Money Moral Dilemma: Is it fair I pay to repair a water pipe that only supplies our neighbours?

scotched

Don't cut off your neighbour's water supply.  It's an essential commodity and it could land you in trouble.
Get advice before acting.  Your water company would be a good place to start

ThisIsWeird

1) Contact your insurance. Explain it's a sole neighbouring supply passing through your land. Your supply has long been replaced with MDPE, and has been fully independent for 25 years. Your insurance co will/should have an interest in any damage that could be caused to your property. They will hopefully advise what to do.

2) Contact your LegProt if you have it - that will be job done. They will advise and guide you.

3) Have a gentle chat with your neighbour, and ideally have it witnessed (or recorded). Explain to them that you are nigh-on 100% certain that, since this pipe supplies only their property, and is not shared with anyone else, it is their full responsibility. Add - as gently as you can - that if it causes any damage to your land, they will also be responsible for this if they don't act.

If they simply claim it ain't theirs, then hand them the WB's number, and ask them to confirm.

pftinks

I'm in a very similar position at the moment and it turns out that the leak in neighbour's supply is my responsibility, where it runs under my property.

Ever since early 2022, I've had 'inspectors' from the water company turning up - usually unexpectedly - to try to find the leak. Various bits of my front and back gardens have been dug up by their 'gangs' and eventually, last month, I was told they had replaced the stop tap on my meter, which they accessed from the road, without my knowledge, and that has cured my leak.

But there is still a leak. Two days ago they traced the leak to my neighbour's supply, and were able to verify that the leak is under my house, not under the gardens between our houses. But they don't know where exactly the neighbour's supply tees off from mine. There have been lots of problems with one person not knowing what the previous person had said and the 'gangs' not reading the notes, and photos going missing etc. So the inspector missed the chance to see where the neighbour's supply tees off when the land around my meter was dug up because nobody had told him (or me!) that it was going to happen that day!

My neighbour has just applied to have a new, separate supply and the inspector who came yesterday told me that they'd probably replace my supply, up to the meter, at the same time. (though I had most of it replaced in 2002, when Dynorod nicked the lead pipe and the water company replaced it with a blue plastic one.)

The water company has told us that they are only responsible for the pipework up to the boundary of our properties but it seems they are paying for all these investigations. I've seen a lot of water companies' websites offering quite a generous grant to consumers who want to get rid of their lead pipes. There was no such offer on our water company's website but I dug deep yesterday evening and found a similar diagram to the one at the top of this thread and, in small print, it says that they may be able to do the work free of charge.

So, all fingers and toes are crossed . . . 

Angri

All_Ears said:

1. Ask your water company's advice concerning the leakage i.e. whose responsibility it is.
2. Once you have found this out, you are in a stronger position as you now have the knowledge, but don't lie by saying it is your neighbour's problem when your water company has told you differently.
3. thus, depending upon what your water company have said, you may inform your neighbours of the situation.
4. If the leak IS their responsibility, then they must accept that and pay for a) the repair of the leak in its entirety and b) for any damage to your property caused as a result of the leak and any damage, say, to floorboards. If they refute that it is their responsibility, then you may have to go to court to resolve the issue. That could be far more costly than your plumber's fees!

You're spot-on, All Ears - - - that was well explained and completely logical.

raj1forall

What most of the comments fail to answer is the crucial fact mentioned that he had put a plastic pipe extension to his own property many years ago.  If the Leak is due to where the extension was added in that I would say it is the owner's problem and should be addressed.  Had that extension not been put in 25 years ago,  maybe the leak may not have caused!

daivid

Unless the leak has been there for 25 years it seems unlikely the actions of swapping the OPs pipe to plastic all those years can be determined to have caused the current issue. It is much more likely the leak is due to a recent action or effect.

pftinks

I just found this - and added the URL of the website it's on:

JayD

I agree with the majority here in that you should contact the water company. They may not only advise you but also may be obliged to fix the problem. However, yo may need legal advice as to who would be responsible for paying to put right any damage to your property - either through the leak or the damage caused repairing it, or both.

turnip22

If the leak is causing you problems, you might to be able to get your insurance involved. 

They may be able to finance the repair and claim it against your neighbour. 

Maybe telling your neighbour what you are proposing might be enough to change their mind.

This assumes that you installing your plastic pipe, or any other work you have done, hasn't caused the leak.

pftinks

I've been wondering how the OP knew there was a leak? In my case it was the Water Company that kept telling me that there must a leak somewhere because their meter (in the pavement) was spinning round in the middle of the night.) I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. It has taken 18 months of frequent visits by 'inspectors' and contractors to work out that the leak is on the neighbour's supply, under my house. Earlier this week, the contractor who supervised digging the hole outside my kitchen and put a stop tap on it (to my neighbour's supply) told me that, as the leak was under my house, I'd probably have to pay a plumber to fix it. But it's now looking as if my neighbour (and possibly, me) will have a new, separate supply. My neighbour will probably save money by having a meter as there are just two of them living in quite a large four-bedroomed house.