WWYD

[TweedAddict]

DH and I have put a offer on a house it’s a 1930 semi, clean and tidy but nothing has been done to the property for the past 20yrs. It’s a 3 bed- well 2 as I touch each wall if I put my arms in the 3rd bedroom. So it needs an extension above a old extension to make it a good size.

Our issue is the searches have pulled up issues with the drains, a public sewer runs under a extension to the side of the house, the mortgage company has requested a full drainage report to investigate the drains. The extension may also have subsidence.

The house has fallen through twice, we told by agents due to too much work to be carried out on the house. This isn’t an issue we understand it needs new boiler, electrics etc but the drainage issue is something a little more tricky.

I’ve been told that as public drains run under the house, we would need a indemnity policy put in place but the issue would be, when we come to do the extension the insurance would be invalid, as more weight is being put on the pipes.

The house was on the market for 215k, we offered 200k. However we were told by the agent the drains were in good working order and they had had a report done. This was not the case. Should we offer less due to this huge issue or pull out. Location is perfect, but it does need 30k of works done not including the extension.

It’s a probate sale with no chain, just feeling a little misled

drains and extensions can be a nightmare. friend ended up selling the house the house they had bought to extend and starting again because they couldnt get permission to go over the drains.
might not be the same but be careful

I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole, sorry. Itcould just end up being so problematic further down the line.

Sounds like a potential nightmare. Plus you might have trouble re-selling due to the drain issue

Sounds as though a bit more price negotiation needs to take place once you have the report commissioned by the mortgage company.

The house once done would be lovely, but it’s going to take a good few years to get it upto standard.

How much less would you offer?

Remember that you might have trouble selling it for the same reasons you are worrying about buying it. Fine if you want it to be your forever home . But it might always be under market value.so proceed cautiously.

"The house has fallen through twice, we told by agents due to too much work to be carried out on the house. This isn’t an issue"
Clearly it is, presumably all the previous people found the drains issue. The agents should legally have told you that but they are being dodgy by being vague.
"when we come to do the extension ...... more weight is being put on the pipes"
This is not true, you will need agreement from the water company to build near the drains, and they will want to review the detailed drawings to ensure no extra weight is placed on the drains. They won't give approval otherwise. The approval costs around 300 pounds.
"we were told by the agent the drains were in good working order and they had had a report done. This was not the case"
The shared drains will be owned by the water company. If they are not working, the water company will sort them out pronto. What makes you think they are not working correctly? Was the report a CCTV survey or just flushing all the loos and watching the manhole?

Sorry I should of been more clear. The work that we believed which needed to be was updating inside and new electrics/boiler plastering throughout and complete updating. We believed the house had sound footings and there was no issues with any big structural works, ie subsideance or drains. The agent lead us to believe the others pulled out due to too much “cosmetic” works and nothing structural.

With regards the drains, we were told a report was done, camera up drains and we were told the drains ran away from the house and up the street. The report was never done and the drains run under the house and not away from like we told on viewing.

In terms of the drains not working, we are unsure if/what the condition is the water has been turned off at the house and it’s been empty for 18months. I’m getting the feeling the drains may have broken some where, the subsideance is over the drain run so without a report I’m unsure the state as yet. We’ve got a company booked in to do a report, they are in talks with the agent to arrange access.

The house would be along term home 10yrs plus as the location is perfect for work/dogs/family/schools.

Would the water company have responsibly for the drians even if they became “public” after the extension was built?

Lots of houses are built over drains. I would recommend that you get your own CCTV survey of the drains, or ask to see a copy of the one that has supposedly been done. The survey will tell you the condition of the drain. If it is in bad condition, is it possible to divert the drain around the extension? (ie. does the extension go all the way to the site boundary?) If the drain is in bad condition, it may be necessary to break out the floor of the existing extension to replace the damaged drain. So costly to reinstate the floor afterwards.