Who is responsible for the power lines to the house?

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StarBlazer

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#205343 9-Nov-2016 15:48

So to cut a long story short, a colleague had an issue with power line clash which ultimately caused blow-outs in the house.

She's spoken with the electricity provider (and her normal electrician) and they are saying that she is responsible for the maintenance/replacement of the section of lines that cross her property - they are only responsible for the lines from the pole to the boundary of the property. The recommendation is to contact the insurance company to help pay towards their repair/replacement.

I was always under the impression that the electricity provider (or lines company) are responsible for everything up to the meter - presumably also the meter. She is responsible for grounds maintenance to ensure that no trees etc come into contact with the lines therefore taking reasonable steps to "protect" the lines from the pole.

She has been told that there was a law change in the 90s that changed this "ownership". There does not appear to be any information on this on the Wellington Electricity website (that I could find).

Can anyone shed information on this - has it happened to you?

Thanks in advance.

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RunningMan

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#1666618 9-Nov-2016 15:51

https://www.vector.co.nz/electricity/line-ownership

Vector owns the lines, poles and equipment up to the point of supply, which is usually the isolating fuse located either on the boundary of your property or on the pole nearest to your property. The property owner owns the service line between the point of supply and the meter.

elpenguino

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#1666700 9-Nov-2016 16:55

That's right, you own the section from your house wall to the pole, assuming an aerial feed. Reference? Experience of having paid to upgrade / repair it once.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

Dynamike

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#1666728 9-Nov-2016 17:20

I live on a farm with 3 houses and a woolshed. After the Power Reforms in the late 1990's, all the 230v lines and poles past the transformer pole became my responsibility. PowerCo are only responsible for the transformer, and the 11,000v lines and poles feeding the transformer.

The lines are really old and often snap in strong winds. Costs me around $250 - $300 to get the lines reconnected each time they break.

mdooher

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#1666748 9-Nov-2016 17:51

StarBlazer:

So to cut a long story short, a colleague had an issue with power line clash which ultimately caused blow-outs in the house.

She's spoken with the electricity provider (and her normal electrician) and they are saying that she is responsible for the maintenance/replacement of the section of lines that cross her property - they are only responsible for the lines from the pole to the boundary of the property. The recommendation is to contact the insurance company to help pay towards their repair/replacement.

I was always under the impression that the electricity provider (or lines company) are responsible for everything up to the meter - presumably also the meter. She is responsible for grounds maintenance to ensure that no trees etc come into contact with the lines therefore taking reasonable steps to "protect" the lines from the pole.

She has been told that there was a law change in the 90s that changed this "ownership". There does not appear to be any information on this on the Wellington Electricity website (that I could find).

Can anyone shed information on this - has it happened to you?

Thanks in advance.

The lines company will fix it (possibly free, depends on why the wires were too loose). If you upgrade to Neutral screen they may (depends on local policy) pay for most of the work, you could be up for as little as $600 plus the cost of a sparkie to make the connection at the mains entry box (lineman can't do it)

Matthew

richms

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#1666777 9-Nov-2016 18:37

It's the homeowners, Luckily for me here the pole down the drive has the pole fuses on it which means it is vectors problem, so they replaced it free. Other people around here have the pole fuse at the road and then the poles on the drive become their problem.

Richard rich.ms

Aredwood

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#1669856 13-Nov-2016 02:06

Tell them to read their contracts with their lines company and power company. It should define where the "point of supply" is. If the lines are on her side of the point of supply she will have to pay for repairs.

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gregmcc

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#1669893 13-Nov-2016 09:00

The electrical regulations (That's the law) state the ownership changes at the boundary line, if the lines are clashing on a regular basis then get a spreader fitted, or get them put underground.

StarBlazer

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#1670037 13-Nov-2016 14:36

Thanks everyone, sorry didn't reply earlier.

The spreader idea may be worthwhile, I'll mention it tomorrow, as alluded to above there is a question on how they are that close in the first place.

I'll let you know what happens.

Procrastination eventually pays off.