The 3 P’s – Landlords, Tenants and Sewage

At our June members meeting Jane Hoskins and the team from Southern Water gave an enlightening talk on how sewer blockages occur and why they believe that in some cases they are legally able to reclaim costs from the landlord of the property.

Their talk was informative and logical, though many key elements were subsequently contested by a number of PDPLA members.

The core of the Southern Water argument was that sewers are designed to handle 'pee, poo and paper" - the 3 P"s as they put it and anything else would most likely cause a blockage. They brought samples of FOG and RAG.  FOG is Fat, Oil and Grease and they explained how this can buildup effectively reducing the diameter of sewage pipes which in many instances are only 4 inches diameter to start with, and then RAG which emcompasses a whole range of items from sanitary wipes, disposable wipes, cotton buds and the like which snag on the FOG and compound the problem leading to blockages.

The team posited that if a property was a frequent offender then they would legally go after the landlord as it was his or her responsibility to ensure the tenants there abided by the rules associated with sewer usage.

One of our members responded on this topic, after the event, saying:

"Although what the woman said in her presentation has some validity regarding what we put down the sewers, it is not the whole story, especially in Portsmouth. 

Newer sewer pipes are made of frost resistant plastic, are wider in bore and can accommodate today's waste more effectively.

Most of Portsmouth's sewer lines were made of either clay or cast iron which over time become very brittle and crack.

When they were laid, it was not conceived that they would cause problems in the future as well as the amount and type of waste that would be created in Portsmouth.

Cracked and displaced sewer lines have a tendency to snag the 'rag' that the lady talked about. This then traps fat and other 'rag' to create a blockage.

The solution to this is a programme of sewer replacement. Southern Water and other water authorities will not do this as it is costly and will impinge on the dividends that their shareholders receive.

Now, if we pay the water company to maintain the sewers (which will be in their charter) and they do not, who is at fault for the blockage in the sewer (outside the boundary of the property)?

Is it the tenant, the landlord or actually the water company?

Could the tenant or landlord refuse to pay any fine until the water company proves that the pipes are not defective?

It may be interesting if this was tested.

Also, a blockage further down the line will slow the flow of the sewage. When this happens blockages are more likely to happen before this blockage as the flow rate will not move the waste as vigorously.

A similar issue exists with the provision of water. In sustained hot weather, water companies will impose hosepipe bans or even periods of stopping water supply.

The water saved by hosepipe bans is a very small fraction of the water lost every day from broken water supply pipes that need replacing and for the same reasons the water companies will not replace.

When I asked a question, the lady did not answer it, but instead alluded to new property construction and where construction companies were not conforming to sewer specification, and yet the properties were being 'signed off'.

She appeared to be shifting the blame, rather than Southern Water tackling this problem.

What did I get out of the talk?

1. I shall now write to my tenants explaining the presentation I attended and what Southern Water are doing to enforce sewage disposal.
2. I shall amend the Landlord's checklist to include a note to what tenants can deposit through their drains."