Our meter box is full of water. Is that our problem?

Not if the leak is in the meter or on the street side: that's Watercare's, and you report it on (09) 442 2222, option 1. From the outlet of the meter to the house, the pipe is yours and a plumber fixes it.

We're on a cross-lease section. Where does Watercare's sewer pipe stop?

Watercare ignores the lines between cross-lease properties and works from the original title boundary, so the join may not be where you'd guess. Ask it on (09) 442 2222, option 4, before anyone digs.

Plumbers in Albany: new builds and units

Plumbers in Albany

Upper Harbour.

Albany has grown quickly, adding close to a thousand occupied homes between the 2018 and 2023 censuses. Watercare looks after water and wastewater up to your property, and Auckland Council handles stormwater. Describe the problem and we'll match you with an authorised plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer who works in Albany and knows that kind of job.

Albany facts that change a plumbing job

Upper Harbour, a third joined homes

Stats NZ puts Albany in the Upper Harbour local board area. At the 2023 Census, 32.0% of occupied homes there were joined dwellings such as units, townhouses and apartments, compared with 27.9% across Auckland.

Hundreds more homes since 2018

Occupied dwellings in Albany went from 3,285 in 2018 to 4,203 in 2023. The mix is wide: 13.4% of homes have one bedroom, nearly double the national 6.9%, and 12.5% have five or more.

Four in ten households don't own

40.5% of Albany households didn't own their home or hold it in a family trust in 2023, against 34% nationally. Watercare is clear that landlords fix leaks on their property.

Slips, floods and dry spells

Auckland Emergency Management's Upper Harbour plan lists flooding, slips, severe storms and drought, including water shortage, among local hazards. It suggests checking your address on Auckland Council's Flood Viewer.

When the house is nearly new

Under the Building Act, a client can notify the contractor of a defect within 12 months of a building job being completed and have it put right. That covers residential building contracts of any value, written or oral. If a fitting weeps or a drain runs slowly in that first year, put it to the builder in writing before paying anyone else.

Keep the names of the plumber and drainlayer who worked on the build. If the builder disputes a defect, those are the people who can say what was installed and how.

Cold showers after a storm

Vector's pilot wire system controls many cylinders in North and West Auckland. After a big outage it brings power back first and repairs the pilot wires after, so hot water can trail behind the lights. If the street has power and your cylinder is still cold, Vector says the fault may be your service pilot wire or the relay in the meter box. Ring it on 0508 832 867 before you book a plumber.

Albany and nearby

Auckland-wide guides: blocked drains, hot water cylinders, finding a hidden leak and urgent plumbing. Close by: Browns Bay, Glenfield and the rest of the North Shore.

What we would do in Albany

In a home finished within the last year, read the building contract before you ring anyone: a leak or a slow drain may be the builder's to fix. Outside that window, sort out whose pipe it is first. A wet patch between the meter and the house is a plumber's job. A blocked sewer goes to Watercare first, because if the public pipe is at fault it's theirs, and it generally won't refund a private plumber's bill.