Sewage problem from next door

jungle_jeff

Evening all!

Not sure if this is in the correct forum but I saw a similar sort of post from a while ago so here goes!

We recently moved into a new house (built ~1940). It has soakaways for gutter drainage and i'd noticed since moving in a faint whiff of sewage in the kitchen at times, apparently coming from under the suspended wood floor.

A long story short, next door's house is illegally converted into two bedsits, with all the associated dodgy plumbing. After further investigation today by me it turns out that the showers and basins for both up and downstairs 'flats' were plumbed into the rain water soakaway. Over the months (years probably) this has obviously got wetter and wetter and has to some extend started flowing underneath/soaking into the ground under my suspended kitchen floor.

Through the assistance of the helpful and handy tenant next door who wasn't aware of the problem, we have diverted this pipework into the proper open drain (is that the name for it) that DOES connect to the sewer.

I'm hoping that this will in time allow the whole area to dry out and eventually the smell dissipate but am wondering if there is any recourse I have against the landlord of the neighbouring property - or even my insurance company may have if I ring them? There is also a problem with the floor timbers in the kitchen being soft (this showed up on the survey and so I knew required work) and in hindsight of today's discovery I think this may be the cause - again i'm hoping maybe a might be able to make some sort of claim. Next doors landlord is pretty much untraceable and the tenants are reluctant to give me his number (the joys of living in London - it appears he's getting someone to convert a lean to on the other side of the house into some sort of 'dwelling'...)

Just helping the smell will go as with the arrival of a baby this week I really don't want a kitchen smelling of sewage!

Cardew

As the property was illegally converted, it is a reasonable assumption that only one(the original) of the properties is paying water charges.

So report your suspicions to the water company, and inform them of the situation.

Check with the council that both properties are paying Council Tax.

Contact the Council environmental health department.

That will do for starters - then get nasty!!

jungle_jeff

Thanks for your reply.

I contacted planning enforcement at the council last week but haven't heard anything more.

But im sure the council will be more interested once they learn they're missing out on tax!

muckybutt

I would also contact the Environment Agency about the drain situation. Technically the ground is now contaminated and could pose a serious risk to health, not only that but the waste water could have also contaminated ground water sources which they take a very dim view of.

macman

Your LA's Building Control and Planning departments should also be notified of an illegal conversion.