[williamHinely]

My landlord recently had the valves cut off all the outside water spigots. With some kind of hacksaw. Is this legal? How would one fight a fire till the fire department arrives? This is a commercial building with seven units in it.

[smoothy]

You don't, that's what the fire dept does... besides... what can you do with a spigot? You need a hose that's long enough too. And that's like trying to pee on a forest fire anyway. Perhaps he got tired of people using the water to wash their cars every other day. That's the only reason there would even be a hose around.

THere is no requirement I know of... nor in any apartment I ever resided in that did supply exterior water for everyone's use. In fact. NONE did.

[AK lawyer]

My landlord recently had the valves cut off of all the outside water spigots. with some kind of hacksaw. Is this legal? How would one fight a fire till the fire department arrives? This is a commercial building with seven units in it.

What does your lease say? If it doesn't give you the right to use outside water, you don't have any such right.

[williamHinely]

Smoothy, No one has used the water outside. These spigots include ones in the back of the building with no access for any cars, at all. My question was based on the fact that My business is the only one currently operating at the building. And computer repair shops don't use water. We just have a lot of expensive merchandise that naturally I want safe and secure. I thought that taking the handle's off the spigots would suffice. I can't pay someone to pressure wash my sidewalks now because there is no water to hook to a washer to. By the way, fires start small, all of them. Often able to be put out before the fire dept arrives. But since when did logical trains of thought take over. This woman told us that she would raise the rent if our water bill stayed high.. I understand that but when she has had the unoccupied units remodeled, floored, painted etc. Perhaps the computer shop isn't using the water. Thank you for your response though.

[Fr_Chuck]

Well to "cut them off" they have to also be turned off somewhere, but yes they may do away with outside water unless it is in the lease.

And of course you can hire someone to pressure wash off the outside, commercial ( real pressure wash companies) have 500 or larger gallon tanks in their trucks or trailers and have their own water to wash.

If you are hiring someone with a home depo pressure washer, most likely they are not licensed, not insured and so on.

[smoothy]

I can understand why you feel that way... and I know what you are saying about the commercial faucets that use a special handle... but those really aren't all that hard to find. They might not be plumbed such that they could be shut off remotely from a landlord only accessible area. I'm not there so I can only venture a guess. Perhaps because they understand your type of business shouldn't be using large ammounts... and the fact the others remain vacant it almost has to be from outside use, I.E. those outside spigots.

And you weight the POSSIBLE advantage, vs. the very real high monthly bill the owner is facing.

Do you know where the water meter is? Is it out at the street or indoors? If its an older structure (and it sounds like it might be) there can be a seriously leak UNDER the slab after the water meter. I know of one local Stip mall shopping center that had such a problem just a few months ago.