Background
This is an illustrative example, not a real property. Picture a row of four townhomes, each with a finished lower level. The units' drains join a single building line that runs under the row before connecting to the public main. The owner at the downstream end has the lowest lower-level bathroom in the row.
Townhome rows like this are common in the north metro, and many owners do not know their plumbing is shared until something goes wrong.
Technician in a protective suit bagging debris from a contaminated floor next to a containment. Shown to illustrate the work described; not a job for this site or at any address named here.
The backup
Illustrative example. Not a real job or customer.
On a Sunday evening, the end-unit owner hears the lower toilet gurgle, then sees water rising out of the shower drain and over the bathroom floor into the hallway carpet.
- The owner stops water use and knocks on neighbors' doors, asking them to stop too.
- The owner calls the HOA management company's emergency line and emails photos.
- The association's plumber clears the shared line and pulls out a mass of wipes and paper towels.
- The plumber's invoice records that the blockage was in the shared building line, downstream of two other units.
- The owner calls their own HO-6 insurer and the HOA manager notifies the master policy carrier.
- A cleanup contractor removes the bathroom vinyl, hallway carpet and pad, and lower drywall in the hall.
Under this association's declaration, the shared line was a common element, so the HOA handled the line clearing. Interior finishes were addressed under the owner's HO-6 policy and the master policy according to their terms; the owner's sewer backup endorsement mattered for part of the cost.
Who handled what in this example
| Task | Handled by | Document that decided it |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing the shared line | HOA | Declaration, maintenance section |
| Cleanup of the unit interior | Owner, with insurers | HO-6 policy and master policy |
| Notice to other owners | HOA manager | Association rules |
| Flushing guidance for the row | HOA newsletter | Board decision |
Lessons for townhome owners
- Find out now whether your unit shares a building drain
- Keep the HOA emergency contact somewhere you can reach quickly
- Read the maintenance and insurance sections of your declaration
- Ask your agent about sewer backup and loss assessment coverage on your HO-6
- Ask the association whether shared lines are camera-inspected on a schedule
General information for Thornton, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.