Water Search - Advice Please

Bluefusion

Our searches have just come back from our solicitor, and regarding the water search it states that:

"the water company is not responsible for drains and sewers that connect the property to the public sewerage system and do not hold details of these."

What does thsis mean, and is this normal?

Doozergirl

It's normal. The water board is responsinle for the mains sewer that runs down your road. You are responsible for getting the waste across your land to the point that it meets the sewer.

The water board is responsible if you meet criteria along the lines of the house being built before 1920-1930 AND sharing drains with other properties, it usually occurs in terraces.

You can Google for more information if you think you meet the criteria.

Bluefusion

Our house was built 1920-1930 and is semi-detached, so does this mean the search results were normal?

Doozergirl

Drains want to take the shortest route to the sewer. I've generally bought period property and the only time I've owned a house where it was the responsibilty of the water board was where it was part of a terrace.

It isn't practical for drains to run directly underneath a house as you need to obtain accesss, so they need to run across the back of a terrace until they meet a suitable gap to meet the road, IYSWIM. With a semi, there is somewhere for the drains to run along your land without actually running under the house, so I wouldn't think the drains would be shared.

You can make a good guess on whether it's shared by lifting the manholes at the rear of a property and seeing whether the pipes continue back into your neighbours land. For a definitive answer, you'll need a drain survey.

MOONLIGHTVELLA

Bluefusion wrote: »

Our searches have just come back from our solicitor, and regarding the water search it states that:

"the water company is not responsible for drains and sewers that connect the property to the public sewerage system and do not hold details of these."

What does thsis mean, and is this normal?

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT WE HAVE PURCHASED A SEMI DETACHED HOUSE AND HAVE HAD ALL THE SEARCHES DONE AND SEVERN TRENT NOT SHOWN ANY COMBINED PRIVATE DRAINS ...... BUT WE WERE TOLD BY THE VENDOR THAT THERE WAS A SURFACE WATER DRAIN AT THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY BY A SHED BUILDING WITHOUT A COVER SO WE WENT ALONG WITH THE PURCHASE AND THOUGHT TO OURSELVES THAT WE WOULD REMOVE THE SHED AND GET A COVER ON IT A.S.A.P :mad: HOW WRONG WERE WE ...... GET EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT OUR SEWERAGE NOR WATER GO INTO THIS AND WE HAVE AN OPEN COMBINED PRIVATE DRAIN ON OUR PROPERTY BELONGING TO THE REST OF THE HOUSE HERE BY THE LOOK OF IT WE HAVE BEEN ONTO SEVERN TRENT ABOUT THIS THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE, SO I CONTACTED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH THEY COMING OUT TOMORROW 9/10/07 AFTER LONG TALKING WITH THEM AND TELLING THEM HOW FRUSTATING THIS IS WE WILL HAVE EVERYONES' POO IN OUR GARDEN AND NO ONE WOULD PAY THE COSTS BUT US SO THEY ARE GOING TO DO A COLOUR FLUSHING TEST WHERE THEY CAN TELL WHO ACTUALLY DOES GO INTO THE SEWER I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT THIS WHO KNOWS !!!! ALL I CAN SAY REALLY GET THIS CHECKED OUT WE WOULD NEVER OF DREAMT THIS AS IT WAS NOT VISIBLE AT ALL BUT THE SMELL NOW IS ABSOLUTLEY DISCUSTING RAW POO THATS WHAT WE HAVE I AWAIT FOR THE MORNING HOPE THIS HELPS DI ...

Debt_Free_Chick

Bluefusion wrote: »

Our searches have just come back from our solicitor, and regarding the water search it states that:

"the water company is not responsible for drains and sewers that connect the property to the public sewerage system and do not hold details of these."

What does thsis mean, and is this normal?

As I understand it, in some properties the water company DOES have responsibility for the part of the drains/sewer on your land. It only happened for properties built before a certain date - I think 1937 springs to mind.

It could be that this statement is a simple confirmation that this situation does not apply (which is common) so that any maintenance of the waste pipes on your land is your responsibility. Your buildings insurance would probably pay for most situations except normal wear & tear. But beware old clay pipes - over time they crack & leak and need replacing at a cost of £000s (say £1-2,000).

I think your solicitor should make it absolutely clear what this statement means. In particular, get the solicitor to confirm that your waste drains to the public sewer - otherwise, you are likely to have "private drainage" which involves the maintenance of a septic tank or cess pit (in itself, often not a problem - but you would like to know, yes?).

Richard_Webster

As a conveyancing solicitor I do find that there is confusion about drainage connections.

Basically OP it is normal.

The drainage search result for most properties that are on foul mains drainage will:

a) confirm that the property is connected to the public foul sewerage system; and
b) provide a plan normally showing the location of the nearest public foul sewers.

It will NOT confirm the means by which that the property is connected and this may not necessarily be to the nearest public foul sewer.

The connection could be via a short length of drain perhaps under the garden leading to the sewer under the road or there could be a significant length of private sewer before the public sewer is reached. The searches give no information about the length of this, which could be a shared maintenance responsibility.

There is no easy way of getting to the truth.

