter.

Should I be cautious of what's going on? My first thought is that they may not have separated the pipes and hence the water account is still against the entire property and not each flat - if so is that illegal? The flat is on a leasehold but I'm not sure if legally they can sell without making sure there are separate water meters on each flat?

Hoping someone here can help me with an answer! IMO shared meters would be a hassle, and potentially make it difficult to sell later on which is why I'm feeling quite apprehensive...not to mention the fact the sellers haven't bothered responded to both my solicitor/the estate agents!

silvercar

You don't have to have a water meter, for a lot of properties it is not possible. Instead you will be assessed either on the rateable value of an older property or some size estimation for a newer one.

You should have a stop c0ck so that you can turn your own supply on and off. You should also have your own account. Neither of these issues are insurmountable.

ftb_1993

Okay so all I need to confirm is that a stop c0ck is in place, and the accounts have been separated? Is it the responsibility of the owners to do this (they converted both flats)?

BLOW_FLY

ftb_1993 wrote: »

Okay so all I need to confirm is that a stop c0ck is in place, and the accounts have been separated? Is it the responsibility of the owners to do this (they converted both flats)?

Absolutely.

For any OO, confirmation of where the stop !!!! is, whether or not they have a water bill for the property and who that's with should be a question/s they can answer within 30 seconds.

Taking weeks to answer this should probably ring alarm bells as it's not really difficult questions.

BF

silvercar

Even if there is no stop c0ck currenty, it should be possible to install one.

The main thing is that there is a water supply!

This is all stuff that whoever converted should sort and for your seller to now deal with.

Thrugelmir

ftb_1993 wrote: »

.not to mention the fact the sellers haven't bothered responded to both my solicitor/the estate agents!

Perhaps they've been away. Give them a few more days before to respond. Is the water meter the only issue with the conversion of the property into 2 flats?

ftb_1993

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Perhaps they've been away. Give them a few more days before to respond. Is the water meter the only issue with the conversion of the property into 2 flats?

I figure that might be the case - just wish they had informed someone as we are right in the middle of all the conveyancing. Yes this is the only hurdle right now - I had a full building survey carried out (not just a homebuyers survey) and nothing of note was spotted just a few cosmetic points. I've checked on the council tax register and the two flats are there so they at least did one job correctly...

Thank you all, I'll keep you updated once I get a response from the sellers!