A man has taken to Reddit to express his fury after discovering that his neighbour's landscapers have been using his outdoor tap to water her garden, leaving him to foot the water bill. The man says the neighbour has her garden professionally landscaped, with gardeners visiting once or twice a month to keep it immaculate.
The homes have water spigots facing each other on adjacent sides of the houses. The man explained that he noticed his hose was sometimes disconnected after the landscaping crew left, but only learned why when his mother told him. Investigsting further, he found the knob on the neighbour's spigot had been removed, making it impossible for the landscapers to use her water supply.
Reddit post details the water theft
In his post, the man wrote: “They have landscaping services every month or even twice a month because they don't do upkeep themselves. Our houses have the water spigots facing each other, so our spigot is on the right side of our house, and their spigot is on their left side.”
He continued: “We have noticed sometimes that when the landscaping crew leaves, our hose is disconnected. I didn't know until today [when] my mum told me about it, and [I don't know] how anybody would react, but I am p***** [that] they're stealing our water, especially when I don't even like them.”
“Today, I went out to look at the spigots, and she took the knob off her spigot, so I know she was doing it on purpose [so the landscapers don't] use her water,” he added.
No revenge, but determined to stop it
The man said he has no desire to “take revenge” against his neighbour, calling it “ridiculous,” but he is determined to “put a stop to her charade.” He asked fellow Reddit users for advice on how to prevent others from using his water supply, suggesting a lock for the outdoor tap.
Several commenters recommended checking for an isolation valve inside the property, which would allow him to cut off the water to the outdoor tap when it's not in use. Others suggested fitting a valve if none exists, or buying a lockable cover that fits over the tap to block access.
One person said: “Is there a shutoff valve inside your house? That's the answer, just isolate that connection when you aren't using it.” Another user added: “You can buy faucet locks, which go over the handle. It's like baby proofing a doorknob; you can't get a grip on the handle to turn it.”
Others share similar experiences
Several commenters reassured the man that he was not alone in dealing with such behaviour. One person wrote: “A neighbour of ours used to turn his sprinkler on using our tap and keep it going for eight hours straight so his kids could play on hot days. First time, I told him to stop; second time, we had a shut-off valve for that line installed by a buddy free of charge.”
Another commenter shared: “I shut off the water to my daughter's outside spigot because her neighbour had connected an electric cord to her outside outlet. I installed a locking outlet cover and decided if he was stealing electricity, he'd steal water. Her bills dropped by half.”
Update: lock and camera installed
In a subsequent update, the original poster revealed he had purchased a spigot lock and set up a camera to watch over it. He confirmed he would not be pursuing legal action at this stage due to insufficient evidence, but stated he may consider his options should the landscaping firm or his neighbour attempt to forcibly remove the lock.
