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Original poster

To reduce our house offer because of undisclosed sewage pumping station in the garden

164 replies

CheesyGhost · 03/09/2020 21:58

We have today discovered through our solicitors that the house we have agreed to buy at full asking price has a significant chunk missing out of the middle of the garden which wouldn't legally belong to us as a sewage pumping station is underground there, and a long stretch of the property, although legally our property, requires right of access for the sewage company at a width of 3 meters. The timber garage has been built on this despite the deeds clearly stating that the access cannot be blocked. When challenged, the vendor has said that the sewage company only actually need one meter of access to check the pump monthly and it has never been a problem in the 7 years they have lived there which is why they built the garage where it is. We are hoping that this will be our forever home so I'm sure that at some point in the next 50 years, the sewage company are going to want their full 3 meters to deal with any significant issues.
We are very annoyed that this was not disclosed prior to this point and the estate agent claims that they did not know about it either though the vendor clearly did.
In all honesty, we were planning to rip down the garage and rebuild it anyway but now we know this, we will look to rebuild elsewhere in the garden so we could keep the access free in the long term. Even with the chunk missing, it is a very good sized garden as we can't see this being a problem as such and although not ideal to have the pumping station essentially in our garden, that's not a huge issue either for our day to day living from what we can currently assess.
But we are angry that what was advertised is not what we are buying and would like to renegotiate our offer. Are we being unreasonable in asking for a £5000 reduction which would cover the rebuild of the timber garage at least? I know we were going to do it anyway for our own taste but there is almost 6m² of garden missing compared to what was advertised.

OP posts:
justasking111 · 03/09/2020 22:49

We pulled out of a purchase near the bottom of a hill when our solicitor discovered most of the sewage and road run off pipes went directly under the garden it was riddled with them.

DS started to put up an extension the builders ripped up the patio dug out foundations and found a big pipe, turns out that was the sewage from a housing estate behind them. It was a waste of time and money, the patio should never have been put on top of the manhole and pipes.

You never know when there will be a problem so best to either accept giving plenty of space for the water company or walk away.

S0upertrooper · 03/09/2020 22:49

How did you find out about this? Was it written on the Law Society questionnaire that the vendor has to legally answer truthfully?

It must be declared on this form but they are not obliged to declare anything of this nature prior to completing this form so they may not have done anything illegal.

I'd speak to the company that requires access and ask what this entails. If the EA, or the surveyor knew nothing about this when they valued the property, it may have been over valued so you could argue a reduction.

SentientAndCognisant · 03/09/2020 22:50

Pull out completely it’s not worth the expense and arse ache

ScreamingBeans · 03/09/2020 22:51

I'd reduce the offer by at least 10%.

It's not necessarily a terrible thing, if the sewage company do ever need access they will do a great job of putting everything back again, but tbh I'd be inclined to pull out.

ArchibaldsDaddy · 03/09/2020 22:51

YANBU...you offer what you think the house is worth.

You may find that someone else is willing to pay asking price for it, ‘though...

PamDenick · 03/09/2020 22:52

Either pull out or go for a huge discount.

I believe the Estate Agent when they say they might not have known about this. Estate Agents just produce glossy photos etc, they don't need training etc to practice.

Your solicitor has done his/her job. They look for details like this. You should be thanking your solicitor. A hidden sewage pipe will not show up in the lovely photos but it will in the land registry entries etc.

ChloeCrocodile · 03/09/2020 22:52

I’d pull out because of the monthly check. I want to be free to use my garden whenever I feel like it, without having to consider whether random strangers are going to turn up.

Climbingallthetrees · 03/09/2020 22:52

The seller with think they have doen seriously well on this if you only ask for a £5k reduction. Most people would walk away and anyone else would ask for a massive reduction.

