Advice - Drainage issue

MarcoM

Hi all,

We are in the process of buying a house and the survey came back stating that there is no inspection manhole. The vendor is not sure where this may be. It is possible that it has been tarmaced over.

Now I am willing to turn a blind eye on this if it means the sale is not delayed.

However my solicitor is now checking if there is any covenant on the property. If he were to discover that sewerage is shared with the neighbours I would then insist that the vendor installs an inspection chamber at his expense. I would want to avoid issues if the neighbours were to get flooded due to a blockage.

Do you guys think this is reasonable or am I being fussy?

looby-loo_2

I was told by the council if a shared drain is blocked there is no bill as they can't prove who blocked it so the council clear it for free.

real1314

Entirley reasonable. Lack of an inspection manhole could lead to sewage flooding, resulting in a claim against you. Your insurers might not pay out as you would have been aware of the problem.

nelly_2

Putting a new manhole in is a piece of doddle and 500 quid max generally

MarcoM

ok it may be cheap but how do you find out where the sewer pipe is.

silvercar

Our last house, we didn't have an available inspection cover but our neighbours did. Just meant that, if there was a problem, access had to be made from their land not ours.

Generally sewers run in a line, linking all properties in a row. If there is a problem, neighbours need to co-operate to sort it out.

clutton_2

local drains companies always know where drains are and it is not expensive to get a drain inspection access point fitted - it is in your interest to do so.

Debt_Free_Chick

MarcoM wrote: »

Hi all,

We are in the process of buying a house and the survey came back stating that there is no inspection manhole. The vendor is not sure where this may be. It is possible that it has been tarmaced over.

Quite possible that there is only one for every two properties.

local drains companies always know where drains are

I understand they have detailed maps showing the position of all drains & inspection covers. Not easy to get hold of, but make some enquiries with the local water company.

Richard_Webster

When was the house built? Was it connected to mains drainage from the start or only later?

If it is an older house (pre 1936) in an area that was built up then and on mains drainage then the sewer will be generally be the responsibility of the water company. A sewer is a pipe that takes effluent from more than one property. Lots of older houses do not have manhole covers.

If it is post 1936 then you might have a private sewer run and if that gets blocked then generally those who use it have to share the cost of its unblocking etc.

nelly_2

MarcoM wrote: »

ok it may be cheap but how do you find out where the sewer pipe is.

Start with the water board just ask them they may or may not know.

The local planning office may know especially if there has been an extension on a nearby house its probable that your drains are layed out in a similar way.

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Dig a hole near one of your grids and see what direction the pipe is heading (generally they run in straightish lines heading to the street.