Electricity poles

The_Logans

We have just moved into our new house. About 2 days later we received a letter from a 'no win, no fee' outfit saying they could claim compensation for the 2 wooden poles with 3 electricity wires that are on our land. Is this really a thing? Has anyone heard of it before?

Guest101

The_Logans wrote: »

We have just moved into our new house. About 2 days later we received a letter from a 'no win, no fee' outfit saying they could claim compensation for the 2 wooden poles with 3 electricity wires that are on our land. Is this really a thing? Has anyone heard of it before?

Yes, but don't be expecting thousands, or even hundreds.

AnotherJoe

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/oct/31/power-electricity-poles-wires-compensation-claim

(And reading that, if the previous occupants claimed, thats it)

EachPenny

Although not clearly stated in the article, presumably this wouldn't apply to poles and wires which are there to supply your property?

The article seems to suggest it is only the 11kV and higher voltage distribution network which is affected, is that right?

G_M

Whatever you do use the outfit that wrote to you.

If there's a claim to be made, write to the owner of the poles!

AnotherJoe

G_M wrote: »

Whatever you do use the outfit that wrote to you.

If there's a claim to be made, write to the owner of the poles!

I think you mean "do not use" GM?

Lucky_Duck_2

My parents receive a cheque for a very modest sum each year as they have an electricity pole at the end of their garden

ProDave

Doesn't it depend if there is a wayleave or deed of servitude in your deeds.

A close neighbour here has given the required 1 year notice to have a 205KV overhead line removed that was there on a temporary wayleave, the original purpose of it having expired. I suspect they will negotiate a settlement fee rather than remove it.

Rodders53

The house my late in-Laws lived in had a LV electricity pole at the bottom of their garden. It had a wayleave, and they got something like £50 every ten years for that 'rent'. Now we made our solicitor aware of this and supplied what documentation we could when we sold the house.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3693507 is worth a read.

smallholdingsister

Your solicitor should have found out about the existence of any wayleaves. You can get them removed, whether or not there is a wayleave agreement, but if it supplies an essential service the owner can theoretically apply for a compulsory purchase order.

Davesnave

I get my 'compensation' every year without even asking for it; a nice fat* cheque just arrives in my post box.

*fat in the sense that it's larger than the ones in my cheque book. The amount is just under £40.

This is for 11kv lines which supply me, but they also service other properties. There's a wayleave agreement, where every pole, stay and transformer seems to be accounted-for. I don't think this arrangement is re-negotiable.

So, it's certainly not a get-rich-quick wheeze, although when they replaced the cables a few years ago and forgot to collect several hundred metres of the old ones......

So, in short, I don't think there can be much in this for anyone, even if the wayleave has not been set-up for some reason.