Inspection chamber in property boundary

User4search

Hi guys,  in property building survey and drainage search report it has indicated that there is inspection chamber in front of house within boundary. It seems to be for public sewer and few pipes at side. 

In search it also says that owner has build over agreement but I am not sure as there is just chamber in front of house so why build over agreement was needed.  Am I misinterpreting search report?

I am looking to do extension at side in future so I am not sure how big is this problem for extension?

Can this chamber and pipes be easily moved away ? How much would it cost? What approval needed?

Is there any survey or report I can do now to avoided any problem in future for side  extension or ask any docs/ report from vendor with respect to inspection chamber ?
Please advise. 
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Below snap from search report.
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The search has revealed that the property benefits from surface water drainage, 

meaning when there is excess rainfall, the surface water will drain away from the 

property into a public drain. It is very common for the Water Company to charge you for this service and documented in your water bill. The search has revealed there is a public sewer, disposal main or lateral drain running within the boundary of the Property. Consequently there are restrictions which will affect your ability to build any extensions over or near to such sewer. You will have to notify and discuss with the Water Company any proposals for 

development to ensure that development can proceed. You will require what is called a ‘Build Over Agreement’. Failure could result in you being ordered to take down any building. Similarly, the same applies if there has already been any building that 

contravenes these restrictions. If you think this is the case please let us know 

immediately. We are aware that there is a ‘build-over’ agreement in place. This is an 

agreement between the water authority and the owner of the property (and any 

subsequent owners) that a building is placed over the sewers, drains or pipes 

passing through the property, subject to access being put in place to enable works to be carried out if necessary (for example a manhole or similar).

Records indicate that the property is connected to the mains water supply.

Corner semi detached Property is highlighted with red boundary. 

princeofpounds

It's quite normal for there to be public sewers within part of a property. AIUI any sewer which serves more than one house is basically public now. It is a practical obstacle but as long as it doesn't affect your plans and they are accessible for maintenance they are quite easy to live with, as they often don't get touched for decades.

I don't think you can easily re-route them on demand. 

Build-over agreements aren't only for literally building over the drain - they are also needed for building within a certain distance. Your extension plans may be subject to this, but there isn't a special reason to think it would be refused.

You may wish to consider a drain survey to find out where it actually goes outside of the inspection chamber itself.

Section62

User4search said:

In search it also says that owner has build over agreement but I am not sure as there is just chamber in front of house so why build over agreement was needed.  Am I misinterpreting search report?

That's really a question to put to your surveyor, they have had the benefit of seeing the property and presumably sight of the build over agreement, so would know what they are talking about.

The property has had a part-width extension at the rear at some point in time, but it isn't in an obvious location where you might expect to find a public sewer.

As the property is at the end of the road and the foul drainage runs towards the neighbouring property it also goes against logic for the foul drain to be a public sewer within the curtilage of the property.

One of the few ways of making sense of the information is if the property to the rear (127, 125 etc) have their foul drainage crossing the property you are looking at and into the sewer in front. Although that is improbable, it shouldn't be discounted completely as the foul sewer shown in the road fronting 127, 125 etc could be at a depth which made it unsuitable to connect to. The sewer serving 'your' road is not shown as connecting to the one in the other road, which is indicative of a significant level difference.

If you plan an extension where the drains/sewers are located then I'd suggest getting a full drainage survey carried out before exchange. You need to know what is currently there and the feasibility of relocation before you'd be able to get any meaningful idea of the costs involved.

User4search

Section62 said:

User4search said:

In search it also says that owner has build over agreement but I am not sure as there is just chamber in front of house so why build over agreement was needed.  Am I misinterpreting search report?

That's really a question to put to your surveyor, they have had the benefit of seeing the property and presumably sight of the build over agreement, so would know what they are talking about.

The property has had a part-width extension at the rear at some point in time, but it isn't in an obvious location where you might expect to find a public sewer.

As the property is at the end of the road and the foul drainage runs towards the neighbouring property it also goes against logic for the foul drain to be a public sewer within the curtilage of the property.

One of the few ways of making sense of the information is if the property to the rear (127, 125 etc) have their foul drainage crossing the property you are looking at and into the sewer in front. Although that is improbable, it shouldn't be discounted completely as the foul sewer shown in the road fronting 127, 125 etc could be at a depth which made it unsuitable to connect to. The sewer serving 'your' road is not shown as connecting to the one in the other road, which is indicative of a significant level difference.

If you plan an extension where the drains/sewers are located then I'd suggest getting a full drainage survey carried out before exchange. You need to know what is currently there and the feasibility of relocation before you'd be able to get any meaningful idea of the costs involved.

Thanks guys I have asked building surveyors to comment on existing build over agreement for this property. Do I need to raise it as query with solicitor as well?

I will ask to do drainage survey,  is it same as cctv survey? 

Section62

User4search said:

Do I need to raise it as query with solicitor as well?

I will ask to do drainage survey,  is it same as cctv survey?

Yes.

In this situation a drainage survey needs to include CCTV inspection of the pipes. It is the only way of confirming/ruling out unexpected connections which might determine whether or not the property has a public sewer on it. You should make sure that all branches/connections are surveyed at least as far as the boundaries of the property.

