Big problems from survey - cesspool

[RangerLady]

I feel so upset right now. We sold our hoyse in may and our buyer has waited all that time. First we bought a place and after 8 weeks the vendors pulled out saying they will get more money in the spring so will remarket then. Then we found a lovely timber framed cottage. Waited for a specialist surveyor. He surveyed yesterday.

We knew it was a bit poorly maintained and had a budget of 35k at least for works. But also turns out the roof needs stripping and retiling. Fine. We have a friend who's a roofer and will check that out for us.

And now the killer. The property marketed as on mains drainage is NOT. It has a cesspool. I don't know much but I know that they are the worst option. I've read stuff like they are pits 20m long, that if they are old brick ones (extremely likely and given the lack of care to the rest of the property I hate to think) you could fall through the cover. The whole garden is only 20m. That theu cost 1000s a year to maintain. I can't find any info about whether I can replace this with a modern treatment system.
Not sure it's even worth surveying it or of we should cut our losses now

I can't believe we will probably have to walk away and lose our buyer. Or go and rent. I have 2 DD under 4. I need to apply for school for the eldest. I just Want to move so my DH isn't commuting 4 hrs a day. The stress is too much right now.

I'm so sorry Rangerlady. I have no experience or knowledge of cesspools whatsoever, only that they are more common in rural locations. What did the surveyor suggest? Any further investigations needed I would expect to be paid for by the seller tbh as they have lied their arses off misrepresented the facts.

Should this be a dealbreaker for you then the best course of action as I see it is to keep your buyer & find somewhere to rent in your chosen area.

Thanks. I'm particularly pissed off as one of the agents at that office is the vendors daughter so you'd think basic facts like this would be got right.
I think DH wants to appoint a drainage surveyor ourselves (trust issues now!). Maybe I'm overreacting and we can get money off the price to install a modern treatment system.
We will look to rent if we don't buy it. The problem is it's a rural area of scattered villages so knowing what school to send her to would be impossible as you would probably move catchment area

Once I again I ask myself why I can make myself like houses in a big village in a modern estate....

*why I can't...

Is a cesspit the same as a septic tank?

We have use of one which is on our neighbours property ( it’s usual for several houses to share one).

It costs about £150 to have it emptied , which needs done about every 5 years. We have never paid anything to maintain it and we have lived here 15 years.

So it’s costs us £15 a year and Our water rates are lower because we don’t have mains sewerage. There is no smell and no inconvenience .

If we were to change it we would need the local water board to install sewage pipes in our street , it’s not just something you can decide to do yourself.

Is it definitely a cesspool or is it a septic tank? We had a septic tank at our last house ( as did everyone on the street) and it was no hassle. You have to be a bit careful about cleaning products you use and get it emptied periodically but it wasn’t a problem

My parents replaced a cesspit with a septic tank. If you've got a man with a digger it's not hard. A cesspit needs emptying frequently, a tank doesn't but I don't think it's £1000s a year - have you ring for quotes?

We had similar issues, but after completion!

Turns out the existing septic tank (shared with 2 next door neighbours) was totally knackered!

Our situation was complicated by the fact that the septic tank was in a neighbours field (by historical right of easement), and the field is on the other side of the road (drain runs under road).

Natural resources Wales (or the equivalent) prefer replacement with modern sewage treatment plants. The majority of these require power (to airate the shit) getting power across to the field wasn't a viable option, so we had to go with a very specific system that operates passively. We are on a mountain side so a very difficult to dig, rocky site, and some unforeseen complication and severe weather (storm Eva), added to the cost, and it is a system capable of serving 2 3 bed houses and a 2 bed house. It came in at £20k.

Hope that helps.

When you get the facts of the property's sewage/drainage confirmed, and it's not mains drainage as the EA first said, I'd go back to them immediately and ask if there is going to be a reduction in price. Then take it from there depending on what they say...

Of course there can be issues with houses not on main drains.

On the other hand, in villages round here, nearly everyone has a septic tank.
I'd prefer to go back to one-time it saved me money, as the sewage component of your water charge doesn't have to be paid.

I never had to have it emptied in 16 years, although some people had them emptied once a year.
Depends partly on how you use it; too much bleach will kill the bacteria that are digesting away for you.

Septic tanks can be quite deep, but 20 ft long- no way!

