Septic Tank

PRDMKT

!!!APOLOGIES FOR THE RANT!!!

I find myself in a predicament.

We are in the late stages of purchasing a barn conversion that we love. The offer has been accepted, and we are just a few days away from exchange. However, the barn shares a cesspit with the neighbors. Although it has never caused any issues for either side, it requires emptying every 3-6 months at a cost of about £60 to £120 per household per year.

I thought I was okay with this, but now the situation is causing me some cold feet. Although, I am not sure if this is part of the normal worrying that comes with buying a property. I am concerned about the responsibility that comes with the tank and the potential for future problems. We are considering connecting the drains to a nearby foul sewer at some point, but I am guessing this could cost tens of thousands of pounds.

I have a real fear about purchasing a property that we might struggle to sell in the future, or worse, finding ourselves subject to EA enforcement. As someone who has only ever lived with mains drainage, I initially thought a septic tank was similar—you just call someone to empty it, and it’s not much different in that respect. However, after the intense scrutiny during conveyancing regarding binding rules and other regulations, I am now quite anxious. The vendor has confirmed that the tank complies with the binding rules after some prompting, but I am not sure they are fully aware. We haven't had a specific survey on the tank, but a level 3 structural survey identified no superficial issues.

I have this innate fear that we will move in and something will be wrong with the septic tank. Since compliance is enforceable by the EA, I worry we will be forced to immediately rectify any issues, potentially facing a £40k bill or more. I have no problem fixing issues or upgrading utilities; I just prefer to do it when it’s appropriate for me.

Apologies again for the rant—this probably makes about as much sense as a Joe Biden speech. Any advice or insights would be really appreciated.

Section62

PRDMKT said:

!!!APOLOGIES FOR THE RANT!!!

....

Apologies again for the rant—this probably makes about as much sense as a Joe Biden speech. Any advice or insights would be really appreciated.

The rant is fine, but keeping it in the same thread you previously started would avoid the inevitable questions from forum members about details of the situation....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6537155/septic-tank-drama/p1

Albermarle

Here is a link to a recent discussion on the forum that will be of interest. 
Septic Tank Drama — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Also in one of the posts in that thread, there is a link to another previous discussion. 

propertyrental

Very annoying! If you want people to help, then don't confuse us by multiple threads.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6537155/septic-tank-drama#latest

You have many responses and good advice already - why start again?

BonaDea

This poster is also posting the same queries on Reddit - I'm beginning to wonder if this is some weird sort of trolling.

PRDMKT

BonaDea said:

This poster is also posting the same queries on Reddit - I'm beginning to wonder if this is some weird sort of trolling.

I was just looking for some reassurance. I wasn't aware of the issue that this would cause. sorry! If I could delete the other threads I would.