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.
Wissi schrieb:
the green dot. I believe that for the latter, you (almost) don’t have to submit plans or applications.Hello Wissi
That’s correct. However, the builder must strictly comply with all regulations. They cannot rely on any approvals from the building authority. To me, that would be too risky. Any neighbor could raise objections.
Regarding the drainage, I would handle that quite promptly.
Steven
ypg schrieb:
Just ask WHEN they are going to do it since your plot is already saturated with their rainwater...So basically, don’t ask if it will be done, but assume it has to be done anyway. Hmm, not a bad idea...But honestly: If the homeowner is liable in this process, isn’t it grossly negligent to miss it and then have to do a lot of work later to install pipes or a cistern somewhere?
In cases like this, is the homeowner really liable, or is it the architect responsible for planning or execution?