Home buying: house built on mains

Jude57

Russyarnold said:

Bigphil1474 said:

The gas main would normally be the bigger thicker pipe that moves gas around the estate. Typically, all the individual houses will have a pipe off this main to supply gas to them. Our gas main goes through our back garden, as we found out after a leak a few years ago. I'd be surprised if the gas main goes under the house, but could go through the garden at some point.

How to find the number of connections through this and location of this pipe on the plan? 
This might put me off buying this as I don't want to be disturbed if any of feeding off this has an issue with their gas.
Also kitchen in this was extended, it raises further questions as to if extension was over mains without them knowing.....
This is just complicating the things for me. Will get in touch with my solicitors.

On any street, of any age from Victorian to brand new, pretty much every property is served by branches from mains. Think of water, sewerage, electricity and, yes, gas. It's rare for such mains services to only serve a single property. That's more likely in a rural area. Mains usually (but not always) run along the route of roads or footpaths which is one reason why it's a problem if people drive or over the footpath without a proper dropped kerb being installed to protect those services. Certainly, a problem further along the branch can be an inconvenience to the other properties along the mains route but in reality, it's such a rare occurrence, it's not worth worrying about.

And just as an example, my first bought home was a Tyneside flat (purpose built late Victorian/early Edwardian brick-built two storey buildings, very solid and found everywhere on Tyneside and surrounding areas). A great investment and all was fine until I received a call at work from my downstairs neighbours to say that the shared back yard was full of sewage. I raced home and yes, ankle deep in sewage. Called a drainage firm who came out and cleaned everything up, blasted what they thought was a blockage and arranged to come out next day with the camera equipment which was then (early 1980's) brand new. When the camera went down, it discovered that the main drain, in the back lane behind our properties, just where it joined ours, had collapsed, causing ours, on our land, to also partially collapse. It seemed that the local Council had used the back lane for decades as a route to their nearby depot and the ensuing weight and vibration had eventually proved too much even for the sturdy, Edwardian construction to bear, having never been expected to bear more than the weight of a horse and cart. Luckily, our buildings insurance (mine and downstairs neighbours) covered the repair works. I say luckily because the damage between our flats and the perimeter wall of our back yard was our legal responsibility, the rest falling to the Council. Our costs were over £9,000, partly because the properties were on a steep hill. Our insurance companies sought reimbursement from the Council because of the cause of the collapse. I know that the property below ours on the hill was affected slightly but thankfully everything was dealt with very quickly and no-one was inconvenienced too badly.

That experience made me very nervous for a while but I've moved ten times since then, living in a variety of types of property in a variety of locations from isolated countryside to high rise flat and similar problems with mains services never happened in any of them, nor in fact, outside the odd power cut, anything like it.

Russyarnold

Jude57 said:

Russyarnold said:

Bigphil1474 said:

The gas main would normally be the bigger thicker pipe that moves gas around the estate. Typically, all the individual houses will have a pipe off this main to supply gas to them. Our gas main goes through our back garden, as we found out after a leak a few years ago. I'd be surprised if the gas main goes under the house, but could go through the garden at some point.

How to find the number of connections through this and location of this pipe on the plan? 
This might put me off buying this as I don't want to be disturbed if any of feeding off this has an issue with their gas.
Also kitchen in this was extended, it raises further questions as to if extension was over mains without them knowing.....
This is just complicating the things for me. Will get in touch with my solicitors.

On any street, of any age from Victorian to brand new, pretty much every property is served by branches from mains. Think of water, sewerage, electricity and, yes, gas. It's rare for such mains services to only serve a single property. That's more likely in a rural area. Mains usually (but not always) run along the route of roads or footpaths which is one reason why it's a problem if people drive or over the footpath without a proper dropped kerb being installed to protect those services. Certainly, a problem further along the branch can be an inconvenience to the other properties along the mains route but in reality, it's such a rare occurrence, it's not worth worrying about.

And just as an example, my first bought home was a Tyneside flat (purpose built late Victorian/early Edwardian brick-built two storey buildings, very solid and found everywhere on Tyneside and surrounding areas). A great investment and all was fine until I received a call at work from my downstairs neighbours to say that the shared back yard was full of sewage. I raced home and yes, ankle deep in sewage. Called a drainage firm who came out and cleaned everything up, blasted what they thought was a blockage and arranged to come out next day with the camera equipment which was then (early 1980's) brand new. When the camera went down, it discovered that the main drain, in the back lane behind our properties, just where it joined ours, had collapsed, causing ours, on our land, to also partially collapse. It seemed that the local Council had used the back lane for decades as a route to their nearby depot and the ensuing weight and vibration had eventually proved too much even for the sturdy, Edwardian construction to bear, having never been expected to bear more than the weight of a horse and cart. Luckily, our buildings insurance (mine and downstairs neighbours) covered the repair works. I say luckily because the damage between our flats and the perimeter wall of our back yard was our legal responsibility, the rest falling to the Council. Our costs were over £9,000, partly because the properties were on a steep hill. Our insurance companies sought reimbursement from the Council because of the cause of the collapse. I know that the property below ours on the hill was affected slightly but thankfully everything was dealt with very quickly and no-one was inconvenienced too badly.

That experience made me very nervous for a while but I've moved ten times since then, living in a variety of types of property in a variety of locations from isolated countryside to high rise flat and similar problems with mains services never happened in any of them, nor in fact, outside the odd power cut, anything like it.

Thanks for your response. Just wanted to put my mind to rest. Was not expecting this from a relatively new build. 

Russyarnold

I think this is now resolved. 
GTC were brilliant and shared maps within hours of requesting. As I can see mains runs along boundary but turns away at the end. Also Cadent now confirms property is not built over mains.
Thanks every one for their valuable advise and information.

Russyarnold

Just one last question,

As it stands the mains gas goes through property boundary and runs all along from drive way, gap between house and fence and along the garden end. It is connected to at least 40 other properties behind this property. 

My question is does it devalues the value of property? Personally not a problem for me but not sure the response from buyers when I sell on. Any personal opinion on this is highly appreciated.