Extension built by vendor causing massive headache.

Section62

housebuyer143 said:

Ah well that's a different story. Without a build over agreement or an indemnity I wouldn't touch a house built over public drains. 
Private however, then it's all okay. Suppose it comes down to that proof they can show you that it's in fact private. 

With private drainage I'd be also be very wary if there was no plan 'B'.... i.e. no alternative access in case of blockage, or no alternative route for the drainage in case of collapse or other failure.

Digging up internal floors to access drains and manholes is very disruptive and can be very expensive.  More so with the trend towards modern-style floor structures and flooring (e.g. rather than carpet), and also with the popularity of underfloor heating.

housebuyer143

Section62 said:

housebuyer143 said:

Ah well that's a different story. Without a build over agreement or an indemnity I wouldn't touch a house built over public drains. 
Private however, then it's all okay. Suppose it comes down to that proof they can show you that it's in fact private. 

With private drainage I'd be also be very wary if there was no plan 'B'.... i.e. no alternative access in case of blockage, or no alternative route for the drainage in case of collapse or other failure.

Digging up internal floors to access drains and manholes is very disruptive and can be very expensive.  More so with the trend towards modern-style floor structures and flooring (e.g. rather than carpet), and also with the popularity of underfloor heating.

Definitely, I agree having bought a house were this exact thing happened and I had to dig up the kitchen floor. OP says they moved the drains though and have another access point, so I would be happy with that.

FreeBear

Dmv18 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

This other manhole outside the extension, is it new, built at the same time as the extension?
I'd pass the buck on to the vendor to (a) confirm the drains layout, (b) whether this one is shared with any other property, and (c) have a CCTV inspection carried out.
Also ask them if they took any photos during the build - anything showing the foundations, for example?

No the manhole was always there. Pretty much it’s where the bathroom use to be so but they moved it upstairs and redirected the system. Fortunately they didn’t build over this manhole cover but like I said the extension is still very close to it- which SW have said, if it’s a public manhole, then they consider the extension as an illegal build.

Just because something is in breach of policy or rules does not make it illegal (which suggests a criminal component or intent). Non-compliant, yes.

Neighbour has a ~19mm condensate drain exiting his property. Gas engineer that was giving me a quote noted the pipe and said "well, that is illegal". Wrong. It is not compliant with current regulations, so not illegal by any stretch of the imagination.

RHemmings

Dmv18 said:

ThisIsWeird said:

This other manhole outside the extension, is it new, built at the same time as the extension?
I'd pass the buck on to the vendor to (a) confirm the drains layout, (b) whether this one is shared with any other property, and (c) have a CCTV inspection carried out.
Also ask them if they took any photos during the build - anything showing the foundations, for example?

No the manhole was always there. Pretty much it’s where the bathroom use to be so but they moved it upstairs and redirected the system. Fortunately they didn’t build over this manhole cover but like I said the extension is still very close to it- which SW have said, if it’s a public manhole, then they consider the extension as an illegal build. We have told our solicitor we want them to get a cctv check. We know the structure is sound but we also wanna know what’s down there. 

We asked about photos during the build, no luck. 

That would scare me off right there. 

Scotbot

Dmv18 said:

Scotbot said:

Just had the same problem and I withdrew from the sale. Vendor insisted they didn't need building regs approval.  Lot's of inconsistencies in their stories. Turns out the work was done by a mate.

I finally lost patience when the vendor said the council were coming the following week and the certificate would be issued the next day. Having spoken to the council myself I knew this would not happen as the owner has to expose works for the surveyor to check. The first visit is to assess what the needs to be done. Needless to say council came and no certificate issued.

My main concern was resale as it was not a forever property. 

I  did learn something useful by speaking to the council, they have a website where you can check if building approvals have been applied for. This doesn't prove the work was certified but if they didn't apply it certainly won't be. I think most councils have this facility so worth checking before viewing. 

To be fair, a structural engineer did come and assess the extension, and it did have a good report with no concerns. But again the only thing I worry about it the built over of the manhole. 

I did check the council website and they did apply for it. It was at the beginning this year but it there is no decision outcome of it. 

I don't think outcomes are published but it may vary by council.  In this case there is an outcome, certification was refused. This probably explains the wait, I suspect your vendors applied for certification when they put it up for sale only to have it rejected.