Way leave - worth trying to claim through a company? 17 June 2022 at 6:10PM in Energy 13 replies 551 views

c'est_moi

I have a low voltage overhead electrical cable running across one end of my garden to my neighbour's house. I have been offered the grand sum of a one off payment of £35 by the power company as a way leave. I am wondering if a company like Sherwill Forbes would be able to negotiate a better deal. I know they will take 20%, but if they get the same offer as me I would only be paying them £7, so nothing ventured nothing gained, right?

Has anyone else tried to get a better way leave offer like this?

Robin9

You can ask Sherwill Forbes but would you take on the job for £7

Better go back to the supply company and ask for £100

matelodave

Is it really worth it - we've got the neighbours power cable across the corner of our garden, it's a bit irritating because we can see it but we can also see the 11kv overhead cables than run across the back of our fence in the field behind us

t's not in the way unless I want to fly a drone in the garden (which I dont) and it's certainly not worth the hassle to try and claim a few quid. However it's entirely up to you

c'est_moi

I don't think it would be worth their while for £7 either - but they wrote to me a couple of months back, which is why I contacted the power company.

Mstty

Well if you believe some of the hype on Google between 1-4% of the value of your home so maybe it is worth their while.

Alnat1

Tell them no, you won't accept that amount, please move your wire. They'll come up with a nicer number 

Mister_G

Mstty said:

Well if you believe some of the hype on Google between 1-4% of the value of your home so maybe it is worth their while.

I got 2% for an 11kV line across my garden.  I did the negotiations with SSE myself.

Chino

matelodave said:

Is it really worth it

Yes. The presence of the cable will impair the value of the OP's property because nobody wants to buy a property with a utility company's cables/pipes running through it.

Mstty

Chino said:

matelodave said:

Is it really worth it

Yes. The presence of the cable will impair the value of the OP's property because nobody wants to buy a property with a utility company's cables/pipes running through it.

Nobody wants to buy? Think that's going too far.

Also rural areas (where the OP may live) it can be all overhead cables and believe me those houses sell as it is the "norm" for those areas.

c'est_moi

I wasn't expecting thousands, but I did expect more than what they are offering. I would have thought that Sherwill Forbes must think so too - why else send me the letter?

They are offering that as 6 years back payment or £2 per year. Part of me is bloody minded enough to go for the yearly payment - cost them the inconvenience of time and admin.

If they don't come back with a better offer I am going to ask them to move the cable - which would cost them £££. I am especially annoyed because they know damn well they owe me money. They replaced the old wooden pole that is just outside my garden about 4 years ago - moving it slightly to the left, cutting across even more of the garden- so they already knew this cable infringed on our space.

If they don't up their offer I will go to S F. I believe that the electricity company will then have to meet the costs of sending a civil engineer to look at the cable - which will clearly cost more than the sum they are offering me.

c'est_moi

Phoned the electricity company and they are not budging on the offer - they say it is a set price and cannot be moved. The alternative is for them to put up a second pole in order to get the neighbour's supply to them. I would be quite happy for them to do that, but also do not want to upset the lovely neighbours with inconvenience.

I am certainly not going to sign anything that would give the electricity board access rights to my garden for decades for the tiny amount they are offering. I am still considering putting it into the hands of a specialist company to see if they can get anyway with it. Or I may be bloody minded and make the company send me a cheque for £1 something each year.