User4search

Section62 said:

User4search said:

Do I need to raise it as query with solicitor as well?

I will ask to do drainage survey,  is it same as cctv survey?

Yes.

In this situation a drainage survey needs to include CCTV inspection of the pipes. It is the only way of confirming/ruling out unexpected connections which might determine whether or not the property has a public sewer on it. You should make sure that all branches/connections are surveyed at least as far as the boundaries of the property.

Thanks mate ,  building Surveyor has responded me saying that I would need to get specialist advise / contractor advise for any extension work and associated issues with drainage. I dont think he saw build over agreement from owner.  I have emailed solicitor asking for more details on existing build over agreement and any other relevant documentation.  And also mentioned I am going to get drainage survey done as per your advice.   Building surveyors raised few queries to report to solicitor so I raised them with solicitor referring Building Survey report. 
Solicitors have already asked me to sign searches results and asked to refer some documentation from owner but until i get clarification on existing build over agreement and get result from drainage survey,  I would not proceed to next steps . solicitor should respond to my emails  in next week hopefully .
Thanks   I will keep posted with future updates 

User4search

Hi guys solicitor has suggested that there is no build over agreement for this property and it was not needed as nothing has built over the drain. Building surveyor did not comment on internal drainage system but just indicated that roots are growing inside inspection chamber.   Do i need to get cctv drainage survey done to find out any potential issue?
 Who is responsible to fix any issue? Owner , or water company?

Section62

User4search said:

Hi guys solicitor has suggested that there is no build over agreement for this property and it was not needed as nothing has built over the drain. Building surveyor did not comment on internal drainage system but just indicated that roots are growing inside inspection chamber. Do i need to get cctv drainage survey done to find out any potential issue?

You need to find out why the surveyor thinks there is/should be a build over agreement but the solicitor disagrees. On balance I would tend to believe the surveyor rather than the solicitor as the former has seen the property and the issue is within their professional expertise.

The soil stack from the upstairs bathroom runs down the back wall and is next to the extension. If the drain from that goes into the neighbour's garden then it will become a public sewer. If it doesn't then it is likely you have a drain underneath the extension which - although not necessarily needing a build over agreement - does need the extension to have been built the right way. There is also a question over whether there is an inspection chamber under the extension as one would normally be provided near to the bottom of a soil stack.

The amount of roots in that inspection chamber would worry me, more so because the property is virtually surrounded by leylandii-type trees that were allowed to grow to a concerning height. It is possible the roots from the trees have damaged the drains.

So I would get a drainage survey (with CCTV) done to find out exactly what drains you have, and to make sure they are in a serviceable condition. The survey will confirm whether they are private drains or public sewer(s).

(I'd also consider the possibility the trees, and possibly damaged drains, have some role in the cracks in the bay wall)

User4search said:

Who is responsible to fix any issue? Owner , or water company?

If they are private you are responsible (and can divert them yourself when you extend). If they are public the water company is responsible, but you will need their consent (and a building agreement of some type) when you extend.

User4search

Thanks for advice. Surveyor did not mention about build over agreement in building survey ,but solicitor has wrongly mentioned it in drainage search report that they are aware of build over agreement for this property but when I raised query with solicitor,  they have appoliged saying that they are not aware of build over agreement in email response   . I will ask solicitor to correct the search report accordingly,. 

 Big trees are about 10 foots away from chamber . I will get the drainage cctv survey done. 
I am thinking for side extension in future. Do I need to ask contractor to suggest if that would be allowed or not or what documents would be needed? I dont want to do side extension now but want to get checked if it would be feasible with no hassle in future since it was said in the search report that there are some pipe work at side and this inspection chamber is infront just 2 foot away from main wall near front bay window

Section62

User4search said:

I am thinking for side extension in future. Do I need to ask contractor to suggest if that would be allowed or not or what documents would be needed? I dont want to do side extension now but want to get checked if it would be feasible with no hassle in future since it was said in the search report that there are some pipe work at side and this inspection chamber is infront just 2 foot away from main wall near front bay window

No, a contractor won't be able to usefully advise you on whether you would be allowed to build an extension or not. The main issue you might have with that is being on a corner plot and getting planning consent.

The drainage survey will tell you whether you have public sewers on your land. That will help you to understand how additional complicated/expensive it will be to extend - if all the drains are private then you won't have to deal with the water company and their additional requirements.

What you do need to find out is where the soil stack at the back of the house drains to. If it is wholly within your land then you need to make sure the new extension is designed to take that pipe route into account. Or you might want to incorporate a replacement bathroom into the extension so the existing drain can be abandoned. The latter might be a particularly good idea if the existing ground floor extension is sitting on top of the drain, and/or if the pipes are damaged.

User4search

I see , I will have to find out what all are drains and pipes in the property during drainage survey.  I am attaching pic that I have for side and rear elevations. As I can see , window next to dish at first floor rear is bathroom window and ground floor portion at rear side is extended kitchen.  I dont get much clue there where are drains going. I can see few pipes on the wall on both rear and side walls. 

There is pond in side garden also and property is surrounded by big trees boundary. Do indeed to get this pond checked during drainage survey as I dont know where the drain water goes from there? Or close/ cover pond completely if it is problematic?