The CON29DW questions explained – foul water connections

Our regular series looking at the questions in the CON29DW looks at question 2.1 – the foul water connection.

Last month we talked about questions 1.1 and 1.2 of the CON29DW. This month we move onto section 2, which deals with drainage.

Water companies classify water draining from properties in two different ways. There’s surface water, which applies to water – primarily rainwater – from the exterior of the building, and foul water, which is anything that comes from inside the property, such as sinks, toilets, baths, washing machines and dishwashers.

The reason for making this distinction is simple. Surface water is “clean water” and can be discharged directly back into watercourses such as rivers. Foul water on the other hand needs to be treated to remove contaminants, and is generally taken via sewers to a sewage treatment works operated by a water company.

Question 2.1 and 2.2 of the CON29DW  deal with foul and surface water drainage respectively. Whilst we’ll deal with surface water drainage next month, in this post we’ll look at some of the issues regarding foul drainage.

We’d always advise against making assumptions regarding connection status, but as a general rule, in urban areas, the vast majority of properties (but not all)  discharge foul drainage  directly into the public sewer. Rural properties are less predictable, with many remote properties discharging via other means. At Severn Trent Searches, we have come across numerous instances of properties which you would assume to be connected but aren’t, and vice versa.

Properties that do not discharge to the public sewerage system are usually responsible for their own drainage. This can be via a private sewer network and treatment works, or a septic tank, cess pit or other method. These have to be fitted and maintained to certain standards, enforced by the Environment Agency, which the owners will be responsible for ensuring are met. They’ll also have to arrange for them to be regularly emptied. All of this can be expensive, not to mention inconvenient. You can read more about these here.

If a non-connected property has inadequate drainage arrangements, the local authority has powers to force the owner to connect to the public sewer, providing there is one within 100 feet (30.48 metres) of the property. This is done at the owner’s expense, and costs can run into thousands of pounds. For this reason, question 2.5 of the CON29DW confirms whether there’s a public sewer within this distance.

In the CON29DW, information regarding foul water connection is derived from water company billing records. If a property is correctly billed, then it will be reflected in the search. It’s rare, but on occasion these records have proven incorrect. Usually this takes the form of connected properties accidentally not being charged for drainage, but occasionally the reverse is true, and non-connected properties are charged for the service.

In both instances, once discovered the water company’s billing department gets involved in arranging back charges or refunds. It can also create problems in property transactions, as solicitors should check the connection status and will usually query if information provided by the seller doesn’t match that in the CON29DW. (In fact, we regularly feed back discrepancies in billing records to Severn Trent Water so properties can be correctly charged.)

Regulated searches also usually contain information regarding connections, but are often compiled without reference to billing records. On occasion, they’ll obtain billing information from the current owner, or make assumptions based on the proximity of public sewers. Others will simply advise the buyer to check the connection status with the seller.

With the many issues any buyer is confronted with when purchasing a house, connection status is something that many will take for granted. It’s always worth checking though as the issues surrounding private drainage can be both inconvenient and expensive.

If you have any queries regarding connection status, or any of the other questions in the CON29DW, please get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.