Leaking stopcock - home purchased yesterday, where do we stand?

greatcrested

A_Lert said:

Based on the evidence, I 100% agree the vendors original owners knew. Whether they have any liability is another matter.

Replacing it can be a pain in the !!!!!! job if there's trouble with the outside stopcock.

The original owners sold to a developer who sold to the OP. The developer probobly did not know.

[Deleted User]

The cost of going to court is going to be much greater than the cost of having it replaced.

My advice would be just to have it replaced and enjoy your new house, the stress of fighting a legal battle can be extreme.
The developer you bough from will have an in house legal team and frankly your chances of winning are slim at best.
You often see in the news people have spend £1000s in legal fees over a £25 fence panel.
Don't be like them.

HCIMbtw

if its just a leaking gland valve on the stopcock it can be fixed in about 3 minutes with a small spanner and bit of ptfe 

Will cost £40 or less..

barbiedoll

Don’t be scared of basic plumbing, most simple leaks are easy fixes. My mate spent £80 on a plumber who fixed a leaky pipe under her sink. I fixed mine with a 20p washer from the local plumbing merchant. 

macman

First time buyers by any chance?

roddydogs

If that's all you find wrong, your doing well.

AdrianC

You viewed the property. The water was off.
You turned the stopcock on, then off. You noticed the stopcock was damp.
You bought the property. It turned out the stopcock was leaking.

Well, yes. You knew that was a possibility.

What is it, 25mm blue in, 22mm copper out?
https://www.screwfix.com/p/poly-stop-!!!!!!-25mm-x-22mm/97324
A tenner.
(Clicking the link does work)

Turn the water off at the road, turn all the taps on. Five minutes.

royalmike

Plumber/Gasfitter here probably 1/2 the time when a stop tap has been turned off the gland nut needs tightening otherwise they leak a little.Also very often seized completely.
We use cheep stop taps in this country although you can purchase more expensive ball type taps that will turn off easily and never leak, suggest you change it. 

roddydogs

5mins? Err it'll take that just to turn off the water from the meter

martindow

Turning the water off in the street is not necessarily straightforward without the tool that a plumber has.  They can be deep and difficult to turn by hand if they have not been used for a while.