No Waste Connection

lakesuk

We are in the process of buying a house (mortgaged), and are around 2.5 months in, closing in on completion.  I've just come off the phone with our solciitor who has raised what they say is a major concern.

Apparantly the water searches show no mains drainage connection for waste water.  We had previously queries the owner on their water-bill, as it only shows water usage, and not drainage/waste.  The current owners told us a septic tank was removed several years ago, and they were hooked up to the mains.  We can see the location of the old tank, and it clearly is now connected to mains.....however the searches are showing it isnt.  The fact the water company have never billed them for waste indicates a possible clerical error at the time of connection.

Our solicitor is raising the concern about a) backdated bills once the water company relalise they have never invoiced.  b) access to ajoining land where the connect to the main sewerage will be.

Clearly we cant complete on the house when it shows no connections to mains drainage.....but I wonder if anyone else has encountered similar issues in the past, and if/how it was resolved?

35har1old

lakesuk said:

We are in the process of buying a house (mortgaged), and are around 2.5 months in, closing in on completion.  I've just come off the phone with our solciitor who has raised what they say is a major concern.

Apparantly the water searches show no mains drainage connection for waste water.  We had previously queries the owner on their water-bill, as it only shows water usage, and not drainage/waste.  The current owners told us a septic tank was removed several years ago, and they were hooked up to the mains.  We can see the location of the old tank, and it clearly is now connected to mains.....however the searches are showing it isnt.  The fact the water company have never billed them for waste indicates a possible clerical error at the time of connection.

Our solicitor is raising the concern about a) backdated bills once the water company relalise they have never invoiced.  b) access to ajoining land where the connect to the main sewerage will be.

Clearly we cant complete on the house when it shows no connections to mains drainage.....but I wonder if anyone else has encountered similar issues in the past, and if/how it was resolved?

I believe the av water charge is approx £448
Sewerage usually  makes up slighty more than half 
It could be that there is more than one company involved.

aliby21

I went to look at a property in a village that was having mains drainage installed. If I recall right, connecting up to this would involve paying the district council a fee, getting a contractor to do the work getting your pipe connected to the main sewer, getting it inspected by building control, and being provided with a certificate.  The water company provide the sewer they don't connect individual properties.

It might not just be a 'clerical error' that they have not been billed. Possibly they connected themselves on the QT, which is now going to come back and bite them on the proverbial

user1977

lakesuk said:

Clearly we cant complete on the house when it shows no connections to mains drainage

Well, you can if you want, it's up to you (and potentially any mortgage lender) whether you wish to take on any associated risks. Nobody else is going to stop you.

silvercar

Your solicitor needs to bat this issue back to the seller's solicitor. The sellers need to deal with this, it will continue to come up with whoever buys the house, so it is in their interests to deal with it.