Discovered another property is using our electricity and water

EWilliams

We completed purchase on 29th August and two weeks later we discovered we are providing electricity and water to a stables on land which used to be owned by our vendor but was sold off separately in April this year.

I discovered this by pure chance as I thought I was turning off the fuse to our woodshed, then got a knock at the doorvfrom the owners of the land and stables.

We later established from discussion that the stables are also using our water.

We weren't informed by the estate agents and our solicitor has confirmed they had no knowledge of this.

Have absolutely no idea what to do, but supplying someone else's utilities doesn't appeal!

It would cost us to disconnect the services, but goodness knows would we be liable for cost of new supply?

We don't have contact details for the vendor as we dealt only through the estate agents and solicitors.

The stables owner says the cost is negligible, but that does of course depend on what they use ! There are power sockets and lighting in the building. Whilst the current owners may be reasonable, it could of course be sold on. I am aware now there are multiple users.

Last thing we want is to start our new life with a neighbour dispute.

paddedjohn

Ask the stable owners to pay for a meter to be put in and you bill them

davidmcn

Do the neighbours think they have any legal right to use the utilities? What did they think had been arranged when they bought?

foxy-stoat

Install a check meter and you can make them pay you for what they use, would be the way forward. I doubt the cost of lighting some stables would of amounted to much, unless they are growing some questionable plants in there.

AdrianC

As a quick-and-dirty stopgap, put a plug and socket in the feed to the stable, and plug one of these in the middle...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ELLGDC/

That'll enable you to see what they're actually using, so you know whether it's worth getting irate, or just coming to a nice friendly agreement for a case of wine at Christmas.

Ultimately, though, they're going to need to get their own supplies. I don't see why the install cost should be your problem - they should be back on the previous owner.

EWilliams

They vendor had verbally agreed the people who bought the land and stables could use electricity and water.

Our solicitor advises the owners of the stables cannot say that they have acquired any rights due to their long use of this arrangement as the land has only just been sold.The longer that any informal arrangements stay in place, the more likely that the owner of the stables can state that a right for the electricity has been established.

I am also concerned about liability for maintenance, access to do so , liability for death or injury !! General catastrophe.

At the moment our water supply is not metred. It may be cheaper for us if our supply was metered as there are only two of us. This may be the case in the future and some water companies are introducing compulsory meters.

Also concerned about the potential impact on property future resale if we became liable for supply.

D_M_E

An arrangement with previous owners does not mean you have to stick to said agreement.

Unmetered water is one thing, but as for electricity - a few "lights" are one thing, if only a few LED's but what if they get some massive 500w or 1000w halogen jobs blasting away, or get some heaters in? Your bill is likely to rocket as a result.

There is also the problem of what would happen when they sell on with this arrangement in place, particularly if they sell to a developer who builds 100 homes on the land with each one connected to your water supply - worth considering particularly if you get a water meter installed.

I would tell them the arrangement is ended as you are not prepared to fund their energy use and that they should pay for and have their own supply to be laid in.

Slithery

Unless they are willing to pay for meters to be installed and to reimburse you for any ongoing costs then just switch off their supplies.


They have no legal right to be using them without your agreement.

G_M

Read your Title deeds.

Is there anything there about the neighbours having rights either to use your supplies, or to access across your land for their own supply?

I'm assuming not or you or your solicitor would have spotted this.

In that case, invite them to tea. Bake a nice cake. Sit down and have a sensible discussion with them about the way forward. Options seem to be

1) continue informally as now and hope the cost is negligible. I don't recommend this.
2) ask the neighbours to pay for meters (is your water metered?) to be installed where their supply diverts from yours, and then bill them at whatever rate you are being billed by yur utilities companies. Draw up a Deed, and get this lodged with the Land Registry against both Titles. This will bind all future owners.
3) ask the neighbours to install their own mains supplies. If this involves crossing your land, make sure they agree to make good any damage done. Then Draw up a Deed, and get this lodged with the Land Registry against both Titles. This will bind all future owners.
4) if all the above fail, it seems that by permanantly turning off " the fuse to our woodshed" (haha), you will protect yourself from costs arising from the neighbours usage. Not recommended if you want to maintain relations with your neighbours, but there again, if they refuse to cooperate with the other options I reckon relations have already broken down!

borkid

In one place I lived we shared a digester for sewage which ran off our electricity supply, there was a separate meter which we could use to apportion the cost to each house. We didn't bother as the cost was quite low but it had all been written into the paperwork when we moved.


I'd definitely get them to fit a separate meter for electric and water. If they become awkward about it I'd been inclined to turn off both when I went out if possible.

phoebe1989seb

Our (rural) property used to be supplied with water from a well on a nearby farmer's land, along with three/four other properties - including the mansion that once owned the farm.

At some point over the past fifteen years the farmer decided to cut off the supply (not sure of the actual circumstances as we only bought our house in 2018) to all the other properties.

Anyway, when this occurred, all the other properties (except the one we later purchased) had their own boreholes drilled.

In 2017 the previous owners of our house were unable to keep up mortgage repayments and the property was repossessed. By the time we viewed there was no apparent water supply to our house and on completion we proceeded to have a borehole drilled too, but we later discovered that our nearest neighbour had agreed to share his borehole/supply with the previous owners of our place.

As it was only a verbal agreement, when they were repossessed he merely removed all the pipework to our house. We actually found it buried on our overgrown land.

Excuse the pun, but their verbal agreement didn't hold water once they had moved out.......and as previous posters have said, nor does that in the OP, imho.