Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 05, 2010 7:27 am Hi all Quick question. We have just recently finished building, and our next door neighbour has just recently started building. I arrived home last night to notice that the kind folks next door had been using our water all day. Whilst i dont have any proof it is quite obvious, as their were many muddy footprints leading from our now drenched water tap and back to their property. Where do i stand with this? I have phoned the builder and asked for the site supervisor to call me back. Does anyone have any reccomendations??? Thanks Re: Builder next door using our water??? 2Oct 05, 2010 7:43 am I would take a deep breath and not worry about it. The amount of water they can be using in a day would be quite small given it sounds like they are filling up buckets. They should have a water meter on site which should have a tap on it. You could perhaps leave a note above your tap asking them nicely to use there own water tap. But overall I wouldn't stress about it to much. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 3Oct 05, 2010 10:14 am I'd say they probably don't have the meter installed yet. Same thing happened to me. What I did was go to Bunnings and buy a tap head which has a removable handle which can't be used by someone when the handle is removed. They are very easy to install and aren't expensive. A plumber will probably have the handle but I doubt any other tradies will. It sends a clear message that its not okay to use your tap and makes it virtually impossible anyway. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 4Oct 05, 2010 11:46 am if you've actually moved in or had handover I think it is incredibly rude for them to be helping themselves to YOUR water. it might only be a small amount but they have obviously trespassed onto private property to do so. I would look at this favourably , maybe, if they'd asked. BUT otherwise no way. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 5Oct 05, 2010 12:02 pm The problem isn't so much the water use as it is the mess they can leave behind. I had people tipping out their buckets of paint filled water into my front yard which admittedly was just clay but I still had to clean it out of the silt pit. It's best not to make your own land part of the building site if you can help it. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 6Oct 05, 2010 12:03 pm Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This should do the trick and convey your feelings. http://www.gardentapguard.com.au/our-products.html About $30. Its the trespassing/theft that is the point. Yes the amount of water may be minimal but still. If it was me, and they had asked I would have let them use it, just make sure you don't make a mess and maybe there is something you could do for me? (beer?) But because they didn't ask, STUFF Em Re: Builder next door using our water??? 8Oct 05, 2010 12:15 pm We disconnected our front garden tap (have others hidden around the side of the house) and put our water meter down in a pit. No one will be borrowing our water Frustrating though hey... we had our power being stolen at the end of our build. We hadn't had handover as yet, so it was our builder paying for the power not us. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Builder next door using our water??? 9Oct 05, 2010 12:48 pm thanks for the replies.... yes we have had handover and have well and truly moved in, like everyone said if they had of asked i probably wouldnt have battered an eye lid, but knowing that people are on your property using your utilities when you arent home in my view is theft... thanks for the advice, i'll be making a trip to bunnings very shortly! Re: Builder next door using our water??? 10Oct 06, 2010 10:57 am heater07 thanks for the replies.... yes we have had handover and have well and truly moved in, like everyone said if they had of asked i probably wouldnt have battered an eye lid, but knowing that people are on your property using your utilities when you arent home in my view is theft... thanks for the advice, i'll be making a trip to bunnings very shortly! Hi, It is theft, and trespass. If they haven't even asked, you are justified. I think one abuse will always lead to another, for example the washing out of paint on your premises. However you could start off with a sign, and when that is ignored (it probably will be), then proceed to the next step. Cheers Re: Builder next door using our water??? 11Oct 06, 2010 3:47 pm I wouldn't really mind, unless they trashed the place. They may have tried to ask you, but you werent at home. was probably just the concretors filling buckets to clean tools or piers. Your concretors probably used your neighbors water when your place was under construction. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 12Oct 06, 2010 4:10 pm ...just to throw a spanner in the works, it's illegal to deny anyone water for drinking,health and hygiene purposes. If someone asks for it you must oblige, even the water supply co. isn't permitted to disconnect you, if you don't pay your bill the worst/best they can do is restrict the flow. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 13Oct 06, 2010 4:30 pm cclarity I wouldn't really mind, unless they trashed the place. They may have tried to ask you, but you werent at home. was probably just the concretors filling buckets to clean tools or piers. Your concretors probably used your neighbors water when your place was under construction. +1. I know I am in the minority, but I honestly don't understand why people get caught up in "the point" and get stressed over what is essentially nothing. And I have to admit I get a bit of a laugh at the thought of spending money in petrol to get to the hardware store and then spending more money to buy some kind of tap "safeguard" all to stop someone using $1.50 of water. It just seems odd to me. (yes I know it's technically trespassing, and it's technically stealing.) Think about it from the other side of the fence, would you feel the same if as an owner your builder told you they put off starting for a month because the neighbours wouldn't let them use a bit of water? I know my builder used my neighbours water when they did our site cut, and I couldn't care less if another builder uses our water or our power (and they have). Most of the people that have built a house would have used power/water or something else from another site to get their build going at some point. I just think what goes around comes around. For me, I've got bigger things to worry about in life than a tradie walking across my front yard and using some water. