The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) is urging Victorians to clean out their gutters and downpipes of leaves and debris to help reduce the risk of water overflowing into homes and buildings.
Executive Director of Operations at VBA, Alison Byrne said gutter maintenance was an important part of annual property upkeep, especially during the winter months.
“Leaf litter build-up in gutters not only increases the risk of blockages, which can result in overflow back into eaves and ceilings, but over time can cause corrosion and damage that can also prove costly to repair,” Ms Byrne said.
“Checking your gutters and downpipes often will help prevent blockages and reduce the risk of problems that can cause a lot of stress and cost a lot of money,” she said.
“While clearing gutters is not regulated plumbing work, any clearing of blockages that requires the gutter or downpipe to be detached or altered must be carried out by a licensed or registered plumber.”
Ms Byrne said non-compliant roof plumbing increased the risk of leaves and debris getting stuck in gutters and downpipes, which could lead to flooding.
“Unfortunately, non-compliant roof plumbing is an issue that we continue to find through our Proactive Inspections Program and our Plumbing Audit Program,” she said.
“The vast majority of plumbers do the right thing, but there is a small number who don’t take the time to check their work which leads to problems down the track like clogged gutters and downpipes.”
She said VBA data from May showed that non-compliant roof plumbing was the leading cause of people lodging an official complaint about plumbing work at their property, with 40 per cent of all complaints received about poor workmanship relating to roof plumbing.
