Water being cut off

[Motnight]

Not sure if IABU here.

We share a water supply with our neighbours. We each have water valves in our houses to turn off the water supply just for the house. However apparently the neighbours' valves are too stiff to turn. So as a result they have been shutting off the water supply to both houses whilst working on the plumbing in their house.

This has happened 4 times so far in a week. The first time they didn't tell us, we had to ask. The other 3 times they have told us. Each time early evening just as I get home from work and for a couple of hours. Out of the 3 times they have told us twice they haven't let us know when the water is back on.

It's really inconvenient. The first time we had literally no water for drinking or cooking. The work is happening in the evening as that's when their plumber is available.

Yesterday we had to ask for the water to be put back on again. The plumber had said that it would be off for an hour and over 2 hours had passed.

Neighbours are lovely. Doing lots of work to the house in general so a lot of noise which is unavoidable and fine. But this seems like a bit of a piss take to me. Should we just suck it up or ask the neighbours to either do the work earlier on in the day so that we can come home, eat and shower?

Their plumber can't sort out stiff valves? That's what they should be doing. Getting that sorted. You are being too nice about this. I wouldn't suck it up. I'd tell them to get their stopcock sorted out and stop turning off your water.

Not on at all. I can understand the first time but job number one should have been to fix the stopcock.

It would possibly be ok during the day if you were out at work but not on at all during the evening when you want to cook etc.

If it’s an outside stop valve, not one inside the house, your neighbour should be able to call out the water company who supply you both to fix. There may be a cost or it may be free, but definitely needs explaining that the only way they can work on their property is to cut you off!

edit: just realised it the outside one they’re using instead of fixing the inside one, Cheeky sods, they can pay for their plumber to sort the inside one, shutting off your water one last time to do it!!

It's pretty poor that they haven't been checking with you whether it's inconvenient. They need to get their own stopcock sorted so that they can isolate their own house without causing you problems. I think that you should really ask them to do that rather than just agree to be put out whenever they need to do plumbing work.

This is ridiculous. The very first thing they should have done would be to fix the stopcock in their house so that they would only inconvenience you the once.

total piss take really cheeky of them

The outside valve should have been shut just once, to repair or replace the inside valve.

Call the water company and get them to deal with it. I’m pretty sure it’s against the law to cut off water supply to someone’s house.

“So, is it legal for your neighbour to turn off your water supply? No - it isn't legal if they haven't had your permission! You are legally entitled to an ongoing supply of water. “

lawhive.co.uk/knowledge-hub/property/is-it-illegal-to-turn-off-someones-water-supply-in-the-uk/

They're being CFers!!! They may be lovely in general but what they are expecting you to put up with is bang out of order!
I'd stop being quite as nice and tell them you can't agree to your water being turned off anymore.

I have a shared water supply, and don’t have an internal stopcock to just turn off my bit, so I have to use the street stopcock and turn it off for me and my neighbours…however, I always tell them in advance and if it is an emergency, I knock to let them know as it is happening.

So they are being CF. Especially as they have an internal stopcock and a plumber on site who could fix this for them.

Thank you for all the responses so far. Thought that I was going to be told that I was being a bad tempered neighbour but seems not!