Electric pole lease removal-one off pay out

cjdew

I was wondering if anyone has any exposure to this or. Knowledge? Not sure if I am posting in the correct board, so please also shout if this is the case.

We have 2 electricity poles on our garden/land. We have heard that rather than receiving a nominal amount every 3 years you can ask for a one off payment where you hand over ownership to national power. This means at any time they can access to do works on them etc. Which we understand they can do so anyway.

Apparently you can either apply yourself, or a company does it on your behalf.

Any lived experience we would be very grateful for.

TELLIT01

One potential issue with handing over the land to National Power is if you have a mortgage. The mortgage holder may not agree to part of their 'asset' being sold off.

cjdew

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979859#Comment_81979859

Thank you, hadn't crossed my mind.

I found this:

Yes, mortgage providers will generally allow you to sell or transfer private utility poles to National Grid or another Distribution Network Operator (DNO), but it requires their formal consent.

National Grid Group

National Grid Group

+1

Entering into a "wayleave" or "easement" (a permanent agreement allowing them to own/maintain the poles) creates a permanent legal restriction on your land, which means your lender must approve the change.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980145#Comment_81980145

Is that an AI answer?

"private utility poles" aren't the same as statutory undertaker poles (and other equipment) sited on private land.

Usually utility companies don't want to buy land, they just want long-term rights to use the land. There are exceptions, such as land for a pumping station or transformer/sub-station. But the hassle of owning a square foot or so of land for each pole is excessive for any benefit they might gain.

cjdew

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980174#Comment_81980174

Yes, i typed it into Google assist. I know that they buy the poles as they've got forms online that you complete to ask for what price they would give you for a one off payment.

Also, someone who lives not too far from us had made a sale of their poles in their old house. This is where we heard of it originally.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980215#Comment_81980215

If the poles were installed as part of the public electricity supply then the DNO won't "buy" the poles from the landowner, because the DNO already owns them.

What they might purchase is a permanent right for the pole to be sited on your land with rights of access, but you would still own the land involved. This is a step up from a standard wayleave where they have those rights for a fixed period of time (say 10 to 20 years) with a periodic or lump sum payment.