External garage electricity wrongly connected to neighbours supply

[ebee]

Even the most basic testing and route planning would reveal that the source was elsewhere.

Yes indeed but there are some numpties doing all sorts of works sometimes. Ive seen quite a few horrors on new builds.

A builder/main contractor employees other to do works for the cheapest prices eventually they walk and new contractors come in and the cycle goes on. Mistakes and sheer incompettance abound many times. The race to the bottom helps ensure incompetance quit often.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Swap garages.

 

[JohnW2]

The deliberate act was the owner who swapped round the supplies

You must know something which I don't!

I've seen nothing written which suggests that any 'owner' (freeholder or leaseholder) has 'swapped round the supplies", the implication of what has been posted seemingly being that the garages were wired incorrectly to the wrong supplies when the garages/houses were built. Is that not the case?

 

[JohnW2]

Swap garages.

In bureaucratic/legal terms, that may be somewhat easier said than done - and, as I've already pointed out,, could prove to be a more expensive approach than having the supplies swapped ... IF (as seems likely) the Title Registers of both houses currently indicate 'ownership' of the garages as currently being used, then to get that changed, for both houses, could well cost £££.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The deliberate act was the owner who swapped round the supplies

That seems to be a highly unlikely scenario, the much more likely scenario, is that the electrician simply got the two supply cables mixed up, or simply ran them to the wrong garages. What advantage would the eventual owners derive, from deliberately having the two supplies mixed up?

 

[JohnW2]

The best solution there, would be to dig a hole down to the original trench, then cut, swap, and re-joint.

Maybe, but as I've suggested, it might be easier (quite possibly not involving any 'digging;') to simply swap the terminations at the garage ends, given ,,,,

We are a semi detached house and our electricity boxes in the houses are on either side of the same wall. Same in the garage, they are separated by a wall.

 

[JohnW2]

I think you are likely correct, and by now the problem is solved, in fact likely solved very quickly which is why we have not seen Ematthews[ after first few posts.

I've just looked. "Ematthews" joined DIYnot on 29 January 2023. He has only ever posted two messages to DIYnot forums (both in this thread), both on 29 Jan 2023, and was 'last seen' in DIYnot the next day (30 Jan 2023). In his second (and last) post, he indicated that he was going to call an electrician the next day to "look and advise".

 

[ericmark]

It may be unavoidable, but neither of the current house/garage owners should really have to pay. I have no idea of the legal situation but if (as seems to be the case) the company which undertook (or, at least, sub-contracted) the original installation still exists, then, morally speaking, it should be for them to correct their error, without charge, shouldn't it?

Yes I agree, and if they don't exist, but did exist when a PIR/EICR was done, then it would be down to the firm who did the inspection.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I've just looked. "Ematthews" joined DIYnot on 29 January 2023. He has only ever posted two messages to DIYnot forums (both in this thread), both on 29 Jan 2023, and was 'last seen' in DIYnot the next day (30 Jan 2023). In his second (and last) post, he indicated that he was going to call an electrician the next day to "look and advise".

Or, he might well be still waiting in for his electrician to arrive

 

[JohnW2]

Or, he might well be still waiting in for his electrician to arrive

Who knows? We probably never will.

However, as I've said, if the supplier (or suppliers) concerned were made aware of this issue, I imagine they would have insisted on the error being corrected (by someone!), since they would otherwise be basing their billing on incorrect information.

 

[blup]

You must know something which I don't!

I've seen nothing written which suggests that any 'owner' (freeholder or leaseholder) has 'swapped round the supplies", the implication of what has been posted seemingly being that the garages were incorrectly to the wrong supplies when the garages/houses were built. Is that not the case?

It’s almost inconceivable that this wasn’t known about either by the developers or spotted by subsequent owners

 

[blup]

hat advantage would the eventual owners derive, from deliberately having the two supplies mixed up?

To aid abstraction of electricity

 

[Murdochcat]

It’s almost inconceivable that this wasn’t known about either by the developers or spotted by subsequent owners

Not sure I agree with this. Developers sparks are paid peanuts and rarely is proper and thorough testing done

As for subsequent owners - why would they notice ? Unless they needed to isolate the garage

 

[blup]

Not sure I agree with this. Developers sparks are paid peanuts and rarely is proper and thorough testing done

As for subsequent owners - why would they notice ? Unless they needed to isolate the garage

People keep an eye on their bills, something was withheld by previous owners. Sockets lights etc get added over time.

 

[ericmark]

However, as I've said, if the supplier (or suppliers) concerned were made aware of this issue, I imagine they would have insisted on the error being corrected (by someone!), since they would otherwise be basing their billing on incorrect information.

I can't see suppliers being the least bit interested if I agreed to give my neighbour electric power, or them give me power, if we employed the same gardeners we would not expect them to unplug the hedge trimmer and plug back in when they moved to the other side of the hedge.

As long as you and your neighbour don't charge an EV, put a freezer in the garage, or use it as a workshop, the amount of power lights use it would hardly be worth worrying about. Even with a freezer, a quick internet hunt shows 0.68 kWh/24h for a chest freezer, so around £62 per year, I would just agree to pay the neighbour a yearly fee. Or fit an energy meter in house or garage and pay neighbour what you use.

That is, assuming, not easy to swap supplies.