where is the manhole cover (drain)

wannamakeamil

We are buying a house and the surveyor has pointed out that there is no visible manhole at the front or back of the property. The surveyor believes that it should be at the back as the toilet, bath and kitchen are all at the back and is probably paved over. What do we do if we get a blockage???

david29dpo

good question! get the vendor to find it.

oldandhappy

We have 2 and next door have none.....but the owner should know surely....

JennyW_2

david29dpo wrote:

good question! get the vendor to find it.

definitely! Make sure you sort this out with the vendor. God forbid you need to access your drains. In our last house our manhole was under our decking but there was an access point.

maninthestreet

My house is the same - I have no visible manhole covers, front or rear, to my property. Next door (other half of the semi-detached), have one at the back and the front, the other neighbour has one at the back only. This latter cover is about 3 foot away from the property boundary. My surveyor said at the time I purchased the house that the drain cover was either buried under my patio, or that my drains were connected to the neighbours drains, as the the cover is so close to the property boundary.

clutton_2

if it is an edwardian/victorian terrace it may well not have a drain cover - they were not necessarily put in when first built. its not a huge job to put one in, once you find the line of the sewer pipe

maninthestreet

clutton wrote:

if it is an edwardian/victorian terrace it may well not have a drain cover - they were not necessarily put in when first built. its not a huge job to put one in, once you find the line of the sewer pipe

My house was built in 1975.

silvercar

If you have no drains access, you politely ask your neighbour for access from their access; if necessary pointing out that you want to solve the problem before it backs up to their property.

In a previous house , I knew exactly where the manhole cover was - under the wood flooring in my extension! The neighbours just assumed that the acces was only provided at alternative properties.