Good afternoon, once again. Today I am going to share with you about the drainage and water search and why this is needed to be carried out, particularly as it is included in the home information pack as part of the stipulated documents.
I am dealing with this search by highlighting the problem itself, then raising a question and providing a possible solution.
THE PROBLEM – The majority of property owners are simply unaware that not all sewers, drains and water mains are the responsibility of water companies. Such pipework has a finite design life and numerous problems regarding their repair and maintenance arise each year. Ideally all property owners must be aware of their potential liabilities regarding private sewers and pipework running below the roads and gardens as these can prove to be quite significant. Pipelines running close to a property may even prejudice future development or extensions to the property. If problems do arise and unidentified liabilities are exposed it will result in unexpected high maintenance bills, while ongoing problems can seriously impact on the value of the property.
WHY A DRAINAGE AND WATER REPORT – Waste water law abolished the responsibility of local authorities to keep and maintain maps of the public sewers, as a result the local authority search no longer provides any information covering these aspects. Therefore separate enquiries of the water and sewerage suppliers who keep the water mains and sewer records are required. The significance to owners is that properties connected to a public sewer have their sewage treated by the local water company, whilst unconnected property owners are responsible for the cost of maintaining alternative treatments such as a septic tank or cesspool. Generally properties are connected to the public water supply but if the water supply happens to be private these are subject to strict controls by environmental health.
THE SOLUTION – For a reasonable cost you can have all the essential information about the extent of your potential responsibilities and liabilities. The Drainage and Water Report is a comprehensive search which contains clear information relating to the connections including accurate mapping of mains and sewer locations detailing the distance from the property. It will also provide confirmation of any legal agreements affecting the property potentially limiting future developments or extensions and any billing arrangements. The report is underwritten by the water companies guaranteeing that if any information provided is inaccurate they will cover the cost of remedial works avoiding the risk of liability for you. We strongly advise you to have a Drainage and Water Report and if you ignore this advice you do so at your own risk since it is intended to safeguard you and protect your enjoyment and investment in the property you are proposing to purchase.
I am sure that you can see from the foregoing that if you choose not to have a drainage and water report carried out against the advice of specialist lawyers, then this is a risk that you will have to accept and may result in difficulty in selling the property and that you may be liable for the full costs of drainage repairs and/or renewal of drains.
In my next post, I am proposing to cover the environmental report, using a similar format to this posting.
Please feel free to comment on this blog, particularly if you wish me to answer any specific issues that you are facing.
Reg