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?

I’m the only home with a water tap out the back on my row of 6. The window cleaners, bin cleaning men, builders, they all use it. I don’t mind, as I’m not metered. However it still pisses me off if they don’t knock to ask- some just walk into the garden and start using it! What happened to common courtesy? Some say ‘well X said when I could come here I could use the water!’ Ummmm is X paying the bloody bill??
As it’s right outside my kitchen window I can hear it straight away. So no sneaking it lol

@JKScot4

You sound very generous.

Why don't you setup a standing order to pay OP £5 per month to cover the water stolen?

Or does your incredible generosity only run as far as giving away other people's money, I wonder?

I think they might have water in the back of the van and fill the squeegee pole thing with it. It’s a small close and they only do 2 houses, both elderly people.

Cheeky twat.

@BanKittenHeels YANBU and I would be putting a stop to this.

Even if it's NOT metered it's still cheeky. He could at least ASK.

We had workmen in a few weeks ago, and the cheeky sods were charging their electric screwdriver with our electric - both of them.

I mean, I don't MIND but at least have the common decency to ask!

I've never cleaned the outside of my windows. I do clean the inside of the windows and the rest of my house is 'spotless' I swear! The outside of the windows don't look dirty (no dirt or marks). This is why I couldn't figure out why people pay for someone else to clean what doesn't look dirty. Going to go have a closer look at the outside of my windows tomorrow.

@JKScot4

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.

Don't be so bloody ridiculous.

Nasty and OTT my arse.

Whether it's a tanker full of water, or a thimble full, it's the OP's water that she PAYS FOR, and it's THEFT. Taking someone else's property without asking is THEFT. Has no-one ever taught you that?!

And if you think it's only a bucket of water, then you're as deluded as you are preposterous!

@BanKittenHeels Get that tap lock. The window cleaner is a cheeky fecker.

For all those saying maybe he didn’t know that they were on a meter, come off it. We all know water meters are commonplace. That is a lie not an excuse.

I fitted one to our garden tap after a hilarious experience with a frozen coiled hosepipe.

This is the best thing I’ve read on Mumsnet all day. If only there were video!

@Shinycat
Calm yourself down there.
No need to get yourself in a state about buckets of water 🤣

In any case, meter or no meter, people should ask before turning on a tap that’s coming off someone else’s water supply. I’ve had my running water suddenly dry up because the outdoor tap was suddenly turned on.

Most people do ask, so it’s not really a problem for me, but I’m going to get an indoor shut-off put in, next time I have other plumbing jobs to be done.

Mmmm. Firstly I hope my window cleaner doesn't use only one bucket of water on 5/6 houses.

Secondly, this thread has made me realise I have no idea where my window cleaner gets his water from... he doesn't use our garden tap, because he always starts at the front of the front of the house, and the tap is at the back He must carry it with him (or nick someone elses )

He's a cheeky sod!
At my last house, I found out that I'd been paying my gardener to cut my neighbours' hedge when he did mine (they were joined) 'because it would look funny if he didn't'!!!!
Needless to say as soon as I found out, I put a stop to it and they coughed up and paid him, but never offered me a penny.

@JKScot4

Calm yourself down there.
No need to get yourself in a state about buckets of water. 🤣

I'll do whatever the fuck I want, and don't need some random nobody telling me how to post, and barking the snide and patronising 'calm down' bollocks at me.

Saying 'calm down' is telling a woman she is being hysterical, in a pathetic attempt to shut her down.

Well you won't shut me down. So don't even try. Your post was ludicrous and pathetic, and you know it.

And have THIS back! >>> 🤣

Not sure how a post about water turned into something so nasty

@Carrie7469

Calling people 'nasty' (as jscot4 did,) purely for being pissed off that someone is STEALING their water that they pay for, is pretty horrible. jscot4 is the reason the thread turned NASTY as you put it.

HTH.

You need to do the maths. Properly.

Why don’t you read your water meter just before and just after he next does his round and work out exactly how much water he uses and exactly how much it costs.

You are not going to get accurate answers on this thread.

If it amounts to a lot I would ask him to wash your windows for free for a while so he can work off his ‘debt’.

Family member is a window cleaner. He has a special tank in his van with some sort of special water which means they do not need wiping over after washing. Does not do a soapy wash first. Probably limescale free so leaves no marks. I see very few window cleaners around our way these days who use ladders.

@Shinycat
I said posting on SM calling the guy a thief would be nasty.
You are the one being nasty and aggressive over a light hearted comment.

YES it is 100% theft and for your bloody neighbour saying "its only a bit of water"- he wouldnt be saying that when it comes to paying the bill would he?
Definitely get a tap lock

Special water is called purified water.

Why are so many peoples property not secure and anyone can walk into back gardens etc very easily.
It wouldn't be just a tap lock I would be buying tbh.

@Shinycat
Honestly there’s no need to respond so rudely and aggressively.

A tap lock sounds like a great idea.

We had a similar problem. Water thief became very unpleasant when we asked him not to. On calling the Police, they said:
"You can't steal water, madam, nothing we can do."
I simply told them that if you can "abstract electricity" (this is when you connect to supply that you don't pay for, like squatters) then you can obv do the same with metered water. They took it seriously after that.

I see very few window cleaners around our way these days who use ladders.

This is just a local bloke (about 40) and his son who have taken over from his dad. I think their family have been cleaning windows in our little area since the dinosaurs!
They have recently got branded t-shirts and “your windows were cleaner today postcards” rather than a scrap of paper, so maybe a professional van is to come. Never mind, I’ve got rid of him now - more because of my gate being left open and just not being able to trust him. If you take one thing without asking, what else are you taking?

Regarding bin cleaning as someone wanted to know. I don’t think it’s dirty not to get someone into clean your bins out. However as we live on the end, people chuck their dog muck in the bin as they walk by and often they don’t tie the bag very well. The bin cleaners have a van with a water tank (as some have described for other window cleaners) and do a really good job. They will be doing my windows going forward.

Not sure who it was who asked why use window cleaners? I live in a built up area of a urban confirmation, with busy roads and under a flight path (sounds lovely, huh?), I can promise you my windows look filthy If they are left more than 2 months.
Our window clean was £8 a month.

And regarding the security of my property, if we are in we let him in the back gate when he needs to do the back and side. When we are out he was hopping the fence. I assume anyone can hop a fence?