What’s happened and why?
As of October 1, 2011 property owners are no longer responsible for certain sewer pipes that connect their homes to public sewers. New legislation transferred responsibility for these pipes, called private sewers and lateral drains, to Southern Water. Property owners were often unaware that they were responsible for these pipes until they faced a repair bill, causing confusion and leading to disputes between neighbours. The Government wants clear ownership and better long-term maintenance for the sewer network.

Does this benefit customers?
Yes. The private sewer transfer brings peace of mind on maintenance for these sections of pipe, and clarity on ownership. Property owners do not need to do anything, as the transfer happened automatically on October 1. We set up a new reactive sewer team at our offices in Falmer to manage our work on the transferred pipes. You can see a film on how the new team’s work is helping customers here.

What exactly changed?
Property owners were responsible for private sewers and lateral drains, which are the sections of sewer pipe or drain which are shared with another person’s property, or run through another person’s land. There are now only public sewers (owned and maintained by the sewerage companies) and private drains (the responsibility of property owners).

Our guide to the changes
We have created a film which explains the changes and the background to them, and animations which show the changes for each of the main property types. Please note that these animations are based on the latest available government guidance. The final versions of these documents are expected to be published shortly. 

Sewer transfer film	Flats and apartments	Terraced properties	Semi-detached properties	Detached properties

Is there anything that has not transferred?
Yes. Privately-owned septic tanks and cesspits and their connecting pipework, large multi-occupier commercial sites, and sewers that carry water directly to a watercourse will not transfer. Private pumping stations will not be transferred immediately, but will transfer by October, 2016. This will give sewerage companies time to find and survey all these stations, and to work out what works are required to enable them to be adopted.