Blocked drains

[AllBoxedUp]

I've got more questions about our new house...

I was just rereading our survey to work out what needs to be done urgently and am slightly more worried about the section on drains than I was before. Its says:

Drains run below the gardens to, I assume, connect with a public
sewer in the road.
The manhole chambers were opened up and the chamber close to the
front right corner of the house was partially silted and blocked with fine
roots from nearby shrubs. I recommend it is cleaned through. However
drains, at least across the front of the house, appear to be shared with
neighbours and shared parts should be the responsibility of the drainage
authority.

How bad does that sound? Does it mean that the blocked drain is a shared responsibility or some other drain? And who do you ask for a quote for this kind of work?

Thanks.

Drains from your house are yours and those feeding your property or several properties are the water company's, it changed recently here. I would guess the water company can check for you. If you have roots infiltrating that is a potential problem and you might need to get a specialist to put a camera along and clear it.

Thanks LIZS - sounds like even less money to spend on the kitchen...

I wished we had looked at this earlier. The survey said that the price was ok for the house but we could possibly negotitate a discount for the work. We didn't try as we felt that most of the things highlighted should have been or were obvious from viewing. This is one job I wish we had priced - hope it's not too much!

Have you moved in yet?

We had a similar problem with our house when we were selling it last year. The surveyor said the drain at the front of the house under the manhole cover was partially blocked and the buyer wouldn't go ahead without it being cleared.

The estate agent told us about the problem and said they could recommend a drainage company so I used that one, but you can google 'drains' and your town. I think they were going to charge around £70-90. They came out, had a look and said it was a drain shared with the neighbours so we could get it done for free by the water company as it's their responsibility. I rang the water company and explained. They came the next day, cleaned out the drain which had a bit of brick from the manhole blocking it, and that was it. No charge. It took about 15 minutes.

I think you need to call your local water company - look on your bill or online. Perhaps they'll clear it and advise you that some shrubs in the garden ought to be cut down or removed as they are causing the problem. So hopefully it just involves a visit from the water company and a bit of gardening.

Thanks for the replies. Not moved in yet but essentially past the point of no return. Fingers crossed it's simple!