I'd get it surveyed, and take things from there.

With kids around, you buy a heavy weight cover ( maybe £20), and then on top of your new cover you put something heavy enough that kids can't possibly move ; shrub in big tub of earth, or big rock from garden centre.
Sorted.

We lived 20 years with a septic tank in our old house, no bother at all, it was emptied every few years

If it's a cesspool it needs emptying frequently, how often depends on size and usage. Find out how often it's currently emptied if it's not at least yearly it might be leaking.

If it's only for the individual property and is on your land then you can replace it with a treatment plant for a few thousand.

Have you seen the title documents? The easments should be described if it extends beyond the boundaries or is shared.

Also, although in conversation cesspool and septic tank are used interchangeably, technically and legally they are very different, so it's important to know which you have.

These are very common in rural areas. My parents one was emptied every year, although I don't think it needed it that often. It was about £150 p.a..
You need to get someone who knows about these things to have a look at it. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me necessarily, it depends on the condition of the system. If work is needed then perhaps a reduction in price?

Thanks for all the info. I have no problem with being off mains drainage, I want to live really after all. I am pretty sure it is a cesspool rather than a septic tank. We will most likely get a survey from a professional. What worried me is:
1 the general lack of maintenance and tlc the house has had will certainly extend to the drainage
2 the fact the agents seem to have no clue it is there. We stood on the cover unknowingly with our children! It's all very overgrown etc.

We would certainly be looking at a price reduction
@ripwalter that sounds horrendous! I'm pretty sure it wouldn't cost us that much! But I'm not sure where water from a modern plant would drain.

*I want to live rurally! Auto correct doesn't like me today.

A cesspool is simpler than a septic tank. I could be wrong but that presumably means that it doesn't need as much ongoing maintenance. I suspect that either it'll be okay or need replacing.

I would hope that the agents knew it wasn't on mains, but they only know what they have been told and it may have been omitted to encourage a sale. We had a property where the sellers (and therefore agents) didn't know if they had a septic tank of cesspool which caused all sorts of problems. Also consider that the only way the surveyor ones was because the sellers told him, it's not visible to the surveyor and they don't do the searches that would tell them (your solicitor should though).

When we bought our house, we knew it wasn't on mains drainage so assumed a septic tank. However, the (full structural survey) surveyor said it was a cesspit, and in poor repair. He thought it was a cesspit due to its size (bigger than a septic tank), construction (brick) and age (about 100 years old).

The vendors did not seem to have a clue what they had, only that they got it emptied every couple of years and it'd never been any trouble. We were a bit hmmm, so, on our surveyor's advice, we chipped the price by £7K (which in those days was the price of a Klargester. We are lucky in that we are surrounded by ditches, so knew a Klargester would be an option).

We moved in and....have never had a problem in the 10 years we've been here! (and now feel a bit guilty about chipping the price!). It turns out it is a septic tank, not a cesspit. The Waste Man can see the outflow when he empties it (it was presumably full when the surveyor saw it, so he couldn't see that) and when we recieved all the paperwork from the solicitor after completing, there are references to easements for discharge into the farmer's field behind us. It's possible it was built as a cesspit and then an outflow was added later. We get it emptied once a year, costs about £150. The Waste Man reports that we build up a lovely crust (preens) which shows the bacteria are working as they should be.

Cesspools need much more attention I've learnt. They need pumping anything from monthly to never if they're leaking and polluting the ground. A septic tank would be ok. With a small garden I can't see where the soakaway would go and there don't seem to be ditches nearby...

The surveyor discovered it as he found what looked like a cover for one in the undergrowth.

The agent is going back to the vendor (her father ) to find out more details on what it actually is. And our agents have given us a contact to look into the system and cost any repairs needed. So we're not quitting just yet.... I'm heartened by @didireallysaythat saying they can be replaced

I perhaps shouldn't mention that the slightly incompetent digger driver we had drove over the top of the tank, the top collapsed and he and the digger disappeared into the hole. Once he emerged digging the hole for the new septic tank and then drainage lines for the pipes etc didn't take long.

If for any reason you generate a large amount of grey water then you might want to consider alternative routes out for it.

Update: property questionnaire from the vendor says its a cesspool. Surveyor thinks it's an old septic tank. Agents say they assumed it was mains because most of the village is...