Shared water supply

[motorbiking]

Water resale - Ofwat

Rules came into force on 1 April 2001 to protect people who buy their water or sewerage services from another person or company instead of directly from a water or sewerage company. This is known as water resale.

www.ofwat.gov.uk

 

[securespark]

I think I'd be getting a few minutes of legal advice.

Then tell the stuffy tawts at the Village Hall to stick their (your) water up their backsides.

 

[gazzab1968]

I think I'd be getting a few minutes of legal advice.

Then tell the stuffy tawts at the Village Hall to stick their (your) water up their backsides.

Yeah, add in the context of the fact that the village hall secretary was an ex work colleague (teacher) of my other half and that she used this to bully her and used emotional blackmail in an attempt to get her to do what she wanted us to do whilst in a private meeting in the village hall last week! If I’d have been there I’d have launched! We were willing to let a few things ride before that but now they can literally pay!

 

[securespark]

Don't let anything ride.

This is not a favour they are asking, it's downright effing cheek.

Presumably the church was funding their upkeep, prior to the sale of your residence, but not anymore.

The fact that they now have to stand on their own two feet is not your worry.

You have absolutely no obligation to fund their water supply or take care of their waste water unless your solicitor has made you aware of any such obligations.

 

[securespark]

I would take legal advice and pay for a letter to be sent to the secretary telling the committee what will be happening and advising them to make their own arrangements with TW.

 

[Mottie]

The water to my workshop comes from the house next door (which we used to own). We split the properties in 1990. The new owners have always been aware of that and have never asked for anything. Whenever they have had to turn the water off for repairs, they always give me notice so that I can fill some buckets.

 

[jeds]

Yes but those properties/flats would be registered with the water company or you’d have a separate rental agreement etc covering water charges. A village hall isn’t going to accept being charged by me as I’m neither a landlord nor a water company. We are two separate entities sharing a supply that happens to be routed through my house internally.

OK, one more go. You pay for the water supply and you are perfectly entitled to charge another user that is supplied from your supply. This is a common arrangement - and I don't mean landlords charging out rented flats, I mean properties - flats or houses - which have been divided and now have several separate owners but one water supply. Ideally everybody would have their own meter during the conversion but it isn't always possible or the costs are prohibitive. The rules change if the other user is a customer of the water supply company so, as I said at the beginning, you'd have to check that. But you have already said the neighbour is not a customer. You just need to purchase and install a meter, tell them you have done so, and send them a bill every, say, 6 months. If they do not pay, they will be debtors to deal with in the normal way.

 

[HERTS P&D]

I would be billing them monthly.

Andy

 

[gazzab1968]

OK, one more go. You pay for the water supply and you are perfectly entitled to charge another user that is supplied from your supply. This is a common arrangement - and I don't mean landlords charging out rented flats, I mean properties - flats or houses - which have been divided and now have several separate owners but one water supply. Ideally everybody would have their own meter during the conversion but it isn't always possible or the costs are prohibitive. The rules change if the other user is a customer of the water supply company so, as I said at the beginning, you'd have to check that. But you have already said the neighbour is not a customer. You just need to purchase and install a meter, tell them you have done so, and send them a bill every, say, 6 months. If they do not pay, they will be debtors to deal with in the normal way.

OK, so are you saying put a meter just on their supply that branches off of our pipe work inside our house? If that’s allowed then that’s maybe something I can tell them I will do if they don’t register with Thames Water……

 

[Bouy]

So notwithstanding the issue with septic tank the only issue is that their supply connection runs from a pipe in your house as opposed from a WC supply pipe outside your house. If it was moved to outside your house it would save you nothing as at the moment it is costing you nothing as it is all based on your rateable value?

 

[gazzab1968]

So notwithstanding the issue with septic tank the only issue is that their supply connection runs from a pipe in your house as opposed from a WC supply pipe outside your house. If it was moved to outside your house it would save you nothing as at the moment it is costing you nothing as it is all based on your rateable value?

The rateable value, from my understanding, was calculated way back prior to the two properties being divided, with ours being sold off. From what I can ascertain the rateable value has never been altered to reflect this and so I believe we’re receiving a higher bill than necessary under this payment method. A water meter is not an option for us.

 

[Old Salt]

So go to the council and ask for your rateable value to be reviewed.
Yet another thread where people give lots of advice but no action is taken.
l’m out.

 

[gazzab1968]

So go to the council and ask for your rateable value to be reviewed.
Yet another thread where people give lots of advice but no action is taken.
l’m out.

That doesn’t work, you can ask for your council tax rate/band to be reviewed but the old rates system isn’t used anymore, seemingly only by the water companies (as in water rates) and the organisation who calculated/managed these has apparently been disbanded…..we’re not all as stupid as you think and are only asking the questions to see what experience others have had in order to find a solution, no ‘action’ necessarily needs to happen…

 

[jeds]

At the very least I would fit a meter anyway, just to find out how much water they are using. As an intermittent user you might find it only adds up to a couple of quid per month, which is why I suggested 6 monthly. Water is about £3 per cubic meter, so it's not exactly liquid gold. Meters cost about £40-£50 so you'd have to factor that in as well, plus a bit of admin cost.

PS, if you do fit a meter, it would be wise to check if there are minimum requirements for calibration etc?

 

[securespark]

I would be billing them monthly.

Andy

For sure.