Pre-Sale Drainage Property Survey

November 19, 2017

Are you buying or selling a property with a septic tank or sewage treatment plant? You need to be aware of the pre-sale drainage property survey that is required.

Legal Requirement

There is a legal requirement for property sellers to inform buyers if a property has a septic tank or a sewage treatment plant. This should be in writing and include its location and maintenance requirements. This is usually done via the property information form exchanged during the conveyancing. Defects in the system are expected to be repaired either by the seller or the buyer. As part of the sale negotiation. In the same way that other defects in a property are dealt with.

Many drainage surveys carried out by your conveyancer, such as a CON29DW are brief. They will not give you the information required. Check with your conveyancer or solicitor if you are unsure.  If you are not happy with the response contact us and we can advise you. We have come across numerous situations where buyers have moved in, before fully understanding the system.

Environment Agency Regulations

If the property has a septic tank discharging directly to a surface watercourse, it will need to be replaced or upgraded by 1 January 2020. Or when you sell your property, if before this date. Failure to do this can lead to prosecution by the Environment Agency. In addition, if you operate a septic tank or sewage treatment plant that is defective or not working correctly, Environmental Health will contact you. They usually investigate complaints of nuisance from drainage systems. They can require the owner or owners to remedy the problem. Failure to do so can also result in legal action against the person responsible. Putting legal implications to one side, pollution of your local watercourses should not be acceptable.

What you should know?

As a seller or purchaser of a property with a septic tank or sewage treatment plant, you should be able to answer the following questions:

  • Does the property have a septic tank, cesspit or sewage treatment plant?
  • Does it serve just the property or are other properties connected to the same system?
  • Where is the location of the treatment plant and drainage system?
  • Where does it discharge to?
  • Are there any third party land easements or wayleaves?
  • What is the capacity of the system?
  • What is the condition of the system?
  • How old is the system?
  • Has the property been enlarged since the system was installed?
  • When was the system last maintained?
  • Are there any maintenance records?

New sewage systems typically cost between £6,000 and £10,000 to install. So it is important to identify any issues before contracts are exchanged.

Croft Drainage Solutions offer FREE advice and can carry out a pre-sale drainage property survey. We can provide reports answering the above questions. Our reports offer recommendations, responsibilities and indicative costs to rectify any identified issues. We can also undertake the work needed to allow the system to comply if requested to.

We are available 7 days a week. So get in touch if you need a pre-sale drainage property survey.