There is a blockage/defect within the private sewer serving my property and my neighbours, who is responsible for remedying it?
It is legally the shared responsibility of all parties which discharge upstream from the fault to remedy any defects regardless of whose land the defect is on or who is believed to have caused the fault. You should therefore jointly arrange to have the defect rectified and agree how to share the costs. It is recommended that you contact your Building Insurer who may arrange for works and for the cost of the works to be shared between the responsible residents. An exception to the above is if a shared sewer system was built before 1st October 1937. Such sewers are likely to have been adopted by the local water authority.
