If your sewer pipe crosses over someone else garden, but it is broken by a tree...

[Elizabeth E]

...roots who is responsible? The pipe crosses over the next door garden, but tree roots in their garden have cracked your sewer pipe, who is responsible for repairs.

 

[rangedog]

I hate private community sewers and ones like yours that cross over others property.
I could write about problems like yours a lot.

But to answer your question, here in my area, they do not have to allow you to enter and repair your sewer line if there is anyway to route it a different direction to the city main.

I hope you have nice neighbors and that you are friends with them.
It's your sewer and it's your fix.
Sorry about that.
And you may have to put the garden back as it was.

The one thing you can do is use what is called a pig. The pig is an object that is pulled through the existing sewer line. As it is pulled through it breaks up the old sewer line as it is pulling the new pipe through. You have to dig a good size hole on your property and one at the alley to do this, but at least you are not disturbing their property. Polypropylene pipe is used as the replacement.

 

[sparky]

Difficult one but at the end of the day it is their tree that caused the damage to your pipe and if the tree did not exist their wouldn't have been a problem in the first place. I believe that as the pipe is not damaged within your boundary you are not responsible.

 

[Toni]

That sounds like a legal problem that I would do at university! Its to do with easements and who is responsible for the maintenance of the pipe you should check the land register as it is unlikely that just one party would be responsible for the costs.