to think that this isn’t just a quirk or living at the end house and is actually theft?

[BanKittenHeels]

We live at the end house on our road. It turns out our window cleaner has been using water from our back garden tap to wash the windows not only on our entire side of the road but also the houses on the road that backs onto our road. That’s 43 houses!
When confronted about this he told me “that’s a quirk of living at the end house”.

I mentioned it to a neighbour and she just laughed and said “It’s only a bit of water!”

AIBU to think, as we are on a water meter, this is actually theft?

@SoCrimeaRiver
If he’d just washed your mums windows he obviously needed a fresh bucket
Weird attitudes on here, grudging a bucket of water.

My daughter discovered their neighbours window cleaner using their tap without asking. They don't have a window cleaner as they have a limited income and they have water meter. They might have said yes if he'd asked but he just went ahead and used it as its on the front of the house.

I don’t begrudge him a bucket of water to do mine or even a couple of neighbours, if access to water is difficult but to do dozens of houses for seemingly 6 years is a different matter altogether. Especially without asking.
I would assume he used my water to wash my windows anyway.

Tell him it's theft or send him a bill.
If he refuses tell him you'll post all over social media how he is a thief.

Tell him he can do your windows for free if he wants to use your water.

That’s awful. It’s theft.

Our window cleaner man uses special distilled ( or so he says) water from a big tank in his van.

Yes that must be what ours does too @DobbyTheHouseElk I just googled and apparently it doesn't streak like tap water does! Ours use big long pole things.

@TheMustressMhor but it requires treatment and services so who would pay for that? Nice idea.

Ask for you windows to be free in exchange for water 🤷‍♀️

Seriously ppl here would brand someone on SM a thief over a bucket of water?
How nasty and ott.
Again it’s not a bucket per house, for 30 he probably only refills 5/6 buckets.
Ask him how much he fills up and you want yours done free.

It sounds like he attaches a long thing and uses loads of water.

When I had a drains man here he found the water thing in the street to take the water from on our verge off our land in order even to save me his customer using my own water! That is the opposite - giong out of his way not to use my water. I am on a meter.

Quick online search
Window cleaners can use approx 400 litres of water to clean around 20 houses.
400 litres of water would cost approx £1.50 on a water meter.
If he's doing 40 houses twice a month, that's costing you around £6/month. Not massive amounts but still something.

The window cleaner who does the houses in our street doesn't use a bucket. He has a long pole with a scrubbing thing and water is fed through like a hose. So it's running constantly.
I'd be very unimpressed with this, I'd cancel his services and lock the tap.

My guess is that both the cleaner and the neighbour don't realise you're on a water meter @BanKittenHeels - buy a lock for it and let them both know... along with a part-bill (or he can clean your windows for free until he's paid it off!)
You can actual see a breakdown on a bill of your water usuage on the days he's cleaned the windows too OP.

Maybe you could do a deal: He uses your water, you get your windows done for "free" to cover the water charges.

I agree, an indoor valve. It’s a good idea to get that done anyway, in case you ever want to sell up.

That’s definitely theft!

The tap is your property on your land. He is trespassing and stealing. Also he could leave tap on by carelessness when you are out, break the tap etc - who knows?

Also according to teen DS he often comes home to the back gate left open on the days the window cleaner has been. We have dogs and small children and that’s a security issue too far for me. I’m letting him go immediately. The guys who clean my wheelie bins also do windows, I’ll hire them.

I won’t be dragging him through the mud on social media though.

I’m going to order a valve and tap lock tonight. Thank you.

that's amazing! It's beyond cheeky ,YANBU OP!

yes, tap lock immediately. I would also send him a bill.

I’d be asking for about £50 back. Glad you’re getting a tap lock.

According to Anglian Water's website 1 cubic meter (1000L) costs £1.60. A pretty standard bucket will hold 18L so to get through 1000L that's about 55 buckets. If the window cleaner is doing the whole street I'd ask for a £2 discount off your bill to cover the cost of water and making his life easier.

How is he getting into your back garden? Our window cleaner uses one of those extendable power washer things and seems to have his own canister of water. It certainly doesn’t come from our tap.

Isn't life too short? It's pennies!

Wow! How many gallons of free water is that? I would imagine at least 2 gallons per house, and then what, 30 houses? Or is it 60 houses? That's either 60 or 120 gallons per washing which is what? Once month or a fortnight (or once a week?). FOR SIX YEARS 🤪 🤪 🤪 🤪 🤪 🤪