Buying house - Septic Tank No Access.

[AndyBerrick84]

Hello

I’m reaching out to see if anyone has been in a similar situation or could provide some general advice regarding a property we’re looking to purchase.

We are currently in the process of buying a charming terraced house and have come across a challenge involving an old septic tank located in the back garden, which appears to have been constructed in the 1960s using concrete blocks. While we are not overly concerned about the functionality of the tank itself, we have encountered a significant issue: there is no direct access to the tank should it require replacement.

With two adjoining neighbors, it is unfeasible to bring in machinery from the sides. The only potential access point would be from the rear of our garden, which adjoins another neighbor's property; this would necessitate their approval and is likely to cause disruption to their garden. Furthermore, replacing the tank could incur expenses exceeding £20,000, particularly as we would need to employ a crane for the task. Unfortunately, connecting to the mains sewage system is not a viable option for us.

We have requested that the seller arrange for a structural survey of the tank to evaluate its current condition and ensure compliance with local regulations. While this may offer some degree of reassurance, we remain concerned about the possibility of the tank failing during our planned ten-year residency.

Should the survey reveal that the tank is non-compliant or shows indications of deterioration, would it be justifiable to request that the vendor replace the tank with a more contemporary system? Alternatively, do you believe it would be prudent for us to reconsider proceeding with this acquisition, given the access limitations to the tank?

I really appreciate any insights or experiences you could share regarding this matter.

Thank you for your help!

We've just had a new treatment plant put in to a house we've just bought in other to replace a very old septic tank - it cost 17k.

Get a drainage survey to assess compliance. If non compliant, either insist it is replaced before sale if you have time (at the seller's expense) or get a groundworks company in to quote for a replacement sewage treatment plant given the access restrictions, and knock that off the offer price.

I wouldn't let this stop you buying the house, but I would make compliance the vendor's financial problem, not yours.

This is what I thought were the current rules too.

Initially, the access did not concern us too much as we had not planned any structural work, and we viewed it more as a temporary residence. However, with the potential need to update the septic tank coming to light, we find ourselves in a more problematic situation.

We are hopeful that the reports indicate that the tank is non-compliant, which would urge the seller to address this issue if she is genuinely interested in moving the sale forward.

Despite these concerns, we are still very interested in the property largely because of its prime location and the unique character it possesses as a period home. We genuinely never thought we would find such a delightful property within our budget, and we truly love it.

Or you could just get a couple of teenagers round to dig a new hole for the tank.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lockdown-splash-british-brothers-dig-100511960.html

If it’s just going to be a temporary residence I would wait for something else to come along. Too many variables. I would guess the vendor will end up negotiating knocking the money off and you will end up having to do the work. Still massively problematic and then the buck stops with you.

In case anyone is interested….

Unfortunately, the tank has been deemed non-compliant, and the seller has received quotes ranging from £30,000 to £40,000 for a replacement. The restricted access to the bank garden is making this a particularly challenging and costly job.

Sadly, the house sale has fallen through. The seller will now find themselves in a difficult position, unable to afford the necessary work, and this will undoubtedly hinder their ability to sell the property without upgrading the septic system.

I actually feel bad for them, especially considering they wasn’t advised properly when they purchased the home; the issue with the tank wasn’t flagged by solicitors at that time.

But nonetheless, glad it’s not our problem to deal with!

Well at least you did get proper advice and looks like you're doing the smart thing by walking away.

Would you/they consider reducing the house price by that amount? Higher end of the quotes to account for the inherent risk in case anything else crops up. Depends how good the house is for you otherwise I suppose. Good luck with whatever's next!

@AndyBerrick84 I've not read the whole thread but I used to work for a tank installer, part of my job was writing up compliance reports and quoting customers so I know a lot about both old and new systems.

Looking at the pictures you have posted I would strongly suggest that the tank is not compliant to current regs. Does the current owner or any info show what the discharge point is?

