Riser replacement in an apartment

A riser is common property: what that means for you

The Law on Residential Properties (Dzīvokļa īpašuma likums) counts as part of the apartment the utility lines up to the common-property risers, while the building's utility systems are common property. A lawyer on LV portāls explains that the riser belongs to all the apartment owners and that the building manager who has been assigned its maintenance is responsible for improper performance of this work.

In their own apartment an owner may work without the approval of others only as far as the work does not affect common property or other apartments. If it does affect common property, the consent of the apartment owners' association is needed. In practice: before replacing a riser section, contact the building manager and find out what procedure is set in the building and how the riser will be shut off.

In 2023 the Senate (the Supreme Court) held that the water supply inlet valve at the entrance to an apartment is also inseparably linked with the building's common water supply system. This matters if there is a dispute about where your apartment's network ends.

Who usually pays for the riser

Each owner covers the costs of managing the building in proportion to their share of the common property, on the basis of an association decision. If risers are replaced across the whole building, they are usually paid for in this way. If you want to replace the section in your apartment yourself during your own bathroom renovation, find out from the building manager who pays for it before the work.

More on this question: who pays for riser replacement.

Why replace the riser together with a renovation

The building code LBN 200-21 provides that in apartment buildings, utility lines that do not serve the apartments on a given floor need closed shafts or ducts. That is why a riser is usually behind a casing in the bathroom, toilet or kitchen. When the tiles and the shaft casing are being taken down in the bathroom anyway, the riser is accessible, and replacing it is simpler than after new tiling.

Worn risers and water pipes are mentioned on nopo.lv among the typical problems of 464 and 467 series buildings. In other buildings too, the condition of old pipes can only be assessed on site.

The owner must allow specialists authorised by the association or the building manager to work in the apartment to maintain the building's utilities. That is why, when a riser is closed in with a casing, an access hatch is usually left at the valves and joints.

Work in the usual order

1. Approval The work, and when and how the riser will be shut off, are agreed with the building manager.
2. Access The shaft or the casing around the riser is opened, if it has not yet been demolished.
3. Replacement The old section is taken out and the new one is joined to the riser parts above and below the apartment.
4. Branches The apartment's water or sewage branches are connected to the new section.
5. Testing and closing in After the water is turned on, the joints are checked, then the shaft is closed in, leaving a hatch.

What to write in your request

• Which risers you are replacing: cold water, hot water or sewage.
• Which room they are in and whether there is a casing or tiles around them.
• The building series or year of construction, and the floor.
• Whether the building manager already knows about the plan.
• What the risers, valves and joints are like.

How much riser replacement costs

Replacing a riser section in an apartment costs from €100 per riser. Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

Example: if a section of the cold water, hot water and sewage riser is replaced in the bathroom and toilet, the work is 3 × €100 = from €300. Opening the shaft, a new casing and the tiles around it are separate jobs.

The price of replacing a riser is affected by the number of risers, access (an open shaft or a tiled wall), whether the apartment's pipes are replaced at the same time, and the finish in the room. An exact estimate can be made after seeing the apartment. All prices: renovation prices.