Piping report as important as building report for house buyers
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08/10/2015. 09:16
KoreaPost
John Pfahlert, CEO of Water New Zealand says: House buyers should be hiring plumbers and drain layers to inspect pipes as they do builders to complete building reports when considering buying property.
Just like a building report should protect you from buying a leaky house a plumbing report should protect you from taking on leaky or broken pipes on the property.
This advice becomes more applicable every year in New Zealand with a quarter of piping now more than 50 years old and in need of renewal. Like anything over time the pipes that carry drinking water, wastewater and stormwater degrade and require either maintenance or replacement.
Many Kiwi homeowners are oblivious that sewer and stormwater pipes on private property are their responsibility to maintain.
Recently a Wellington woman made the news when she had to pay $22,000 to repair a wastewater pipe outside her boundary that connected her house to the council main.
Under the Local Government Act the typical situations are:
A single lateral connection to the sewer is the responsibility of the property's owner until it crosses the property boundary into council property e.g. road reserve. In most but not all cases, Councils take responsibility for the asset in their property.
If 2 laterals join e.g. a subdivided property, and the join is within private property then downstream of the join is deemed a sewer and becomes Council liability even when it is within private property.
Council can issue a notification to a private owner to fix their lateral if it is causing a problem and, if they don't, undertake works to ensure compliance. Council can do the work and charge the owner. Some councils allow easy payment options for this but that is at council's discretion. In some cases councils do the work and pay themselves – for example they may be trying to reduce the inflow and infiltration into their sewer network and decide it's in their interest in having the work done.
Technically, all councils can legally force homeowners to repair private wastewater and stormwater pipes right up to the council main, but some councils choose to bear the cost.
House buyers need to ask the council in their area its policy on who covers the cost of repairs that extend beyond a property boundary. But they should also be aware councils could change this policy at any stage as Wellington City did in 2005 "gifting" the city's lateral pipes back to homeowners.
Water New Zealand advocates anyone considering buying a home should employ a plumber to do a drainage report on the condition of wastewater and stormwater pipes, from the house boundary to where it joins the public network.
You might just be avoiding a very large and unexpected bill.
To understand better what happens when you flush and your responsibilities as a homeowner Gisborne District Council has a great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSGqdG59XTU
Contact
John Pfahlert, CEO, Water New Zealand, 021 150 9763
Water New Zealand is an independent not for profit association of approximately 1500 water professionals and organisations, focusing on the sustainable management and development of the water environment. It provides leadership in the water sector, through advocacy, provision of technical advice and professional development. It is the principal voice for the water sector.
Its nationwide network of members represent many disciplines; physical and social sciences, public health, engineering, law and management. Water New Zealand attracts decision makers and technologists from central and local government, industry, the academic and research communities, consultants and service/equipment supply organisations, who exchange information about water and wastes issues.
