In general, sewers and lateral drains outside the boundaries of your property are the responsibility of the sewerage company, but drains inside those bounds are often your responsibility. Even though the majority of sewers are now held by the government, some remain privately owned or unadopted. You can be liable for its upkeep if one of them serves your property.
What differentiates a sewer from a drain?
A drain is a conduit that removes water and trash from a building and any attached structures, like a garage.
A lateral drain is a section of pipe that transports trash from your property to the sewer. It is typically outside of your property line, frequently under a public road or pavement. If you share a sewer with your neighbour, a lateral drain may be present under your property.
Water and garbage are gathered by a sewer from numerous buildings’ drains. The majority of sewage systems are publicly owned, and your water utility maintains them. There are still a few privately owned sewers, though. Some people use a cesspool, septic tank, or treatment facility instead of a sewer connection. You won’t be required to pay sewerage fees to a sewerage provider if you aren’t linked to a sewer.
Drain repairs
Any drains that are contained within the perimeter of your property are considered to be private drains and are your responsibility to maintain or repair. Shared lateral drains with your neighbour are not your responsibility to maintain or repair; instead, your water provider is in charge of these.
You can choose any drain plumber you wish to complete the job on your private drains, but you will have to pay for it. As an alternative, you can get insurance to cover the cost of work on private drains.
You could occasionally need insurance for the drain on your home. If this is the case, you should confirm it with your building insurance provider.
Your local government’s environmental health division may in some cases order you to make improvements to your property or replace a private drain. They may do this, for instance, if they believe your drain is too tiny for your home or if it’s clogging the pipes.
If required, a local authority can complete the task on their own and then bill you for it.
Sewer system repairs
It used to be the property owner’s responsibility to maintain lateral drains and sewers that are connected to the public network. The majority, though, are now cared for by neighbourhood water corporations. Contact your local water company if you experience any sewer or lateral drain issues, such as a clogged drain.
In order to examine or maintain the sewer, your water provider has the authority to enter your property.
Unadopted and personal sewers
If you reside on a site with several properties, such as a condominium building or a campground, you may have a private sewer or lateral drain.
If you own a property and a private or unadopted sewer, you are liable for the expense of upkeep and repairs. Each owner is jointly liable for these expenses if the sewer serves multiple properties.
If a private sewer or lateral drain is not kept up with, the environmental health department of your local government may issue a court order requiring you to fix it or unclog it. The local authority has the right to complete the work themselves and charge you for it if you don’t finish it within the time frame they’ve given you.
Ask your sewerage company to adopt or take over a lateral drain or private sewer
You can request that a private sewer or lateral drain be taken over or adopted by your local water or sewerage utility. If the sewer or drain is in reasonable shape and has been built or improved to the company’s standards, you may do this. It must be proven to the sewerage company that implementing the sewer will improve the sewerage system as a whole. The transfer of responsibility to the sewerage business requires the consent of everyone responsible for maintaining the lateral drain or sewer.
Possibility of joining a public sewer
To ensure that the area is properly drained, it is the responsibility of all water and sewerage corporations to provide public sewers. In most cases, you have the right—though you might have to pay for it—to connect your property’s drain to the public sewer.
