From Monday 27th June 2016 we’ll be introducing some updates into our range of drainage and water searches. These will apply to the CON29DW, Flood+ as well as our three commercial searches.
These changes are being introduced by all 10 of the water companies that produce the CON29DW, and are designed to both bring the searches into line with the latest industry developments as well as replacing some obsolete questions with more relevant ones.
These changes fall into five main areas:
Commercial searches: The questions in these searches will be renumbered, bringing them in line with our residential searches.
SuDS: Since April 2015, most new developments must now dispose of surface water via Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). Although these systems are not the responsibility of water companies, our searches will now tell you whether the property drains via this method.
Pumping stations: As part of the 2011 private sewer transfer (PDaS), the majority of private sewage pumping stations were to transfer into public ownership over a five year period, ending in October this year. As the presence of a pumping station can be disruptive, we’re adding a couple of new questions into searches indicating whether there’s a pumping station either within the property boundary, or in close proximity to the property.
Water quality/hardness: The two questions that deal with water quality and water standards are being removed from searches. These questions are largely irrelevant to homeowners, as problems with quality are exceedingly rare, and the information given in the search is not property-specific. They are being replaced with one that indicates the water hardness at the property. This has practical implications for property owners, mainly due to the build-up of limescale in domestic appliances and around taps.
Water quality information can still be found on Severn Trent Water’s website.
Sewerage and water undertakers: These are both currently detailed in the same question. However, as these companies can occasionally be different (for example in the West Midlands, where Severn Trent is the sewerage undertaker, and South Staffordshire the water), this information is going to be split over two questions.
In addition to these areas, we’ll be making a number of other minor changes to searches. A full summary of the changes is detailed in the table below
| Question | CON29DW question number | Commercial searches question number | Change |
| Foul water drainage connection | 2.1 | 3 | Minor wording change |
| Surface water drainage connection | 2.2 | 4 | Answers to this question are being modified to advise whether surface water from a property drains via a SuDS |
| Surface water drainage charge payable | 2.3 | 5 | Revised answers to include information on SuDS |
| Sewer within boundary | 2.4 | 6 | Minor wording change |
| Pumping station within boundary | 2.4.1 | N/A | New question stating whether a pumping station affected by PDaS is located within a property boundary |
| Sewer within 30.48 metres | 2.5 | 7 | Minor wording change |
| Pumping station within 50 metres | 2.5.1 | N/A | New question stating whether a pumping station affected by PDaS is located within 50 metres of the property |
| Sewer adoptions | 2.6 | 8 | With the advent of both SuDS and the private sewer transfer (PDaS), it is increasingly common for Section 104 adoption agreements to be in place for just some sewers (usually foul) on a development. The answers are being modified to be more specific about the status of both foul and surface water sewers |
| Billing for sewerage services | 4.2 | 20 | Clearer answers for some cross-border Severn Trent/Thames water properties |
| Water quality/water hardness | 3.5 | 16 | Water quality question removed and replaced with a new question on water hardness |
| Water standards | 3.6 | 17 | Question removed |
| Meter location | 3.7 | 18 | Renumbered as 3.6 |
| Sewerage undertaker | 4.1.1 | 12 | Split into two questions |
| Water undertaker | 4.1.2 | 12 | Split into two questions |
New question order (applies to commercial and residential searches)
| Question | Question number (including new commercial numbering) |
Old commercial question number |
| MAPS | ||
| Public sewer map | 1.1 | 1 |
| Map of waterworks | 1.2 | 2 |
| DRAINAGE | ||
| Foul water connection | 2.1 | 3 |
| Surface water connection | 2.2 | 4 |
| Surface water charge | 2.3 | 5 |
| Sewer within boundary | 2.4 | 6 |
| Pumping station within boundary (new) | 2.4.1 | N/A |
| Sewer within 30.48 metres | 2.5 | 7 |
| Pumping station within 50 metres | 2.5.1 | N/A |
| Sewer adoption agreements | 2.6 | 8 |
| Build over consent | 2.7 | 9 |
| Sewer flooding | 2.8 | 10 |
| Distance to treatment works | 2.9 | 11 |
| WATER | ||
| Mains water connection | 3.1 | 12 |
| Water mains within boundaries | 3.2 | 13 |
| Water adoption agreements | 3.3 | 14 |
| Water pressure | 3.4 | 15 |
| Water hardness (new) | 3.5 | N/A |
| Water meter location (revised number) | 3.6 | 18 |
| CHARGING | ||
| Sewerage undertaker | 4.1.1 | 19 |
| Water undertaker | 4.1.2 | 19 |
| Sewerage billing company | 4.2 | 20 |
| Water billing company | 4.3 | 21 |
| Basis of charging | 4.4 | 22 |
| Change in basis of charging (residential only) | 4.5 | N/A |
| ADDITIONAL | ||
| Trade Effluent (Commercial Standard/Extra only) | 5.1 | N/A |
| FLOOD (CON29DW Flood+ only) | ||
| Flooding from rivers and sea | 5.1 | N/A |
| Flood defences | 5.2 | N/A |
| Surface water flooding | 5.3 | N/A |
| Groundwater flooding | 5.4 | N/A |
| Insurance claim rating | 5.5 | N/A |