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Septic tank (shared) upgrade - what would you do?

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Comments

  • AJC211
    AJC211 Posts: 83 Forumite
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    PUPPPYYYYYYY (who is somehow nearly a year old already!)
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 17,286 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    AJC211 said: Bonus points for knowing where his name Jumble come from
    Car boot sale ?
    Her courage will change the world.

    Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.
  • AJC211
    AJC211 Posts: 83 Forumite
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    FreeBear said:
    AJC211 said: Bonus points for knowing where his name Jumble come from
    Car boot sale ?
    🤣No, from the Just William books 🤣
  • MeteredOut
    MeteredOut Posts: 2,410 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    AJC211 said:
    Bonus points for knowing where his name Jumble come from
    I'd be sending that picture to the neighbours, telling them to comply with your wishes for the replacement shared septic tank, or they'll be set upon and licked to death! :smile:
  • AJC211
    AJC211 Posts: 83 Forumite
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    So, I've decided to fork out on private legal advice. Mainly because the cost of a individual system is so high compared to a share system, so if I can nudge them towards being reasonable by showing them they can't 'play' me, then it'll be worth the spend. Also to protect my !!!!!! if I get and individual system, make sure I know how to extricate myself from the existing easement, and how to handle the 'pipes crossing my garden' thing. Will keep you all posted. How dull!

  • ThisIsWeird
    ThisIsWeird Posts: 7,634 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 31 October 2024 am31 7:28AM
    AJC211 said:
    So, I've decided to fork out on private legal advice. Mainly because the cost of a individual system is so high compared to a share system, so if I can nudge them towards being reasonable by showing them they can't 'play' me, then it'll be worth the spend. Also to protect my !!!!!! if I get and individual system, make sure I know how to extricate myself from the existing easement, and how to handle the 'pipes crossing my garden' thing. Will keep you all posted. How dull!

    Why pay for Leg Advice? You have LegProt, and the ball is firmly in your neighbour's court.
    Much of this thread is about you being pressurised into making decisions you aren't happy with, and jumping through loops to keep them at bay.
    Your deeds seems to be very clear - you are entitled to be connected, and will contribute a third towards repair, maintenance and renewal. 
    That's it.
    If and when it needs to be replaced, there is no hint anywhere that anyone can rearrange the setup without agreement - that would be absurd. 
    Yes, renewal may well mean that the old ST needs to be removed first to make room, but that's a cross you'll all have to bear for a few days - chemical closet, or just move out.
    Meanwhile, as far as you are concerned, the current system, whilst not ideal, actually works ok. Any 'issues' are not on your land, so it's up to your ST neighbour to finally declare a new system is required. When they do this, you say 'fine - happy to contribute a third as outlined in the deeds'.
    They simply cannot do anything else. They cannot send diggers on to your land to bury a new TP there (yes, they can send diggers in to, say, repair a pipe if needed - that's a standard clause in deeds - but even that would require a court order if you didn't agree. And such action would only be for a reasonable repair/renew of the existing, not to bury a TP in your lawn). 
    So, keep it simple. 'Yes, sure, when a new system is needed, let us all get quotes and we'll discuss the best system. What? No, of course ye cannae put it on my land ye daft wee sausage. Pardon? You reckon you are going to do what? Ach well, let me chust call my LP about that..."
    I don't understand - why is it more complex than this? Why are you spending time and money?
    The moment they interfere with your sewage disposal, they get utterly stuffed by your LP.
    What am I missing? Why are we on 17 pages?! :smile:

  • AJC211
    AJC211 Posts: 83 Forumite
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    AJC211 said:
    So, I've decided to fork out on private legal advice. Mainly because the cost of a individual system is so high compared to a share system, so if I can nudge them towards being reasonable by showing them they can't 'play' me, then it'll be worth the spend. Also to protect my !!!!!! if I get and individual system, make sure I know how to extricate myself from the existing easement, and how to handle the 'pipes crossing my garden' thing. Will keep you all posted. How dull!

