Lead pipes and drinking water
The stopcock serves two kitchens in a terrace according to the seller. What shared-supply right has the survey not read, and what lead has it not ruled out?
The survey has not read any shared-supply right, and it has not ruled lead out. The seller says the stopcock serves two kitchens. That is a statement, not a title document. The visit did not read the deeds, the water-company record or a right to share the pipe. It also did not see every length of the supply, and it did not test the water. Lead on a shared terrace pipe is not ruled out by a seller's sentence. The Drinking Water Inspectorate's subject, lead in drinking water, was not sampled here.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A stopcock that turns two houses off is a practical clue that the supply may be shared. Who may alter it, who pays, and where it runs are questions in the papers a solicitor reads. The surveyor can record what the seller said and what was visible at the stopcock. They cannot turn that into a legal right, and they cannot clear the unseen pipe of lead. Plastic under one sink does not describe the neighbour's kitchen or the buried length between them. No sample at either tap was taken.
Ask the solicitor to read the shared-supply position in the deeds and the water records, and keep the seller's remark as hearsay until those papers answer. If lead matters to you, ask for a water test rather than a conclusion from this visit. Tell them the survey has not ruled lead out and has not defined the right. The home survey did not trace the pipe next door.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did the seller say the stopcock serves, and what did you see yourself?
- Which shared-supply right, if any, did you read in the deeds?
- Did you rule lead out on the supply, or leave it untested?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the shared-supply right as unread by the survey.
- Ask the solicitor to read the deeds and the water records.
- Do not treat the seller's sentence as ruling lead out.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If your kitchen is in plastic, is the shared pipe dealt with?
No. Plastic in one kitchen does not describe the shared length or the other house. The survey did not read a shared-supply right and did not rule lead out. The seller's account of the stopcock is not a deed. No water sample was taken. The Drinking Water Inspectorate's concern is the water, which this visit did not test.
Can the surveyor decide who must repair a shared pipe?
No. Repairing a shared supply is a rights question, and the survey did not read that right. It recorded the seller's statement that one stopcock serves two kitchens. Who pays, and who may open the pipe, sits with the solicitor and the papers. The home survey has not allocated the repair and has not cleared the pipe of lead.