extension with manhole in - yay or nay?

[PerfectlyPooPoo]

I've been looking at a house on RM for a few weeks and thinking it's so lovely why hasn't anyone snapped it up and deluded myself it was the house for me that's why. But yesterday I saw on the pictures (not sure how I missed it the other trillion times) that it's got a manhole in the middle of the kitchen which is in the extension.

It's covered with matching flooring lid, but would you buy a house with this? I'm in London and lots of houses are extended so I am assuming lots of people have done it, or maybe they moved the pipes.

What do you think?

You would be better off ringing the local council planning department and/or Thames Water. They will be unbiased.

You would be better off ringing the local council planning department and/or Thames Water. They will be unbiased.

Don't do that ^^ If there is an issue and you alert Thames Water the vendors won't be able to indemnify.

And it's nothing to do with the council who will deal with planning and building control - that's all dealt with in searches any way.

I wouldn't buy it. When people do this I always think it looks like they're too cheap to fork out the money to get the thing moved which would make me wonder what else they'd bodged up in the house.

Plus it looks hideous and my house is very minimalist, white, clean lines (MNs nightmare ) and a manhole cover would ruin it.

If there is an issue and you alert Thames Water the vendors won't be able to indemnify.

Difference of opinion, then. If there was an issue, I would walk away.

Ask the vendors if there is a build over agreement for the manhole. If not, you may be in trouble if Thames Water want to dig up the pipe.

If it's not a public sewer then you don't need any agreement

We're currently having an extension built and have avoided building over a manhole though it would have been in a rear lobby. When builder started, found out it was redundant and not needed. It served a downstairs toilet that was no longer there. So worth checking if it is still needed.

You might be lucky and it's not a drain at all... but a wine cellar

Yes one of those posh London ones with a spiral staircase downwards

I looked at a house with one. Wish I'd bought it!

I used to work for a water company and we were only interested if people want to build over a mains. A service pipe which this will be is a private pipe, the responsibility of which is the house owners. So no build over agreement needed as pipe is nothing to do with them. I used to clear block sewers for a living and it's possible to unblock a service pipe against the flow....so from the mains towards the house if you're careful. It's always better to unblock in the direction of the mains though.

I would buy such a house, however I would ask for a cctv sewer survey first to make sure pipe is in a good state of repair and then you're less likely to have problems.

My brother has had a house like this for twenty years and never had to lift the cover.

I would not go near it. It's a cheap bodge because they couldn't be bothered to move the manhole. So ugly. This is why it hasn't sold. Why buy a house where everyone else is turned off it? We all know that houses have drainage but who on earth wants an inspection chamber in the kitchen where you prepare food? Yuk!