    Why pay for Leg Advice? You have LegProt, and the ball is firmly in your neighbour's court.
    Much of this thread is about you being pressurised into making decisions you aren't happy with, and jumping through loops to keep them at bay.
    Your deeds seems to be very clear - you are entitled to be connected, and will contribute a third towards repair, maintenance and renewal. 
    That's it.
    If and when it needs to be replaced, there is no hint anywhere that anyone can rearrange the setup without agreement - that would be absurd. 
    Yes, renewal may well mean that the old ST needs to be removed first to make room, but that's a cross you'll all have to bear for a few days - chemical closet, or just move out.
    Meanwhile, as far as you are concerned, the current system, whilst not ideal, actually works ok. Any 'issues' are not on your land, so it's up to your ST neighbour to finally declare a new system is required. When they do this, you say 'fine - happy to contribute a third as outlined in the deeds'.
    They simply cannot do anything else. They cannot send diggers on to your land to bury a new TP there (yes, they can send diggers in to, say, repair a pipe if needed - that's a standard clause in deeds - but even that would require a court order if you didn't agree. And such action would only be for a reasonable repair/renew of the existing, not to bury a TP in your lawn). 
    So, keep it simple. 'Yes, sure, when a new system is needed, let us all get quotes and we'll discuss the best system. What? No, of course ye cannae put it on my land ye daft wee sausage. Pardon? You reckon you are going to do what? Ach well, let me chust call my LP about that..."
    I don't understand - why is it more complex than this? Why are you spending time and money?
    The moment they interfere with your sewage disposal, they get utterly stuffed by your LP.
    What am I missing? Why are we on 17 pages?! :smile:

    Yes, I could sit tight and wait until the s**t hits the proverbial fan (ie when my Leg Prot SHOULD kick in, if they don't wiggle their way out of covering it because of the role over the new insurance year), but the issue does need resolving, and the neighbours have made it clear they won't budge/listen to me, and frankly I want the issue resolved ASAP and before things get even nastier/more urgent (I can camp in my garden while the ST is replaced, but I have livestock and so many pets that renting somewhere for longer if the whole system goes down before we've reached agreement will simply not be an affordable option, so I do need to ensure things don't get worse!). I personally don't feel able to just 'wait and see'. Yes it would be an option, just waiting for them to play even nastier games, but I don't feel able to risk that. The way they've behaved so far makes me feel like I want legal backup for when they kick off big time, which I think they will. 
  • ThisIsWeird
    ThisIsWeird Posts: 7,634 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 1 November 2024 am30 8:25AM
    Entirely your call to make, AJC, and I understand how it may feel.
    All I'll add is, the pressure they've applied/are applying to you is horse poo. All this 'nasty' stuff is bluff. And they know this. They've made a lot of noise, lots of threats, lots of demands, but nothing tangible - because they cannot.
    They are stuffed by the deeds. And they are stuffed by environmental regs - if they try anything on that'll affect your sewage system, they'll be in trouble.
    Good luck, and please keep us updated.

    Although your LegProt won't kick-in properly until there's something tangible to kick against, you can still get assurance from them of where you stand; they should be able to provide answers to basic Q's, like, "If they say they are going to block or disconnect my sewer from the ST, what should I do?" "If they actually block or disconnect my sewer pipe on their land, what should I do?" "If they turn up with a digger and say they are coming on to my land to dig for a new TP, what should I do?" And anything else that would save you scrabbling around should this actually happen. Be pre-informed!
    As I understand it - but ask them to confirm - it's whichever LP company you had the policy with at the time the situation 'began' that should cover you. I don't know if that is when the 'arguments' began - I guess it'll come down to whether actual threats to disconnect you were made - or if it's when something physical occurs, but again you can have that conversation with them now. Get your ducks in a row, so you know, in advance, how to respond. 




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