Our responsibility
At Yorkshire Water, we’re usually responsible for most of the pipework outside the boundary of your property. This includes:
Stop taps
We're responsible for maintaining stop-taps in or under roads or pavements.
Water mains
Water mains are the large public underground pipes that deliver treated, clean drinking water from our network to your area.
Communication pipes
Communication pipes are the pipes that connect the water mains to the supply pipe on your property.
Water meters
Your water meter and its connections belong to us and we’ll take care of any repairs or replacements.
Manholes
We're responsible for the maintenance of solid cover manholes in public places such as roads, paths and gardens.
Public sewers
A public sewer is an underground pipe that carries wastewater and rainwater from more than one property to one of our treatment works.
Your responsibility
As a general rule of thumb, the equipment on your property is your responsibility to fix as and when required. This includes:
Internal plumbing
You're responsible for fixing all plumbing and pipework within your home. This includes toilets, sink drains and any outdoor guttering or pipes attached to the property.
Drainage pipes
A drainage pipe is either a vertical pipe that takes rainwater from a roof to a gutter. Or a hidden pipe that moves dirty water away from sinks, tubs, and toilets into the main sewer.
Drains
If your home was built after 2011, you're responsible for the upkeep of your drains, unless specified that Yorkshire Water has adopted the responsibility. This would be flagged up when buying the property.
Stop taps
Whether they're inside or outside, if they're on your property, stop taps are your responsibility to fix.
Supply pipes
Supply pipes are the smaller pipes that carry water from our pipework into your property. We can offer guidance and support if you get a leak on your supply pipe
Joint responsibility
Some homes share a supply pipe. You can see this on the property deeds or you may notice that your water pressure goes down when your neighbours are using the supply.
In that instance, you and your neighbour have joint responsibility to fix any leaks.
Clean water pipes - who's responsibility is it?
Detached homes
Terraced homes
Property boundary
Homeowner's responsibility
Water supply pipe
Joint homeowners’ responsibility
Common supply pipe
Yorkshire Water’s responsibility
Mains pipe, communication pipe and external stop tap
Drainage pipes - who's responsibility is it?
Detached homes
Semi-detached homes
Flats or apartments
Terraced homes
Homeowner's responsibility
Yorkshire Water's responsibility
Property boundary
Still not sure?
You can view our network of pipes on a map, for free, at our head office at Ellington House, 9 Savannah Way, Leeds Valley Park, Leeds, LS10 1AB.
