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?

It's not just the water. It's the wear and tear on the tap. Plus the liability should the tap be left on and leaking, or get broken when cleaner is using it. The latter two could add up to more than a few pennies - especially if the left on/broken tap leads to water damaging neighbours property.

Even if the cleaner were allowed to use the water without charge, those issues haven't been addressed.

@Xenia, just like to point out that connecting to a street fire hydrant like your drains man did is illegal and a criminal offence without an authorised standpipe and permit. Really don't recommend that course of action.

I’d get him to do yours for free if he’s using your water for everyone else!

£8 a month is an absolute bargain!!

Wtf?! That is one CF. How often does he clean ? 43 houses is a lot.

@VenusTiger your post is perfectly intelligent, unlike your (I'm assuming unwittingly) sexist comments about yourself being "blonde" today. Why slag women (even yourself) off in this way? No fair headed man has ever viewed this as a reason for anything daft he's ever said or done!

sack him

The window cleaner who does several houses in my street has his own tankful of water in his van and refuses to use my taps even though I have softened water - he says his is better and it certainly does a great job. Bucketfuls are a thing of the past surely? They use a along hose with a brush attachment at the end and yes they turn it on and off as necessary.

My window cleaner brings his own pure water. Not only is it at no extra cost but it is a lot better than ordinary tap water. No water marks and stays clean longer.

Glad you have done the full cut off, no tap access and no using him, easier for you.

Would he think it acceptable if you tapped in to his electricity supply or wifi?

I work for a very large water company & can assure you this is theft. If you like him well enough get a tap lock, otherwise I'd report him to water company to investigate as may be affecting many others or possibly connecting to the water network illegally if he's that blase about stealing from you!

I would say your on a water meter and phone up the water board and get a tap lock

For maybe your house and a few right next to you I'd say it wasn't a big deal but for all of them? I'd get a tap lock and hire a different window cleaner for your windows.

Work out how much the water would cost you, and suggest he knocks it off your bill, if he is fine, fine, if not get a tap lock.

We had workmen in a few weeks ago, and the cheeky sods were charging their electric screwdriver with our electric - both of them.
When I had my carpets fitted, the CF plugged in his mobile. At least your workmen were charging equipment needed for the job.

I mean, I don't MIND but at least have the common decency to ask!
My CF unplugged my phone that was charging at the time. I didn't say anything but pointedly unplugged his phone and replugged in mine.

A bucket of water is approx 2 gallon (or 8 litres) or 1/10 of a bath tub! Guessing he changes his water at least 6 times (every 7 houses) that's 6/10 of a bath tub, and do that say 9 times a year that's 108 GALLONS of water your paying for. That's FIVE AND HALF BATH TUBS. just as a rough estimation.

That's quite a slap in the face, and NOT a quirk of living in the end house.

I bet you still pay him to wash your windows, at what £15 a time? £135 a year for someone to steal that much water.

Fucking piss take is what it is

How exactly does he get your water?
Does he enter your back garden through a gate?

Lock the bloody gate, or get a tap lock.

I'd be telling him, either I get my windows done for free, or you start paying for the water.

Venivid - however if you also look at the costs they charge sewerage of the same amount of water that you use, so they assume they are taking away what you use, therefore it is possibly twice that, and assuming he is going once a month for 6 years it is more than £2

I’d be furious, a while back we were having a wall build at the front of our house they asked DH if they could have some water DH showed them a shed that had water access for them OUR shed with OUR water. They done the job and all was brilliant, a few weeks later they were doing a much bigger wall for a neighbour about 6 houses away we went shopping when we came home DH noticed our shed was open. When he went to lock it up there was all cement over the tap and my DH hosepipe was all unraveled turns out the builders used OUR hose to fill their cement mixer to build neighbours wall CF’s. Well a few choice words and a few threats later and safe to say NOONE will ever have access to our shed again.

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

I don't see the problem with that. They were charging the tools they were using at yours, surely.

I charge my personal phone at work if it happens to be out of battery during the day as does everyone else I know.

From a legal point of view the police would be interested. Its a financial loss and there is a theft of electricity so this counts as well. It is theft fo financial gain and quite a significant amount.

The police will not be interested. They barely attend for a burglary anymore; they’re so ridiculously over stretched.

Why does it matter that she has a meter?! She's still paying for the water that he uses for his business!
This is total cheeky fuckery!
Put a lock on the tap!

@Throughthegate I thought about whether to post it tbh and thought, what the hey, it's tongue in cheek and I was meaning to say, dizzy and then dizzy blonde came into my head, so removed the wrong word.
Sorry to offend.
I really don't give a fig myself - you get judged any which way by some people anyway, even over the phone, an accent, your dress sense - I'm too long in the tooth to care.

Cheap skate window cleaner needs to get himself a proper set up!!

All the window cleaners round here have a vat of filtered water in the back of their vans.

You did the right thing to get rid.

Water meters are so common nowadays he was just chancing it and being lazy

What CF . Sack him? And I would lock tap