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who is responsible for shared sewer?
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Hi
If its a private sewer then whoever is upstream of the problem is liable even if they did not cause the problem. It would be worth giving your local Council Environmental Health office for advice as to who pays what.
I'm not sure this is true.
Plus I thought the magic date was 1937 not 1935.
Plus, plus I think the changes in late 2011 will give the water companies liability for shared sewers, wherever they are.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0 -
Silvercar is correct - the relevant date was Oct 1 , 1937.
For homes built after that date, the pipeworks which serve more than one property are classed as a private sewer up until they reach the public sewer and the responsibility for maintenance lies jointly with all those whose properties are connected to it
I understood the 2011 changeover to be due in April?
Edit: its the regs that come in in April and October when implementation should occur ( as Silvercar says)
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Edit: its the regs that come in in April and October when implementation should occur ( as Silvercar says)
to be predantic the intention is that the legislation will be implemented from 1 October 2010, having been passed through Parliament in April - BUT there is no certainty that it will do so as the same legislation was intended to be in place by 1 October last year but was delayed.
If it passes this time, the water companies will take over liability from October 11 and thus are, understandably, still fighting to ensure they reduce their exposure as far as possible, hence the delays.
so until 1 October 2011 a householder is liable for the costs of unblocking or repairing any private sewers running through their garden/land. The current law makes this a joint responsibility of all persons served by that sewer (ie. upstream of the blockage) but if a householder refuses to pay their share of the bill the only option is to sue that person in the small claims court.0 -
to be predantic the intention is that the legislation will be implemented from 1 October 2010, having been passed through Parliament in April - BUT there is no certainty that it will do so as the same legislation was intended to be in place by 1 October last year but was delayed.
If it passes this time, the water companies will take over liability from October 11 and thus are, understandably, still fighting to ensure they reduce their exposure as far as possible, hence the delays.
so until 1 October 2011 a householder is liable for the costs of unblocking or repairing any private sewers running through their garden/land. The current law makes this a joint responsibility of all persons served by that sewer (ie. upstream of the blockage) but if a householder refuses to pay their share of the bill the only option is to sue that person in the small claims court.
To be even more pedantic your last para is only true for properties built after 1937 as previously said.This is an open forum, anyone can post and I just did !0 -
ticket2ride wrote: »By "upstream", that would mean anything that starts before our property and runs beneath it?
Think of it this way. If you were to go for a swim, it would be hard to swim in one direction (upstream) but easy to swim in the other direction (downstream). In fact travelling downstream, you needn't even swim. You could simply hold onto something in the water. Float.
:rotfl:0 -
Think of it this way. If you were to go for a swim, it would be hard to swim in one direction (upstream) but easy to swim in the other direction (downstream). In fact travelling downstream, you needn't even swim. You could simply hold onto something in the water. Float.
:rotfl:
To be pedantic, if there was a blockage you wouldn't be moving.
If you are attempting to unblock you are safer standing upstream!I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0 -
If my home was built before 1937 (ex council) is the waterboard responsible for any repairs to the underground sewer.0
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If my home was built before 1937 (ex council) is the waterboard responsible for any repairs to the underground sewer.
If they are shared.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0
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