Short answer: The homeowner is responsible for the water supply pipe from the property boundary to the house, even where it runs under someone else's land. Severn Trent is responsible for the water main, the communication pipe, the boundary stop tap and the meter. A shared supply pipe is the joint responsibility of every property it serves.
Who is responsible for the water supply pipe comes down to one line: the property boundary. On the street side, the pipes belong to the water company. On your side, they belong to you. The awkward cases are shared pipes and pipes that cross someone else’s land.
The rule
Severn Trent says it owns the water main, the communication pipe, the boundary stop tap and the meter. The homeowner owns the supply pipe from the boundary to the house, and all the plumbing inside.
| Pipe | Whose it is |
|---|---|
| Water main under the road | Severn Trent |
| Communication pipe from the main to the boundary | Severn Trent |
| Boundary stop tap and meter | Severn Trent |
| Supply pipe from the boundary to the house | You |
| Internal stop tap and plumbing | You |
A BBC explainer in August 2026 quoted the Consumer Council for Water on a common misconception: that water companies are responsible all the way to the house, as gas and electricity suppliers often are. They aren’t.
Pipes under other people’s land
Your supply pipe is yours even where it runs under a neighbour’s garden, a shared drive or a back alley. Severn Trent says so explicitly. It works the other way too: if a neighbour’s pipe runs under your drive and leaks, it is theirs to fix, though they need your agreement to get to it.
Not sure whose side the leak is on?
A meter test on the phone usually answers it in a few minutes.
Shared supply pipes
Sometimes one supply pipe serves several houses. Severn Trent says Victorian terraces usually share one supply pipe, pre-1940s semis often do, and many council estates were built with one large pipe along the backs of the houses. A shared supply pipe is the joint responsibility of every property it serves, so a leak on the common section is a shared cost. A leak on the branch that serves only your house is yours alone. See shared supply pipe leaks.
Renting
The supply pipe belongs to the property owner, so a leak on it is normally the landlord’s to repair. If you are on a meter and paying the bill, tell the landlord in writing as soon as you suspect a leak. Who pays for the lost water depends on the tenancy.
What happens if you don’t fix it
If the water company believes water is being wasted from your pipe, it can serve a notice under Section 75 of the Water Industry Act 1991 giving you at least 7 days to repair it. If the work isn’t done, it can do it and recover its reasonable costs. See private leakage notices.
What you can get back
Once a supply-pipe leak is fixed, Severn Trent offers a one-off leakage allowance once the leak is repaired, covering up to 12 months or two bills based on actual meter readings. See how the Severn Trent leak allowance works.
Bottom line
If the leak is between the boundary and your house, it is yours to fix, even under a neighbour's land. If it is in the road, it is the water company's. Shared pipes are shared costs. Call 0115 839 0791, 9am–7pm, 7 days.