Splitting a property on one water supply.

[Hugh Jaleak]

Not sure on this one, Sister in law had a house, with Granny Annex. She's split the 2 properties, and sold the house. She now has a buyer for the Annex. Fine, but the Annex's water supply is fed from the house, which she no longer owns.... House will therefore be paying for the Annex's water usage. Guy in the house is aware of this but as the annex has been empty, it seems he's let it ride. However, once the annex becomes occupied, obviously they'll need water.

In order to get round this SiL has asked me to fit a water meter where the mains supply enters the annex, her plan seems to be the house owner and new annex owner to get together and calculate the annex usage, so the annex occupiers can pay the house occupiers for their water usage.....

I'm not even sure this arrangement is legal, and before I get too involved, would welcome thoughts please.

 

[bernardgreen]

The retail unit that once was the same property as my cottage is supplied with water from my supply via a private meter. Anglian Water were happy with this arrrangement provided I did not over charge for the water used by the retail unit.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

You were happy, I'm not so sure the occupier of the house is going to be....

 

[Nige F]

Only way I can see that working is if the annex was leasehold to the house freehold, otherwise it's a legal can o'worms. She must bite the bullet and get a new supply/meter from the water co.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Come on Hugh, stop messing about and start digging.

Andy

 

[bernardgreen]

I do concurr that a separate supply is the best option in order to be free of disputes in the long term

 

[Agile]

There is nothing illegal about a sub supply of water.

But it does mean that the annex is totally dependent on the good will of the main house owner and will have no recourse if he became unco-operative. Ideally it should be based on a legal agreement.

The problem is that your SIL failed to do the proper thing when splitting and neither fitted a separate supply nor sold the house with a covenant to continue to supply the annex.

That kind of carelessness is very annoying to anyone who subsequently suffers as a result.

Is there really no way to get an independent supply to the annex?

Tony

 

[Nige F]

Get digging that well, Hugh

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Cheers Guys, personally I think she should have cut the annex supply off when she sold the house, and the annex purchasers would have been responsible for getting their own supply onto site. It was originally to be sold as a building plot, but looks like the prospective purchasers want to live in it at least temporarily.

I can run a trench from the annex to the road, without any major issues. Gravel driveway, and its a wide frontage to the road. Only problem is SiL doesn't want to pay for it! She's due to exchange contracts on the annex sake imminently, and has suddenly realised the water supply issue was never resolved, so she's hoping by putting a sub meter in, it absolves her of responsibility and the new owners can sort it out with the house owners next door.... I think this whole issue is going to come back and bite her on the backside now.

 

[Agile]

Perhaps about £2000 for the job.

The buyer should stick his heels in and refuse to buy until it is done or just take £2k off the price.

A right pain!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Well, sub meter is in, I asked next door if I could turn the supply off, and he was quite amiable about it. Not my problem now.

 

[Ian H]

Could each house not have an internal water meter?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Annex now has an internal meter but as far as the Water Co. are concerned, they'll read the external meter and bill the house accordingly. He'll then have to work out what the annex has used and take it off his consumption, and hope the annex occupiers cough up.

I can see it getting messy.....

 

[Ian H]

Me too.

Swap the meter for a blank cap

 

[Dan Robinson]

She'll have to get a covenant set up.