no water in the village

@megs44

go to the water company's website

they're normally pretty good at advertising planned outages and major shortages

when house hunting, this was a first question when talking to locals, and many days without water in summer was a recurring theme in some areas

@megs44

5 days without water in this heat… which village do you live? Your local Facebook groups and pages may have some information.

@tutisservis we are in snop its  hot and we  have a tricle of water out side but nothing in side we have to try and wash in cold water ,but the tap out side is now only tricking , its hot i cant shower  or wash its like hell , whats worse is i was broken into 

@megs44

Welcome to Bulgaria!

Extended interruptions of the water supply are common in quite a few villages, especially when it gets hot and demand increases, placing a massive strain in infrastructure. The interruptions are a demonstration of the many downsides of living in the poorest country in the EU: water here is the cheapest in the EU*, which also means that the water companies in Bulgaria have the least to spend on improving and maintaining infrastructure. The population density here is one of the lowest in the EU, and dropping; that makes it even more expensive to supply water to villages, where there are fewer consumers.

*Broadly speaking, the greater the concentration of consumers, the more money available to maintain the local infrastructure; the other side of the coin for utility companies is that they are in effect subsidising villages. It's no coincidence that the countries with the highest quality and availability of clean water also have the highest prices: in Denmark the average final cost to the consumer is a shade under €10/m³, here in Bulgaria it's c€1. Due to economies of scale, water supplies are more reliable in cities than in villages, and they're also easier to maintain. Better infrastructure is one of reasons people live in cities...

All of the above is pretty obvious, but the crux of the matter is that most of us are here because the cost of living is a lot lower than "Back Home"; we often prefer to live in villages because that's were it's cheapest. Heck, in villages people often even have a borehole to water the garden, because who wants to pay 2 leva for a whole tonne of water when they can have it for "nothing"? Of course, the other side of THAT coin is that the water company's income is even lower. Property in villages is cheap here, because the infrastructure is poorer: if it were as good as in the cities, village houses would cost a LOT more than they do and village municipal taxes would be considerably higher.

I drive a Dacia Duster, my neighbour has a collection of high-end Beamers, Range Rovers and his-and-hers Maseratis: mine costs a lot less to buy and run, but I can't seriously expect the same performance out of it, and nor do I. Life in a Bulgarian village is cheaper but the downside is that it's also tougher and the infrastructure is poorer; that's the deal we bought into, whether we thought about it or not: those houses are dirt-cheap for a good reason!

snop was ok at first  but 5 days without water is getting worst . i was broken into and they took loads of stuff then my neighbour besided to steal more and let rats etc move into my house  on perfect, ive been so good to that lady but shes done nothing but steal  for 10 years , all my wood and  food etc shes known in the village as a theif , every time we get anything new delived shes talking crap about us  its sad , she lies  about us to cover her self, i am scared to go home to vilsit my sick mum

also the prices here on food have gone right up so as the elecric

    also the prices here on food have gone right up so as the elecric
   

    -@megs44

That's the problem with monopoly utility companies - they can treat consumers like cash cows.

Unfortunately, every village has more than its fair share of thieves, liars, nutters and scroungers. You'll find plenty of people to assure you that isn't the case in their piece of Utopia but what they really mean is that they haven't got to know everyone there yet - or that their rose-tinted glasses are welded on...

@megs44

Hi Sorry to hear you are experiencing problems, have you spoken to the local Mayor who may be able to do something re both issues… just a thought.

