Water is overflowing from a Council pit in my Caulfield street. Who do I contact?

Glen Eira City Council, which maintains its drains and pits. If the overflow starts inside your fence, it's coming from private pipes, so a stormwater plumber is the one to call.

Will South East Water pay for clearing a blockage on its side?

It reimburses fair and reasonable costs when the plumber referred the blockage to it. It won't if CCTV or a high-pressure water jet cleaner was used, or if tree roots were cleared.

Plumbers in Caulfield: Glen Eira drains, trees and shared pipes

Caulfield facts that matter for plumbing

Part of Glen Eira

Caulfield is one of Glen Eira's suburbs. The city was formed in 1994 when the former City of Caulfield merged with Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, McKinnon and part of Ormond.

Few stand-alone houses

At the 2021 Census, only 39.9% of the suburb's occupied homes were separate houses. 37.9% were townhouses, terraces or semis and 21.5% flats or apartments, and 31.7% were rented.

Downpipe to kerb

Glen Eira says keeping the drainage pipes clear between the downpipes and the kerb is the owner's job, using a private plumber. Council's own network runs to around 540 km of drains and 22,000 pits.

Protected trees

Under Glen Eira's Canopy Tree Protection Local Law, pruning, removal or works in the Tree Protection Zone of a tree with a trunk 140 cm or more around, measured 140 cm up, need a permit.

Townhouses, units and shared pipes

With most Caulfield homes attached or in a block, it pays to know what's shared before a plumber arrives. South East Water doesn't take responsibility for shared private water and sewer pipes in an owners' corporation, and it treats a combined drain as privately owned. Talk to the owners' corporation before anyone starts on a line that serves more than one home.

For a stand-alone house, South East Water's sewer stops at the inspection opening, often near the boundary. Pipes and fittings on the house side are the owner's.

Extensions, easements and Council drains

Glen Eira says the law requires its consent before you build over a drainage easement or within one metre of a Council drain. That covers extensions and sheds as much as new pipework, so check the title for an easement before plans are drawn.

Drain work near a big tree can bring in two sets of rules. Under Clause 52.37 of the planning scheme, removing, destroying or lopping a canopy tree needs a planning permit in specific situations. Where both the scheme and the local law apply, the scheme prevails.

Renting in Caulfield

Nearly a third of homes here are rented, and Victoria's rental standard starts on 1 March 2027. After that, a landlord whose hot water system permanently fails and can't be repaired must replace it with an efficient heat pump water heater or an electric-boosted solar water heater. Our Melbourne hot water page covers owners and landlords too. Blocked drain? Start with blocked drains in Melbourne.

What we would do

In a Caulfield townhouse or unit, work out what's shared before you book. If the blocked pipe serves only your home, a drain specialist can start straight away. If it serves the block, get the owners' corporation involved first, because South East Water won't treat a shared private line as its own and someone has to authorise the work. Then ask the plumber to check the inspection opening before using any camera or jetter.

Plumbers in Caulfield Downpipe to kerb is yours.