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Re: Builder next door using our water??? 14Oct 06, 2010 7:11 pm Joles I think they reason they are so annoyed it that they weren't asked. They said that if asked they wouldn't have minded it was the fact they they hadn't been asked. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 16Oct 06, 2010 7:23 pm E1109 Tell the builder it'll cost a carton of tinnies for the water. He gets water, you get beer. Easy. You're weclome in my home for a glass of water anytime. ...just don't forget the beer. Re: Builder next door using our water??? 17Oct 06, 2010 8:01 pm joles cclarity I wouldn't really mind, unless they trashed the place. They may have tried to ask you, but you werent at home. was probably just the concretors filling buckets to clean tools or piers. Your concretors probably used your neighbors water when your place was under construction. +1. I know I am in the minority, but I honestly don't understand why people get caught up in "the point" and get stressed over what is essentially nothing. And I have to admit I get a bit of a laugh at the thought of spending money in petrol to get to the hardware store and then spending more money to buy some kind of tap "safeguard" all to stop someone using $1.50 of water. It just seems odd to me. (yes I know it's technically trespassing, and it's technically stealing.) Think about it from the other side of the fence, would you feel the same if as an owner your builder told you they put off starting for a month because the neighbours wouldn't let them use a bit of water? I know my builder used my neighbours water when they did our site cut, and I couldn't care less if another builder uses our water or our power (and they have). Most of the people that have built a house would have used power/water or something else from another site to get their build going at some point. I just think what goes around comes around. For me, I've got bigger things to worry about in life than a tradie walking across my front yard and using some water. Agree 100% Far too much of this sort of stuff going on these days! I know from first hand expirience that life next to a neighbour who you dont get along with isn't worth the hassle! Just my opinion though... Our home: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=29960 Re: Builder next door using our water??? 18Oct 06, 2010 8:50 pm At first I get annoyed by stuff like this and then I think about it and realise in the grand scheme of things it's not that big a deal. Yes they should ask but really I think it comes part and parcel of building in a new estate and love thy neighbour etc etc. I know people used my water during my build that weren't working on my house and yes, I was paying for it but put yourself in their shoes - I'd have been so frustrated if my build was held up due to a tradie not being able to clean some tools or wash their hands or even get some water to drink while working... 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Builder next door using our water??? 19Oct 07, 2010 6:46 pm TheOK ...just to throw a spanner in the works, it's illegal to deny anyone water for drinking,health and hygiene purposes. If someone asks for it you must oblige, even the water supply co. isn't permitted to disconnect you, if you don't pay your bill the worst/best they can do is restrict the flow. Hi, Sadly, that is not true in NSW at least, although they are very slow to go ahead. NCOSS reports that there were, in one recent year, about 2500 residences which had their supply restricted, and about 30 disconnected, for Sydney and the Hunter combined. Not large numbers it must be said. The Sydney Water website Customer Contract makes it quite plain they reserve the right to disconnect you if they feel they have exhausted all alternatives: "Will Sydney Water disconnect my water supply? If you do not pay your bill by the due date and have not made other arrangements with us, we may disconnect or restrict the water to your property. However We will not restrict or disconnect your supply for non-payment unless we have: • provided reasonable notice that we intend to restrict or disconnect • tried to contact the person living in the property • informed you about our practices and procedures relating to customer hardship, debt, restriction and disconnection for non-payment. We may also disconnect or restrict your water supply if: • your private plumbing is illegal or unauthorised • you fail to comply with this contract or other agreements you may have with us • you discharge trade wastewater into our wastewater system and do not have a trade waste agreement with us • you have not installed a backflow prevention containment device within the required timeframe • you fail to provide access to our water meter • you do not use recycled water properly." i imagine you also have another contract with an architect? and yeah, whatever other's said about special conditions and appendices 16 16019 Hi all I am looking to run a water line under my concrete footpath which is directly next to my home, was seeing if this is possible without cutting the entire section… 0 20187 Did you know that you can get rugs made from carpet? So much cheaper than buying a shop rug. So many styles to choose from, but you won't get the highly patterned… 0 6279 |