Plumbing

Supply, Drainage, and Who Pays for What

Plumbing covers two separate systems: the water supply (bringing fresh water in) and the drainage (taking wastewater out). In a strata or community titled group, the key question is where the corporation's responsibility ends and the individual owner's begins.

The Legislation

Strata Titles Act, Section 5(6): Common property includes any pipe, cable, wire, duct, or drain that is not for the exclusive use of a single unit.

Community Titles Act, Section 28(1): Common property includes service infrastructure, except for parts that only serve a single lot.

How to Work Out Who's Responsible

Water Supply

The corporation is responsible for water supply pipes up to the point where they only serve one unit. A practical test: if you shut off the water at a given point and only one unit is affected, the pipe from that point onward belongs to the owner.

Drainage

The same principle applies to sewer and wastewater pipes. The corporation maintains shared drainage infrastructure — but once a pipe only serves a single unit, it's that owner's responsibility.

There's a common exception worth noting: if a unit has a sewer vent pipe that serves the shared sewer main, the branch connected to that vent may be classified as common property even though it physically serves only one unit. The test is whether the pipe serves the common infrastructure, not just the individual unit.

Typical Owner Responsibilities

The following are usually the owner's to maintain:

• Hot water service (unless shared between units)
• Kitchen taps and drains
• Toilet cistern and plumbing
• Shower and bathroom plumbing

Water Meters

Most strata and community groups share a single water meter. The corporation pays the water bill and recoups costs through levies.

Some groups have individual meters per unit or lot. In that case, the meter and all connected pipework is the owner's responsibility. Any issues with an SA Water meter should be reported directly to SA Water.

Where groups have installed private sub-meters to enable per-unit billing, those meters should be accuracy-checked every year or two to keep billing fair.

Insurance and Plumbing Issues

Damage caused by a burst or leaking pipe — whether supply or drainage — may be covered by the corporation's insurance policy. Check your policy for coverage of resultant damage and pipe location/exploration costs. If you're not sure, call the insurer and ask before engaging a plumber for major works.

Best Practice

Whenever a plumber attends the property, ask them to provide a written report that covers:

• Where the problem was located
• Whether the affected plumbing serves a single unit or the common infrastructure
• If it's unit-specific, which unit it serves

This documentation makes it straightforward to determine who pays — and avoids arguments later.