Why this question causes so many arguments
Rats in a garden or under a floor often trace back to drains, and drains raise an awkward question: whose pipe is it? Homeowners assume the water company will deal with anything underground. The water company, for its part, points at the property boundary. This article sets out what published guidance says for England. It draws on Citizens Advice’s England advice, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), and the published process of one water company, Thames Water. Other water companies may run their own processes, and Scotland and Northern Ireland are outside this article.
The starting point: drains, lateral drains and sewers
Citizens Advice explains that you are usually responsible for drains inside the boundaries of your property, while the sewerage company is responsible for lateral drains, which are usually outside the boundary, and for sewers. It defines a drain as a pipe carrying water and waste from a building, a lateral drain as a pipe that carries wastewater from your property to a sewer, often under a pavement or road, and a sewer as a pipe collecting waste from the drains of several buildings. It adds that most sewers are publicly owned, but some private or unadopted sewers remain, in which case the owners may be responsible.
The CCW gives a similar picture. Homeowners are responsible for repairs to drains that serve their property and lie beneath the property, garden or driveway, while wastewater companies are responsible for the large sewers normally found under roads and pavements. If you are unsure whose responsibility something is, the CCW advises contacting your sewerage provider and keeping a record of the contact.
Who deals with the rats themselves?
Responsibility for pipes and responsibility for pests are not the same thing. Thames Water states on its website that, as a property owner, it is your legal responsibility to keep the property rodent-free, or your landlord’s if you rent, under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949. Rushmoor Borough Council, in Hampshire, says the same, adding that owner-occupiers are responsible for dealing with rats on their land and inside buildings, and that where rats or mice are inside a house that indicates a structural problem for which a landlord would normally be responsible.
Both point homeowners towards their council or a pest controller first. Thames Water says some councils offer a pest control service but most simply offer advice, and that if yours does not, you should contact a British Pest Control Association approved company, which will survey to find where the rodents are coming from. Rushmoor says it does not provide a treatment service and recommends a pest controller belonging to the BPCA or the National Pest Technicians Association.
When the water company gets involved
Thames Water says that sometimes a council or pest control company identifies or suspects a defect in one of its sewers. If it is confirmed that rats are coming from its sewers, it can investigate and, if needed, repair the sewer. In those cases only, you should contact the company and provide the report reference number, which it uses to confirm you have already contacted the council or a pest controller. Without a reference number, it says it may not be able to help.
Rushmoor’s page reflects the same split: where the problem is within the public sewer, the water company is responsible, while private drains are the responsibility of the property owner. Note that this is the published process of a single company in one part of England. Do not assume your own provider works identically; check its website and keep records of every contact.
What the evidence trail should look like
Because the water company expects a council or pest controller reference, the practical sequence looks like this. First, record what you have seen, including dates, locations and photographs of droppings or holes. Second, get a survey from an approved pest controller or your council, and ask specifically whether a drain or sewer defect is suspected. Third, if a defect in a public sewer is confirmed, pass the reference number to the water company. Fourth, if the defect is in your private drain, you will need to have it repaired at your own cost. Citizens Advice says you are free to choose whichever company you want for private drain work, and that you might take out insurance to cover it.
Rushmoor adds that treatment alone is not enough. Where rats or mice are inside the house, it says all access points, including any associated with drains or sewers, must be identified and sealed, otherwise the infestation is likely to return. Thames Water’s prevention advice includes making sure drain inspection covers are in place and in good repair, and it says rats can enter through a gap as small as 1.5 centimetres.
Where councils can step in
Citizens Advice notes that a local authority’s environmental health department can order you to repair or unblock a private drain or sewer that is not properly maintained, and can carry out the work and charge you if you do not. Rushmoor says its environmental health team can investigate significant infestations in certain circumstances, such as when rats are coming from a neighbouring property and you have already tried to resolve it directly, but it cannot investigate anonymous complaints.
The bottom line
In England, the pipes inside your boundary are your responsibility and rats in your property are generally the owner’s or landlord’s responsibility to tackle, while public sewers belong to the water company. Get a council or approved pest controller survey first, ask whether a sewer defect is suspected, and only then take the reference number to your water company. Keep dated records throughout, and check your own provider’s process because each company may differ.
Sources
- Citizens Advice, “Who is responsible for repairing drains and sewers (England)”
- Consumer Council for Water, “Who is responsible for my drains or sewers?”
- Thames Water, “Rats, rodents and pest control”
- Rushmoor Borough Council, “Rats”