Usually it is possible to lift manhole covers and confirm the direction of the flow is to a public sewer under a road. (By the way these do not have to be under roads and can be in back gardens. )

On more modern properties, if you really want to know, then you would have to seek to inspect the building regulation plans at the Council Offices.

Where you have rows of older terraced houses in Northern towns with a ginnel through to the back every fourth house then generally the pipe under the ginnel will be a public sewer because it will serve four houses and will have been installed pre 1936.

silvercar

Moonlightvella,

If your seller gave your wrong information you can take action. Your solicitor should be able to advise on this.

Sewers running through your land are not really a problem. Obviously they need to be covered (!) and any blockages dealt with.

MOONLIGHTVELLA

silvercar wrote: »

Moonlightvella,

If your seller gave your wrong information you can take action. Your solicitor should be able to advise on this.

Sewers running through your land are not really a problem. Obviously they need to be covered (!) and any blockages dealt with.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REPLIES WE HAVE HAD A COLOUR TEST DONE BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AS WE THOUGHT THE NEIGHBOUR TO REAR OF OUR PROPERTY TAPPED INTO A SURFACE WATER DRAIN BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT IT IS A FOUL DRAIN AND ALSO PRIVATE WE ARE NOT CONNECTED TO IT FORTUNETLY BUT TRYING TO FIND OUT IS GOING TO COST US AND WE REALLY CANNOT AFFORD THIS EXPENSE THE PREVIOUS OWNER CLEARLY STATES ON THE PROPERTY INFORMATION ANY DRAINS CROSSING THE PROPERTY OR CABLES NOT KNOWN WHEN HE TOLD US IT WAS A SURFACE WATER DRAIN NOW WE COULD BE FACED WITH POO FROM HALF THE STREET ON OUR GARDEN I AM ABSOLUTELY FUMING RANG OUR SOLICITOR AND HES GETTING THE FILE FROM HEAD OFFICE, I LUCKILY ASKED FOR A PHOTOCOPY OF EVERYTHING WHEN WE SIGNED ON COMPLETION AND IT SOUNDS AS IF WE HAVE TO PAY THE SOLICITOR NOW TO START THE BALL ROLLING TO SORT THIS OUT CAN ANYONE HELP WHO IS LEGALLY MINDED AND KNOWS FOR SURE WHERE WE STAND AT THE MOMENT WE HAVE FITTED A STEEL PLATE OVER AND IT AS THERE WAS ONLY SLABS AND IT STUNK TO HIGH HEAVEN NO KIDDING I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ANYONE IF FREE TO EMAIL ME GENUINE ADVICE ON THIS [EMAIL="moonlightvella@waitrose.com"]moonlightvella@waitrose.com[/EMAIL] SO I CAN BE PREPARED FOR THINGS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE BY THE LOOKS OF THINGS THANKS

MOONLIGHTVELLA

Richard_Webster wrote: »

As a conveyancing solicitor I do find that there is confusion about drainage connections.

Basically OP it is normal.

The drainage search result for most properties that are on foul mains drainage will:

a) confirm that the property is connected to the public foul sewerage system; and
b) provide a plan normally showing the location of the nearest public foul sewers.

It will NOT confirm the means by which that the property is connected and this may not necessarily be to the nearest public foul sewer.

The connection could be via a short length of drain perhaps under the garden leading to the sewer under the road or there could be a significant length of private sewer before the public sewer is reached. The searches give no information about the length of this, which could be a shared maintenance responsibility.

There is no easy way of getting to the truth.

Usually it is possible to lift manhole covers and confirm the direction of the flow is to a public sewer under a road. (By the way these do not have to be under roads and can be in back gardens. )

On more modern properties, if you really want to know, then you would have to seek to inspect the building regulation plans at the Council Offices.

Where you have rows of older terraced houses in Northern towns with a ginnel through to the back every fourth house then generally the pipe under the ginnel will be a public sewer because it will serve four houses and will have been installed pre 1936.

HI RICHARD FIRST OF ALL THANKS FOR THE INFO CAN I ASK YOU HOW WE STAND WITH THE SELLER ANSWERING NOT KNOW BECAUSE HE TOLD US IT WAS SURFACE WATER AND NOT FOUL BUT I SUPPOSE ITS OUR WORD AGAINST HIS AND HE STATES IN THE PROPERTY INFO. NOT KNOWN WHEN HE DID KNOW BECAUSE HE HAD A SHED ON TOP AND YOU CAN HEAR FLUSHING LOO FROM THE REAR DETACHED BUNGALOW LET ALONE EVERYONE ELSE UP OUR STREET WHO GOES INTO IT WE DEFINATELY DON'T WE HAVE HAS A DYE TEST DONE BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SHOW WE DO GO STRAIGHT INTO THE MAIN SEWER I AM REALLY WORRYING ABOUT THIS AS WE CANNOT AFFORD TO START WITH SOLICITORS AGAIN WOULD APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE [EMAIL="moonlightvella@waitrose.com"]moonlightvella@waitrose.com[/EMAIL] THANKS AGAIN

tonydee

Just a note on water searches. My father who is currently in the process of selling and buying has been told today that a water search will take 35 working days!! Thats 7 weeks and they had hoped to complete by the end of the month!