Water water everywhere……

The question may never have crossed your mind when you turn on the tap and fill up your glass with some “awfi good water” as the good reverend was fond of saying.

But where does that water come from? If you live in a city, town or village in all likelihood it is our friends at Scottish Water that are supplying the good stuff. Have a look at your Council Tax bill and you will see that you are paying for it. For how much longer will be paying a flat rate?

But what if you decide to buy a “but n ben” in the Highlands - who is going to supply your water, who is responsible for repairing and maintaining the pipes, who is responsible for the quality and quantity? Here’s lookin’ at you kid!

The responsibility comes down to you to do all the heavy lifting and it is absolutely vital that you understand what that commitment is. The main points to be aware of are as follows:-

Source and quantity

You need to be aware of the whereabouts of the source of the water and how good the flow is. After all, if the quantity dries up then if you do not know where the source is how can you fix the problem? It may seem odd that you would have a problem with the quantity of water given the dismal weather we now seem to have but it does happen. I once worked with someone who owned a holiday cottage who regularly had to traipse off to a Scottish island to investigate the water supply after the water ran dry and placate his irate guests.

Repair and maintenance

You have found the source but do you have the necessary legal rights in place within your titles to actually allow you to repair and maintain? If your titles are silent you may have a significant costly legal battle to create the rights of access necessary to allow you to maintain and repair the pipes.

Quality

You need to make sure that the water that you drink is safe. Private water supplies are regulated by the Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and you need to make sure that you comply with this. Their overriding objective is to ensure the provision of clean and wholesome drinking water and deliver significant health benefits to those using such supplies. The 2006 Regulations, which came into force on 3 July 2006, incorporate the latest advances to improve drinking water quality including the use of risk assessments from 'source to tap' as part of an effective drinking water surveillance programme. Whilst grants are available the upgrading and maintenance of a private water system can be costly.

Even if you do not decide to buy your croft in the Highlands you may still come across a hybrid situation where your supply comes from Scottish Water but there is a distance between the connection to the supply and your own property. In such circumstances you do not need to worry about the quality nor the quantity of the supplied water. Your main concern is one of maintenance and ensuring that you have the necessary legal access rights in place. You will be responsible for the maintenance and repair of these pipes. In such circumstances, Scottish Water may charge you for repairs to pipes leading from the mains connection to you property :-

http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/you-and-your-home/your-home/pipework-responsibility/supply-drain-pipe-repair-policy

As ever, it pays to have a chat with me if you are considering buying that second property. You need to be aware of the potential downsides of owning a property with a private water supply or buying property with pipes which are some distance from the public supply.

Delighted to have a chat.