Rgds, Ozzy

hi ozzy  yes  he dont care because we are from the uk . i know the neighbour had something to do with watch  happened to us, the other day  my hubby was  sorting out the  doors for bars that are being put up soon so we had to replace some of our stolen tools  and she  made sure  she looked at what we had  hubby went mad . we are still  trying to kill rats in the house because she left the doors open , cut up my clothes but not hubbies  took food took loads of other stuff , while leaving my doors open so this would happen , she even put corn in the electric  box and left that open so the  rats  would eat the wires  but we were lucky and she was going mad when the man put the electric on . she breaks down  our fences  to get in , shes 80  but a thelf who has  a gang of theifs  around her

@JimJ  yes i learned about her  the first year i left her with the key  thinking shes old  so no harm well  she used my water elecric  kick down my bedroom and bar door and stole  boxes of stuff  so i took the key of her and she spat at me , then she stole all my barn roof tiles twice , then we had to get a new roof  on the house and she stole all the  old tiles which we needed  so we  saved a few and she spat again, and kicked my fence down , being english  they take the ladies side  so i give up , worse of all  i have c,o.p d  and want to retire  here  with my short life but  shes stresses me out

I think it’s a call to leave this village. If the mayor and neighbours all know about her behaviours, I doubt reporting to the police will help your situation.

plus  i got a english man  a bisnress  man to do our house  up he got bad  working  men in and my house  is a mess  , he took  over 15 thouson  pounds  and we are now having to redone what he did, we are not the only one  ,he does it  to all the english that buy houses  from him ,sad

@tutisservis we did report  the stolen water   she was worned  , the police no about her   but if yr english  no one cares  , ive tried everything to mix with the locials  and have made friends , my best friend who was bulgian  just died  and that hurt so bad the village  isnt the same

@tutisservis  hi i cant afford to leave the village  we spent a lot ogf monry in this house but now its not worth nothing its trashed  who would buy it, i need to move

Presumably Baba  didn't half-inch the tiles etc herself; sounds like she's got a band of the local Roma to do her bidding, especially if it profits them to do so.  Is she a "real" Bulgarian or an "ethnic"?

By the sound of it, you need to look for somewhere else to live - and be a lot more circumspect with your new neighbours. If you're already being viewed as Easy Pickings, I doubt it's going to change as long as you're in "their" village - and of course, they all have a vote in who the mayor is, so he's not going to do much; maybe he's even happy that they're burgling YOU and not HIM.....

    @tutisservis  hi i cant afford to leave the village  we spent a lot ogf monry in this house but now its not worth nothing its trashed  who would buy it, i need to move
   

    -@megs44

You can't afford to NOT move - the emotional toll on you will be enormous and it's a fight you can't win.

@JimJ she married a romanan he died a few years back no one likes them she steals all the empty  land around including mine, i want to leave but no one  will buy this house now so cant sell it so cant leave. i could cry  , my house has been rapped i did nothing  but help the cow next door . all i want is to live my last years in peace

    @JimJ she married a romanan he died a few years back no one likes them she steals all the empty  land around including mine, i want to leave but no one  will buy this house now so cant sell it so cant leave. i could cry  , my house has been rapped i did nothing  but help the cow next door . all i want is to live my last years in peace
   

    -@megs44

Sounds like a job for Captain eBay!

@megs44

OH sorry, seems a complete nightmare, i would speak to the police for what its worth and whack up covert wifi fed cameras that are not easily seen rather than cameras that are powered by solar rather than mains or pure battery.

Not sure if you have a dog but that may help, i know ours which is a rather grumpy husky German shepherd cross seems to do the trick,  especially when she goes bounding down to the gates at warp speed barking like something from hell and seems to notice the slightest of movement outside even when shes in and we have tripple glazed windows.

rgds ozzy

I'm so sorry you've had this experience, Megs. It sounds quite horrendous to have all this to deal with. One mad neighbour can make life a misery. And especially as you're also grieving your close friend, it would be just too much too bear.

From what you say, it's hard to believe it's worth putting any more time, money, and heartache into this house, and trying to sell might be the best option.

Listing it yourself on ebay or one of the many "Cheap Bulgarian Property" type Facebook groups is a possibility, or for less hassle but also a far lower price, you could try one of the ebay property sellers like Bulgaria Direct or Black Sea Villas.

Who did you buy it from? Bulgaria Direct are usually willing to buy back properties they sold.