A sewer diagram is an important document that all property owners must have. These sewer diagrams are vital if you want to buy a property, have drainage work done, or sell a property. As long as you are interested in owning or managing property in Sydney, you’ll need to have sewer diagrams approved by New South Wales (NSW) Fair Trading.
A sewer diagram (also known as a sewer service diagram or a property sewerage diagram) shows the location of private wastewater service pipes on a property. You will need an updated sewer diagram for your property on these 3 occasions:
When You Buy the Property
You need to know the conditions of all the major systems when buying a property, such as the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), electrical, and plumbing systems. A key part of the property’s plumbing system is its drainage system or sewerage system.
While the document itself serves as a map of where the wastewater pipes are, having an updated (and approved) sewer diagram means that NSW Fair Trading has approved of the property’s plumbing work. Therefore, it can give you assurance that the property you’re buying doesn’t have faulty or unsafe plumbing work.
When You Have Drainage Work Done on the Property
Before any drainage work can begin, your plumbers will likely want to see the existing sewer service diagram of the property. While ideally there should be an existing sewer diagram for them to work on, plumbers are still required by NSW Fair Trading to submit an updated sewer service diagram whenever they perform drainage work.
Once drainage work has been completed, plumbers must submit the new sewer diagram to NSW Fair Trading or the delegated authorities in time for the required inspection. The property owner should also receive this new sewer service diagram.
When You Sell the Property
Given the importance of a sewer diagram when buying property, it’s no surprise that a sewer diagram is crucial if you’re looking to sell your property. Oftentimes, property owners are unable to sell a property without an updated sewer service diagram. Not having this document when potential buyers are asking for it can significantly delay the property’s sale.
To obtain a property sewerage diagram, you need to find a licensed plumber who will conduct the required inspection, draw up the diagram, and submit it to NSW Fair Trading. However, it’s recommended that you don’t wait until the last minute to do this if you own a property that doesn’t have an existing sewer diagram.
You’ll only be able to download the approved sewer service diagram approximately 2 weeks after NSW Fair Trading approves of the submitted diagram. By then, once-interested buyers may have moved on to other properties that already have approved sewer diagrams.
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