ᐅ Drainage on Private Property, North Rhine-Westphalia – Any Tips?
Created on: 18 Mar 2020 07:43
W
Wissi
Hello everyone, I hope this is the right section for my question.
We are currently concerned about the drainage (regarding rainwater) from our neighbor’s property. Both properties are located on a slope, with ours being lower. The neighbor’s house is currently under construction (shell completed) and has a roof area of approximately 130m² (1,400 sq ft), including an attached garage.
According to the neighbor, this area is simply drained on their own property. This means the downpipes, some of which are close to our property, are not connected to either the local sewer system (separate system) or a rainwater cistern.
We are worried that such a large roof area, drained through only a few downpipes, could lead to a significant amount of water flowing at just a few points and possibly running onto our lower-lying property.
Additionally, I believe I heard about some kind of “connection obligation.” When I searched for it, I found the following in the local regulations:
And in case someone wants to be exempt because they want to use the rainwater:
Do I understand this correctly that there are essentially just two possibilities:
1. A normal connection to the sewer system
2. An exemption with rainwater use in the garden, in which case a cistern with an overflow connected back to the sewer system is required
I don’t want to come across as pedantic to the neighbors or tell them “you should do this or that.” Do you have any suggestions on the best way to handle such a situation? Also, I would like to confirm with you that my understanding is correct.
We are currently concerned about the drainage (regarding rainwater) from our neighbor’s property. Both properties are located on a slope, with ours being lower. The neighbor’s house is currently under construction (shell completed) and has a roof area of approximately 130m² (1,400 sq ft), including an attached garage.
According to the neighbor, this area is simply drained on their own property. This means the downpipes, some of which are close to our property, are not connected to either the local sewer system (separate system) or a rainwater cistern.
We are worried that such a large roof area, drained through only a few downpipes, could lead to a significant amount of water flowing at just a few points and possibly running onto our lower-lying property.
Additionally, I believe I heard about some kind of “connection obligation.” When I searched for it, I found the following in the local regulations:
§ 9 Connection and usage obligation
(2) The connection user is, subject to the restrictions in this statute, obliged to discharge all wastewater (sewage and rainwater) generated on their property into the public sewer system (usage obligation) in order to fulfill their wastewater discharge duty under § 48 LWG NRW.
And in case someone wants to be exempt because they want to use the rainwater:
§ 11 Use of rainwater
If the property owner intends to use the rainwater generated on their property, they must notify the municipality. In this case, the municipality exempts them under the conditions of § 49 Paragraph 4 Sentence 3 LWG NRW from the obligation to discharge the used rainwater, provided that the proper use of the rainwater on the property is ensured and that there is an overflow to the public sewer system, so that flooding of neighboring properties by rainwater can be excluded.
Do I understand this correctly that there are essentially just two possibilities:
1. A normal connection to the sewer system
2. An exemption with rainwater use in the garden, in which case a cistern with an overflow connected back to the sewer system is required
I don’t want to come across as pedantic to the neighbors or tell them “you should do this or that.” Do you have any suggestions on the best way to handle such a situation? Also, I would like to confirm with you that my understanding is correct.
N
nordanney18 Mar 2020 08:02Wissi schrieb:
Do I understand correctly that this means there are only two options, namely:
1. A standard connection to the sewage system
2. If installed as a standalone system or used in a private garden, a cistern with an overflow that is then connected to the sewage system Yep
Hello Wissi
During a heavy rainstorm, a large amount of water falls in a short period. With that kind of drainage, your property will turn into a torrent.
Explain this to your neighbors in a friendly conversation. Also mention that the building regulations do not support the drainage system they chose, and in case of water damage, the insurance company will come directly to them for compensation.
Steven
During a heavy rainstorm, a large amount of water falls in a short period. With that kind of drainage, your property will turn into a torrent.
Explain this to your neighbors in a friendly conversation. Also mention that the building regulations do not support the drainage system they chose, and in case of water damage, the insurance company will come directly to them for compensation.
Steven
H
hampshire18 Mar 2020 09:03I would be very surprised if your neighbor obtained a building permit / planning permission for this type of "non-drainage," as the building application must include compliance with drainage requirements, which the water authority reviews.
This leads to three possible scenarios:
When talking to your neighbor, I would avoid emphasizing my own concerns about flooding and instead warn them about the potential consequences for themselves.
This leads to three possible scenarios:
- The approach is as your neighbor says and has been approved → unlikely
- The approach is as your neighbor says and has not been approved → I would advise them that they cannot move in if the building is not accepted / inspected and approved
- The approach is not as your neighbor says and they simply are not aware of what is actually planned.
When talking to your neighbor, I would avoid emphasizing my own concerns about flooding and instead warn them about the potential consequences for themselves.
Thank you for the responses so far, it seems I understood correctly.
Hopefully, this can be resolved without much fuss. Unfortunately, there have already been several issues on the construction site related to our property that were not handled properly, and we had to raise concerns.
Our neighbors are building without a building permit / planning permission (red dot), but only with a notification procedure, meaning the green dot. I believe that in the latter case, (almost) no plans or applications need to be submitted.
We are familiar with our own building application, which included a drainage plan that had to be approved. That’s why I was surprised that they are planning it this way.
Hopefully, this can be resolved without much fuss. Unfortunately, there have already been several issues on the construction site related to our property that were not handled properly, and we had to raise concerns.
hampshire schrieb:
I would be very surprised if your neighbor received a building permit / planning permission for this kind of "non-drainage," since the building application must include compliance with drainage requirements, and the water authority checks this.
Our neighbors are building without a building permit / planning permission (red dot), but only with a notification procedure, meaning the green dot. I believe that in the latter case, (almost) no plans or applications need to be submitted.
We are familiar with our own building application, which included a drainage plan that had to be approved. That’s why I was surprised that they are planning it this way.
N
nordanney18 Mar 2020 09:41Wissi schrieb:
Our neighbors are building without a building permit (red dot), using only the notification procedure, indicated by the green dot. I believe that with the latter, you almost don’t have to submit any plans or applications.However, they still have to submit a drainage application and get it approved.Similar topics