North Lakes facts for homeowners
Big houses
At the 2021 Census, 84.9% of occupied homes in the suburb were separate houses and 60.0% had four or more bedrooms. Households averaged 2.9 people.
Renters and townhouses
37.3% of homes were rented and 41.5% owned with a mortgage. Another 12.0% were townhouses, terraces or semis, where some pipes may be shared.
Sector plans come first
Development in the North Lakes locality is controlled by precinct and sector plans under the Mango Hill Infrastructure DCP. Council says their design and siting rules must be read and met before building work starts.
Building, extending or adding a shed
An outdoor bathroom, a pool house or a shed with a sink is building work and plumbing work at once. Check the sector plan for your street first. On the plumbing side, a new shed or garage with plumbing in Unitywater's area is fast track permit work, which Council issues within two business days.
Roof water from the new structure must run underground to an approved discharge point, such as the kerb and channel or an inter-allotment drain. Tapping into Council's stormwater needs Council approval, and stormwater must never go into the sewer.
How Unitywater splits the work
The pipes from your water meter to the house are the owner's to maintain, Unitywater says, even where the meter sits out by the street. A leak along that stretch is a plumber's job.
Sewer blockages work differently. Unitywater doesn't do private plumbing repairs, and if a plumber finds the fault in Unitywater's pipe, they stop and call Unitywater. Its pages don't describe the handover point between your drain and its sewer consistently, so ask Unitywater about your property.
Trees and drains
City of Moreton Bay warns that tree roots can do serious damage to sewers and drains. Mango trees, poincianas, figs and umbrella trees all appear on its list of common problem plantings, so keep them well away from the line of the house drain. Our tree roots page explains how a plumber finds and clears them.
For urgent jobs see emergency plumber; for slow drains, blocked drains; and for tanks and taps, hot water.
What we would do
If you rent, tell your property manager first. If you own, find the water meter and the sewer inspection point now, while nothing is wrong, and keep both clear of mulch and pavers. In a townhouse, ask the body corporate which pipes are shared. When the job involves building, read your sector plan before paying for drawings, and for anything underground, book a drain specialist who knows North Lakes.