Can I build a shed over the easement behind my Heidelberg home?

Generally not, if the easement holds a Council drain, because Banyule needs to reach the pipe at all times. Check the plan against Council's build over easement guidelines first, and remember sewer or water authorities with services in the easement must agree too.

Who do I call about a blocked stormwater pipe?

If the blockage is on your land, up to the Legal Point of Discharge, the pipe is yours and Banyule recommends a licensed plumber. A blocked Council pit or drain in the street goes to Banyule City Council.

Heidelberg plumbers: units, rentals and stormwater drains

Plumbers in Heidelberg Units, rentals and drains.

In Heidelberg, four in ten homes are flats or apartments and four in ten are rented, so a plumbing job often involves a landlord or an owners corporation. Banyule City Council looks after the street drains and Yarra Valley Water the sewer. Tell us what has gone wrong and we line you up with a licence-checked plumber who specialises in it.

Heidelberg facts for plumbing

Apartments and renters

At the 2021 Census, 40.6% of occupied homes in the suburb of Heidelberg were flats or apartments and 42.3% separate houses. 41.1% were rented, well above Victoria's 28.5%.

Your drain ends at the discharge point

Banyule says every property drains to an allocated Legal Point of Discharge, usually an underground drain or the kerb. Drainage on private land up to that point is the owner's; beyond it, Council's.

Easements holding Council drains

Council generally refuses building over an easement that holds a Council drain, because it needs access if the pipe blocks and floods properties downhill. A pipe with no easement on the title still counts, as an implied easement.

Driveway pipes and soakage pits

Pipes under a private driveway are the owner's. Banyule says some older residential areas have no direct link to public drains and use soakage pits or private lines, maintained by the owners they serve.

Blocked sewers and Yarra Valley Water

Heidelberg is on Yarra Valley Water's supply list. If a sewer blockage turns out to be your responsibility, it says you arrange and pay for a licensed plumber. Where its pipes stop and yours start depends on the property, so ask it to confirm before a dig begins. Our sewer pipe ownership guide explains why.

In a block of units, some drains may serve more than one flat. Ask the owners corporation or managing agent who looks after them before booking, so the right party is billed.

Renting in Heidelberg

Victoria's new rental minimum standards start on 1 March 2027. When a rental's hot water system permanently fails and can't be repaired, the replacement must be an efficient heat pump water heater or an electric-boosted solar water heater. The exemptions include centralised building systems, which are common in apartments, and owners corporation restrictions.

Tenants should report a failing system to the landlord or agent early. Landlords can read our Melbourne hot water page, and for other jobs there's blocked drains in Melbourne, a blocked toilet or an emergency plumber.

What we would do

When water pools in a Heidelberg yard, work out whose pipe it is before paying anyone. Ask Banyule for your Legal Point of Discharge, check your title for easements, and in a unit ask the owners corporation which drains are common property. Then a drain specialist can start at the right end, with a camera if the pipe runs under the driveway.