Neighbour shut off my water supply

Malaklondon

I rented out my flat and my neighbour installed a stop valve onto my water supply pipe that runs through her flat.
She claimed this was her way to stop my tenant playing loud music , needless to say the tenant wasn’t noisy at all.
 The neighbour confirmed that she turned off the water, this lasted several weeks in the biggest heatwave in August leaving my tenant unable to shower, use the toilet or wash up.
The police managed to speak with the neighbour who opened the water however I lost out on rent and the stop valve remains in her flat . 

What can I do? The police first said they would arrest her if it was confirmed that this was deliberate but in the end they did nothing.
She reported my ex tenant again for being noisy months after she moved out. We believe this person is mentally ill but no one is willing to deal with it so she just terrorises us all.

400ixl

Why is your supply coming through your neighbours? Was it once one house and split into flats?

I assume you have your own water meter out in the street?

Could you not ask the water authority for your own supply into the building?

Malaklondon

It’s a Victorian conversation, I am on the top floor (loft) this person has the entire floor below.

No water meters sadly, when I requested it I was told they can’t fit a meter.

The lease clearly grants the rights for water supply but the authorities aren’t interested.

Bendy_House

"...this lasted several weeks in the biggest heatwave in August leaving my tenant unable to shower, use the toilet or wash up."?

Cutting off a water supply is against the law. Not even Water Boards can do this.

Try and get your ducks lined up before this happens again. Chase the info - contact the WB and insist on answers on who to report this to should it happen again. It might, of course, just be the police! At least a pattern will be built up, so it'll be harder for the neighb to plead ignorance.

"She claimed this was her way to stop my tenant playing loud music, needless to say the tenant wasn’t noisy at all.
 The neighbour confirmed that she turned off the water..."How was this admitted - verbally?

Norman_Castle

Is there a stop tap under the pavement for the whole property?

Bendy_House

Norman_Castle said:

Is there a stop tap under the pavement for the whole property?

Oooh - I can see your thinking...

Alderbank

Bendy_House said:

Cutting off a water supply is against the law. Not even Water Boards can do this.

Yes. Cutting off a water supply to the property is against the law. The Water Board has to get a warrant to do this.

Trouble is their responsibility ends when the supply enters the property. 100 years before water meters were thought of, many Victorian terrace houses were built with shared supply from the road. Unless a flat is in a modern purpose-built block the building will have just one supply from the street and a maze of branches inside. All still quite legal but something your solicitor should have enquired about and warned you of at purchase.
It's far from unknown for tenants who fall out to turn each other's water off. If they can do it from within the privacy of their own flat it is surprisingly difficult to do anything about it. Environmental health don't want to know, Water Board doesn't want to know, leasehold management won't want to know.

I don't wish to add to the OP's woes but about the only person who can clearly be taken to court is the unfortunate landlord of a let property. It is an offence to let a property without (among other things) running water. Usually in these circumstances the landlord actually has to pay for their tenant to go to a hotel until the landlord can get the supply restored.
One of the joys of being a residential landlord.

Bendy_House

Blimey :-(

FaceHead

When I lived in a middle floor Victorian conversion, we considered getting a water meter. Thames water were willing to fit one under the sink where the water entered the flat from the floor below, but it would have meant ripping out/modifying a kitchen cupboard to make space. Thames agreed to put us down as 'can't fit a meter' and put us on the rateable tariff, but in reality, they would be prepared to put in a meter if the kitchen was redone. Shared supply =/= can't have a meter, as clearly there must be a point somewhere where the supply becomes all yours (unless there were several points where it became yours, then that'd be messy)
   
The main issue here is the problem neighbour, and the sensible remedies are:
a. put up with it, including agro, lost rent etc. and wait for them to move or die; or
b. sell/move. 

Did you have to reimburse the tenant in anyway for the period where they had no water? If so you could try to get the neighbour to pay this. If your loss is lost rent because your tenant left I think that is too remote from the water shut off to be a valid claim. Couldn't you have got a new tenant, and vacancy in renting a flat is a thing that happens.  

If you did, e.g. refund the tenant the rent when they had no water, and you did successfully claim it against the neighbour, it'd be a load of hassle, and they probably won't pay it.  You're then in the messy world of enforcement which probably won't get you any recompense, and will make selling harder. 

I would sell - unless you are a serious landlord, it seems like a good time to exit the BTL market.  

theoretica

I wonder what would happen with making a small claims court claim for lost rent?

TELLIT01

Consult a solicitor and get them to write to her advising that cutting of the water is a criminal act.