Apologies for the long waffle:

We found a leak in the water supply pipe at the front of our house, between the main road and our water meter. We haven’t been paying for the lost water as it is before the meter, however this leak must have been going on for quite a long time as I think it has caused a bit of structural damage to the front of our house and the front wall of the cellar is wet, resulting in damp spots on the lounge wall directly above the leaky part.

We think the pipe is the original lead pipe from when the house was built in the 1930s but haven’t had a dig around to investigate yet as that might allow the water to go everywhere! The section of the supply pipe in the cellar roof is metal.

I called our house insurance last night to register the claim and they are sending out their water leak people to have a look at it tomorrow morning. They may do a spot fix on the pipe if it’s the original lead but we will need to get the whole pipe replaced. They may give us some money towards this.

I also called Yorkshire Water about the leak and this is something they may repair for free as we have never asked them to repair a leak before, and it is in their interest to do so as we are not paying for the lost water.

However, YW can’t come out until Thursday next week. Having got the insurance people involved, am I allowed to make them wait for a decision until YW have been or do I have to go with the insurance people?

Is the leak within your curtilage?

If its doesn’t effect you no claims discount does it matter who fixes it?

Info on lead pipe replacement

Yes it is, so I understand that although we aren’t paying for the lost water at the moment, the pipe is our responsibility. I think the leak is either under the slab path immediately in front of the house or in the section of pipe that passes through the wall of the house. It is 1930’s semi with tiny front garden (can just get a small car on the grassy area if needed).

Having spoken with Mr Mouse again, we’ve decided to see what the ins company appointed people have to say in the morning and see if they will let us wait until YW have been out to make a decision.

Graham, it doesn’t matter who fixes it, I just feel a bit daft about having got both companies involved as M&S suggested that I should ring the water board about it. Thanks for the info about lead piping, I’m pretty certain that it is the original lead pipe leading up to the house. The pipe will need to be replaced but the cost part of it depends on who fixes it and how much we get from the insurance company. Their drainage assessors seemed quite pushy about wanting to fix it on the spot and giving us the cash for the rest of the pipe replacement, but Mr Mouse is suspicious of the cost to us if we do that. I will wait and see tomorrow what the first people say about it…

Give YW a ring and ask who sub-contracts for them. Give those people a ring and they will be with you tomorrow or Friday. (A week is better than the 6 I was quoted for a leak).

Get the opinion of YW if you can. The insurance company will probably be quite happy to let that happen, unless the delay is likely to cause more damage to the fabric of your house