Who is responsible for repairing blocked drains?

It can be difficult to know which bits of pipework you are responsible for as a homeowner, so here’s a guide to who pays for what when something goes wrong.

Drains and sewers

Drains are pipes used to take waste and water away from a property or building, while lateral drains, usually found outside a property boundary, are lengths of pipe used to carry away wastewater from a building.

If you share a sewer with your neighbour, you might have a lateral drain running under your property. Water companies are responsible for these and you don’t have to pay for repairs. Sewers, which are managed by water companies, collect waste and water from several drains belonging to several buildings.

Who pays?


Citizens’ Advice Bureau advises that any drains found within your property boundary are your responsibility as they belong to you as private drains. This means you will have to pay for any work done on them, or you could opt for an insurance policy which covers this cost.



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Repairs could include lining the drain, which acts as a protective shield. If you are looking for drain lining Gloucester, you will need a drain specialist such as www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/sewer-repairs-drain-lining-concrete-cutting/drain-repairs/drain-repairs-gloucester.

Sewerage companies are responsible for lateral drains and sewers that are outside of your property boundary. There are some private or unadopted sewers, which property owners are likely to be responsible for maintaining. However, the vast majority of sewers are publicly owned, although some homeowners are not connected to a sewer and use a septic tank or cesspool instead. This means they don’t pay sewerage charges.

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Occasionally, property owners need to have insurance on drains to their property and you can check this with your buildings insurance provider. Additionally, environmental health departments can sometimes order that you carry out work to improve or replace your private drain. This might happen if your drain is causing a blockage or is too small for the size of your property. If it becomes necessary, the local authority might carry out the work and then bill you for it.