HuggedTheRedwoods · 03/09/2020 22:54

If something goes wrong or needs updating in the future you could end up with some considerable disruption. A colleague had a pumping station in the field over the other side of his garden fence. The water company did upgrading 'stuff' and although it wasn't in / under his garden they took over his -and several neighbours- gardens for over a year in the end to enable them to complete the works. They put a corregated fence up almost to his house, think they had about a 5 ft space of garden left during that time. The water company took lots of photographs of the garden to make good afterwards (one of his neighbours had a lovely garden with some mature plants so it was sad for them) and some sort of house measurements in case of any structural movements so it was considerable disruption, not to mention the actual noise while works were going on.

I'd be wary of going ahead and as your sellers sound a bit sneaky are you sure they aren't aware of any possible works in the pipeline? (no pun intended! Grin)

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 03/09/2020 22:54

@ArchibaldsDaddy

YANBU...you offer what you think the house is worth.

You may find that someone else is willing to pay asking price for it, ‘though...

I doubt it! Not if the asking price reflects the value of a similar property in that area without sewage plant issues.
PanamaPattie · 03/09/2020 22:56

Run away.

Jaxhog · 03/09/2020 22:57

I'd pull out. That sounds horrendous.

lightyearsahead · 03/09/2020 22:58

I personally would pull out, if you decide to go ahead a much bigger reduction would be needed. Depending on the value I would say at least 20k.

Original poster
CheesyGhost · 03/09/2020 23:03

Okay..... So not good then. We were thinking it would be not dissimilar to having a septic tank which we had in our previous property and are not uncommon. Interesting responses. Thank you.

OP posts:
Estrellente · 03/09/2020 23:03

A sewage pumping station? In your garden???

Fuck no. Run away.

GetTheDoorFrank · 03/09/2020 23:06

I would not be buying the house now knowing the full story as youve been lied to by the current owners. I couldnt deal with knowing my garden isnt my own garden

Chloemol · 03/09/2020 23:08

Having seen the issues at our local pumping station which could not cope and has broken down to the extent the waste has to be taken away by lorrries I would be withdrawing the offer and finding somewhere else

Unless you would be happy to have your garden dig up, and be surrounded by raw sewage if there was a problem

Beautiful3 · 03/09/2020 23:09

I'd pull out now. You'll find it difficult to resell.

MustShowDH · 03/09/2020 23:10

Do you still want to go ahead?

What is solicitors advice?

I'd certainly want a written document from the sewerage company stating what their rights were.

Then I'd be asking for a lot more than 5k off.

notangelinajolie · 03/09/2020 23:13

I would pull out.
If you still want it you need to get the price right down. Only buy if this is your forever home and you have no intention of moving. It will not be easy to sell.

hadenoughbleach · 03/09/2020 23:13

Use your head rather than your heart on this one OP, and pull out now. A sewage plant in the garden sounds like a nightmare you want to swerve, never mind getting the price down!

notangelinajolie · 03/09/2020 23:16

And get your solicitor to find out more. You can't buy this property without seeking proper legal advice.

TipsySquirrel · 03/09/2020 23:17

I have worked for a water company in sewage networks. Sewage is taken from your home by sewers which are gravity fed. So the further along the sewage network you are, the deeper the sewers get. When the sewers get too deep, you have a pumping station, which pumps the sewage to higher ground. As it leaves the pumping station it will travel in a rising main. So this is a pressurised pipe. Both the pumping station and rising main are counted as separate assets from the water company perspective and both are likely to be considered critical assets. Which means if they need to fix it, they’ll pull down anything in their way. Just because there hasn’t been a problem previously, doesn’t mean there won’t be a problem. Especially if this is your forever home for 50 years. Those assets will likely fail multiple times during the next 50 years. The two assets could also fail at separate times, although it might seem like the same failure to you, which is reasonable but distressing to occupants. Depending on the asset life, the rising main and pumping station could be replaced multiple times during the 50 years you expect to live there and it might at separate times, e.g the rising main might have a short asset life and be replaced 4 times during the next 50 years but the pumping station twice.

GabsAlot · 03/09/2020 23:18

no it wont be like a septic tank

id run a mile from this