I stay in a complex with small duplex units. Each block shares a stopcock between the ground floor and the first floor. I.e. If downstairs needs to turn off their water, then upstairs does not have water.
Two weeks ago, the downstairs neighbours were moving out and broke a tap. They wanted me to be without water for 24 hours because they didn’t want to pay for a plumber. My landlord and I paid for a plumber, so that their tap could be closed, and I could have water back.
Now this week, new owners seem to have started renovating but not moved in yet.
Today, I didn’t have water since 6am and assumed it was municipal. There were no notifications, but I didn’t have time to call the municipality and check.
I’ve been wet wiping, not flushing, not showering, not washing hands properly, not able to wash vegetables or dishes, etc. Then I heard water next door.
At around 9pm i went and turned the stopcock back on. Now I have water again. Unfortunately, I can now see flooding coming through the front door of the ground floor unit.
I require running water because of severe immunocompromise, and municipal outages are already a serious fuck-up for me. I’ve been made to feel that running water is a luxury during these stopcock situations, by the downstairs neighbours and the body corporate.
We all have a responsibility to not waste water. But do I have a responsibility to the downstairs neighbours and their property, to keep the stopcock off and go without running water?
AITA to let the water run?
There’s nobody I can contact to alert about this. My landlord doesn’t know the neighbours. There’s no 24hr maintenance.
EDIT: Just a question for YTA voters. Would you turn off the water to a neighbour’s unit with no notification and leave it? It is obvious that the stopcocks are shared.
EDIT 2:
I have been kind of surprised at responses, but to be clear, I have turned off the tap hours ago having done necessary hygiene things.
I’m not sure if it makes a difference to note that this is not an American-style apartment block with one maintenance team and assumed communication/ planning.
In my jurisdiction, what the neighbour has done is illegal. It is illegal to interrupt shared utilities, and any disruptions need to be initiated by the managing agents of the complex within a lawful process (notifying residents, ETR, instructions). A resident cannot turn off a stopcock (on the outside of the building, not in the apartment they own/rent) without permission from managing agents/HOA.
When these bodies get involved, there’s clear repair time, communications, etc. If there an emergency, sure, turn off the stopcock yourself right away. But this has been 18 hours with no ETA.
Laws and regulations don’t make things right or wrong. But the above might be what gave me the feeling that if I did the same thing, I would not be mad about my house flooding. I am not allowed to interfere with my neighbour’s utilities. I am not even allowed to interfere with the integrity of the outside brick.