There are ways of getting to the tank and a decent company can divert the system to a holding tank and then replace the old tank with a new one in the same location. However the issue would be where it would discharge to.

Access would need either a crane to lift a digger and tank over the top of the house which would be mega bucks, or you need to rely on the goodwill of neighbours to permit access and a ln agreement that you put their gardens back the way they were. Again costly.

My honest advice. Make the current owner replace it or walk away.

Feel free to pm if you want any further help or recommendations of firms that can help.

Weve just sold our house which is not on the mains, so am up to date with rules.
its not true to say you cant sell it without plans to replace. The new rules state that the buyer must replace with a compliant system within 12 months. This should come up during the survey and what buyers are doing is taking the cost of the new system off the price of the house.

@AndyBerrick84 that’s a shame it’s fallen through, but buying a house with a 40k plus liability and the time and stress and pissing off the neighbours, is a bullet well dodged.
Care to share the link? Looks live a lovely house with that stone roof.

@AndyBerrick84 so glad you got it sorted. It does look like a lovely house but too many red flags. Good luck with the search x

Sure, here it is www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150982970

We’ve just put in a new septic tank. The issue this will have is also the drainage field required. Ours was the smallest tank it’s possible to have under the new building regs but the drainage field required was massive. We are lucky in that we have a very large plot of land but it covered a very very large area.

work cost £12k but we had good access, sandy ground and no obstacles in the way. It would completely obliterate a normal sized garden

Long time builder here, we still do block septic tanks, correctly constructed they still comply, I built one last summer for a customer.

Like the one you describe there was limited access, so the work was done with wheelbarrow and shovel, and that was from scratch, with an existing tank you have the hole there once you have removed the old lining.

I see the agent has removed the property. It looks lovely but I would never buy a house that required neighbours consent to do maintenance work. Even having the hose go over a neighbours fence is making the owner reliant on goodwill, which can be withdrawn at any time.

Maybe the owner will be able to get some compensation from their own legal advisor, if this issue wasn't flagged at all.

I feel sorry for neighbours in these situations too - imagine having a lovely garden with mature trees, maybe a gorgeous home office and then your neighbour gets the right to wreck it all, to fix their problem. I know essential work has to be done, but developers really should be held to more account, when building and selling homes with no proper access.

Not really an option for us as we don't want to foot the bill or the take on the task. Also, I don't think she can sell with a non compliant tank.

The can't afford to drop the house by that much, they'd be negative equity, or very close

They connect a long hose.

Couldn't agree more! Sad for all involved. An the neighbouring properties will find themselves in a similar situation :(

Not an expert but when we needed a septic tank replaced the old one had to be dug out and then the new tank was built rather than installed various vents and soak away bits and then massive bladder was filled with water ( this took ages as not on mains, then they poured concrete in from a tanker with a long hose to form to actually make septic tank around bladder let it set emptied bladder and removed. It wasn’t an actual big tank that needed delivered.

I don't think you dodged a bullet there so much as a giant cannonball.

Problem is the seller is going to have to sort it one way or another, and that means taking a massive hit on the price. Unless they are hoping somehow to sell the thing to a cash buyer without revealing the issues. My guess is that that would be a risky prospect in itself though.

Our septic tank failed a couple of years ago. The soak away stopped working and new regulations meant we couldn't build a new one in any practical way. Our options were the install a treatment plant or connect to the mains (which we did). Septic tanks are great until they are not. Think long and hard about this purchase.

The other option is a cesspit, which does not drain to the outside environment, but requires much more frequent emptying.

The neighbours wouldn't have to suffer though, they don't have to cede access and you'd be amazed what can be carried through or craned over a house. They make a mini digger that can be broken down into parts to carry up the hallway of terraced houses to set up out the back, pumped concrete can be run in a pipe through the house, larger objects can be craned over the roof if needs be.

A digger that can be broken down into moveable pieces sounds good. I'd be really scared of having something craned over my house though. And I definitely wouldn't allow it for a neighbour - imagine if it dropped!