Bentleigh, plumbing-wise
Downpipe to kerb is yours
Glen Eira City Council says keeping the pipes clear between your downpipes and the kerb is your job, using a private plumber. Council looks after around 540 km of drains and 22,000 pits.
A five-metre tree can count
Under Glen Eira's canopy tree local law, any tree taller than five metres on private land is protected. Pruning, removing it or working in its Tree Protection Zone needs a permit.
One home in five is a flat
In the suburb of Bentleigh at the 2021 Census, 19.6% of occupied homes were flats or apartments and 19.9% townhouses, terraces or semis. 59.7% were separate houses, and 28.5% of homes were rented.
Council drains in your yard
By law you need Council's consent to build over a drainage easement or within one metre of its drains. Check your title before an extension.
When the sewer blockage might be South East Water's
South East Water's part ends at the inspection opening; the pipes upstream of it are yours. Its advice to plumbers is to rod from the boundary trap towards that point, judging the distance by the length of cable fed in, and to call South East Water if the line is still blocked there.
Doing it that way keeps a refund possible. South East Water reimburses fair and reasonable costs only if the plumber referred the blockage, and not where CCTV, a high-pressure jet or root cutting was used on its side. It doesn't pay for digs to find the inspection point.
Before digging in Bentleigh
A new stormwater line or sewer repair near a tall tree can need Glen Eira's Tree Protection Zone permit. Where Clause 52.37 also requires a planning permit, Council says the planning scheme prevails and you apply under that instead. Lodge the request before the excavator is booked.
Connecting new stormwater into Council's pits, pipes or kerb needs an asset consent permit as well. And a pit lid marked South East Water belongs to South East Water, not Council.
Other Bentleigh jobs
See blocked drains in Melbourne, a blocked toilet, pipe relining or hot water.
What we would do
For a blocked sewer, ask the drain specialist to start at the boundary trap and stop if the blockage turns out to be past South East Water's point; that is what keeps a reimbursement on the table. For stormwater, start at the downpipe and work towards the kerb. Before any trench near a tall tree, check Glen Eira's permit: with a five-metre threshold, plenty of backyard trees count.