What Happens If Utility Pipes For a Neighboring Property Run Under Your Land?

If you live in a modern property you are unlikely to encounter the problem of having a neighbors utility pipes running under your land. The situation may be different if your property has more age to it; planning did not used to be as organised as it is today.  This is why you may find that you have to deal with a situation where the utility pipes for a neighboring property run under your lawn.

We are going to take a look at how you can definitely determine the location of utility pipes. We are also going to discuss what action you can take if the utility pipes for another property run under your land.

Determining the location of utility pipes

If you believe that you have utility pipes for a neighboring property running under your lawn you need to determine if this is the case for certain. The best way to do this is to hire professionals such as One Search locators to carry out utility mapping on your property. If they do this they can tell you the exact location of utility pipes.

If it turns out that a neighbor's utility pipes are located underneath your property you need to think carefully about how you want to proceed with the situation. For instance, if there is a problem with the pipes it may also affect your property and pipework. In this case you may want to have a conversation with your neighbor about co-operating to ensure the situation is resolved. But, what can you do if you want to have the pipes diverted away from your land.

The problem with having utility pipes diverted

You may think that it would be easy to have pipes diverted from under you land if they do not serve your property; this is not necessarily the case. If you should have known about the presence of the pipes then it’s likely your neighbor will have easement and the pipes will have to remain.

You may be expected to have known about the presence of the pipes if their presence is mentioned in the deeds for your property. There may also be some above ground indication of the presence of pipes on your property. You can see why it’s so important to check for utility pipe issues when you move into a property.

You can see that if there is any suggestion that a neighbor's utility pipes run underneath your yard you should have the situation clarified. You can do this by hiring a professional to carry out utility mapping on your property. Once you have confirmed the presence of the pipes you need to make a decision about how to proceed. If you want to look at having the pipes re-routed then it’s a good idea to speak to a legal representative who should be able to help you through the process.