Croydon: the local facts
Maroondah City Council
Maroondah was created in December 1994 when the former Cities of Ringwood and Croydon joined, with small parts of North Ringwood, Lilydale and Kilsyth South. Council counts more than 500,000 trees across public and private land.
Mostly houses
At the 2021 Census, 83.4% of occupied homes in the suburb of Croydon were separate houses, 11.4% townhouses or semis and 5.0% flats. 26.4% were rented.
Drainage and groundwater
Maroondah says owners maintain and repair drainage up to and including the point of discharge, and that managing sub-surface groundwater rests with each property owner.
Overlays protect trees
In Significant Landscape Overlay areas, removing a tree with a single trunk over 0.5 m around at 1 m, or taller than 5 m, needs a planning permit. In a Vegetation Protection Overlay, any native vegetation is covered.
Water coming from next door
Maroondah isn't designated under the Water Act 1989 to enforce nuisance flooding between two private properties. Council says flows between neighbours are regulated under that Act and should be sorted out between the owners, and it advises talking to your neighbour first.
A plumber can help by showing where the water is coming from: a broken stormwater pipe, a downpipe discharging onto the ground or an overflowing pit. Our stormwater page covers the usual fixes.
Damp that won't dry
A soggy patch or a wet sub-floor could be groundwater, which Maroondah leaves to the owner, or a leaking water or drain pipe. Rule out the pipes first: a leak detection specialist can test the water service and drains without pulling up the garden.
Discoloured water and Yarra Valley Water
Yarra Valley Water says discoloured water from household plumbing usually comes from hot water services, old corroded galvanised pipes or worn tap washers, and that blue water points to copper corrosion. If only your hot taps run brown, the hot water unit is the first suspect.
Yarra Valley Water owns the meter and stop tap; the pipes from the meter to the house are the owner's. Your sewer boundary depends on the property, so check it with Yarra Valley Water before paying for work near the fence line.
What we would do
Before digging a new drain line in Croydon, find out whether your block sits in a Significant Landscape or Vegetation Protection Overlay. In those areas a tree only 0.5 m around can need a planning permit to remove, so the route of the trench matters. Give the drain specialist the overlay information and they can plan around the trees from the start.