Who Is Responsible For a Collapsed Drain?

Determining who is responsible for repairing a collapsed drain depends on where the pipe is located and whether it serves just your property or multiple properties. Since 2011, the rules changed significantly, transferring many private sewers to water company ownership.

What to Look For

• Pipes within your property boundary serving only your property are your responsibility
• Shared drains serving multiple properties transferred to water companies in 2011
• Public sewers and lateral drains are the water company's responsibility
• Building over public sewers requires water company consent
• Your property deeds or a drainage map can clarify pipe ownership

How We Diagnose the Problem

We conduct a CCTV survey and drain trace to map the full drainage system, clearly showing which pipes are private (your responsibility) and which are shared or public (water company responsibility). This eliminates confusion and ensures repairs are done by the right party.

How We Fix It

If the drain is your responsibility, we provide a quote for repair. If it's the water company's responsibility, we help you report the issue and provide supporting CCTV evidence. For shared drains, we advise on the best course of action.