Shared Sprinkler with Neighbor's Building

I recently discovered that my (3 unit) building’s hall way sprinkler system is being fed from my neighbor’s building. Fortunately, there are no valves in my neighbor’s basement where they could shut my system down, only the one at the street which controls water coming into both systems. The systems must have been installed pursuant to an agreement between the owners or, perhaps, if the buildings were owned by the same person. The sprinklers probably date back to the 1960s or earlier. I don’t have any written record of an agreement covering the shared system nor was there an easement that I am aware of — but (I suppose) the City must have approved the installation. I am trying to figure out what are my rights and obligations here. I see several notations in the DOB records (under the Actions tab) to Sprinklers (dated from the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s) and will try to get copies of these as well as my neighbor’s. Anyone ever seen this before?

housepoor

in Dept. of Buildings (DOB) 11 years and 3 months ago

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brucef | 11 years and 3 months ago

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We have a building in which the gas main comes into our cellar, then T’s and supplies the house next door. While we always assumed that it was a long replaced service, and was probably stubbed where we couldn’t see, apparently it is still in use.

dazednconfused2 | 11 years and 3 months ago

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A couple of years ago I ran into the exact same thing on a brownstone in Manhattan. The pipe came through a large hole in the foundation wall separating the two buildings.

deanbh | 11 years and 3 months ago

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No but a friend of mine was looking at a studio in Brooklyn heights recently where they shared the boiler with the building located around the corner in another street. ….seemed crazy to me but it is what it is.