“I am involved with buying or selling property – how do we put a plan together that shows the sewage system will be made compliant within 12 months?”
Find out as much about the sewage system as possible, as well as the local compliance requirements. Potential costs for getting the sewage system up to scratch should be worked out as early as possible whether you are buying or selling, this will help prevent ambiguity and delays later down the road.
Find out the running costs for the sewage treatment system that is in place. Alongside council tax, electrical costs and the cost items that readily come to mind, an off mains drains sewage system needs regular maintenance and desludging.
Get your household trained on what NOT to flush or put down the sink! Wet-wipes, plastics, oil & fat from cooking etc. all will increase the maintenance requirements on your sewage treatment system and generally cause problems, these headaches will now directly be yours not the water company’s.
Consider some optimising. If you find that the treatment system is working but noisy or smelly, there are some things that you should look to investigate, including updating the air compressor to a quieter more modern one, or adding an air vent.
Make yourself aware of the regulations, the science, and remember to ask multiple companies for solutions and quotations if you need work done on your sewage system. Waste treatment is a thriving, interesting, environmentally positive area and while not everyone may be as excited by it as the team here at MPCS, there are plenty of reputable resources online, including British Water and the Environment Agency that provide great free resources. Spending a bit of time getting up to speed with buildings control processes, the general binding rules and asking guidance from multiple specialists will help you spot the companies taking short-cuts. There are plenty of home owners who end up doing a fair amount of practical work on their sewage system themselves, and while understandably that is not everyone’s cup of tea, a level of awareness does mean that you will be well prepared for discussions with any service providers.
While a properly functioning pre-existing septic tank may well be compliant, if there are for example issues with the age or integrity of the tank then bringing the site up to the latest regulatory requirements may be a notable project that both a buyer and a seller will wish to fully understand.
Law Society Form TA6 is often used during conveyencing to help a seller and a buyer exchange information about a property, section 12.4 and 12.5 of this relate to ensuring a compliant sewage system within a reasonable timteframe of the transaction, typically 12 months.
General Binding Rules states that if you sell your property, you must tell the new operator (the owner or person who will become responsible for the septic tank/sewage treatment plant) in writing the following information:
Law Society Form TA6 is often used during conveyencing to help a seller and a buyer exchange information about a property that is being sold. Section 12.4 and 12.5 of this relate to the sewage and drainage systems of the home that is being sold and while it is relatively straightforward, it is important to understand the terminology and implications of the various points that are noted. You should follow the guidance of your conveyancing solicitor and there is plenty of material available online on the topic however click here to find answers to some frequently asked questions that arise from this process.
Further information and up to date requirements on drainage and sewage can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
The MPC team can assist with the following:
We can provide you with a written Condition Report with feasibility and recommendations for future upgrades to the existing sewage system that may be required to ensure both Building Control and Environment Agency compliance.
We understand the importance of timeliness in these matters as well as the complexities of the overall process so we aim to make this particular aspect as hassle free as possible and will aim to work to your schedule as much as possible.
The MPCS team can help you with TA6 septic tank compliance pack, just let us know the current situation and we will put together a customised plan that would deliver a compliant, cost effective, efficient sewage system.
You can use this postcode checker to see who your local water supplier is: www.water.org.uk/advice-for-customers/find-your-supplier/. The water supplier will also be able to let you know if they manage the sewage for the property.
Water bills for the property will state whether they are for water supply only, or water and sewerage, which would indicate that the property is connected to the mains foul drainage system.
The output of the search will give you something like this:
“Your water service is provided by XXXXXXX Water.
Your sewerage service is provided by XXXXXXX Water.
Your water service is billed by XXXXXXX Water.
Your sewerage service is billed by XXXXXXX Water.”
“Foul water” includes sewage and other effluent from the property, this needs to be treated either at the property or via the foul sewer to onward treatment by your water treatment company. “Surface water” is uncontaminated rainwater for example rainwater from roofing, this can be directed to a local stream, soakaway and idealy prevented from unececssarily entering a sewage treatment system.
Yes, if it is within a practical distance and you arrange the appropriate permissions. If the property is within 30m of a mains drainage system then you may be obliged to connect to it rather than for example update a non-compliant sewage treatment system. If you are a distance away from the mains drains or it is uphill from the property then a pumping station can be used to convey the sewage to the mains drains.
Some systems installed after 1 January 1991 require Buildings Regulations approval, environmental permits or registration. Further information about permits and registration can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
Note: Further information can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
a) foul water drainage
b) surface water drainage
If Yes to both questions in 12.4, please continue to section 13 ‘Connection to utilities and services’ and do not answer 12.5-12.10 below.
a) a septic tank?
If the property is in England and you answered Yes and your septic tank discharges directly into surface water, you must do one of the following as soon as possible:
– connect to mains sewerage
– install a drainage field (also known as an infiltration system) so the septic tank can discharge to ground instead
– replace your septic tank with a small sewage treatment plant
You must have plans in place to carry out this work within a reasonable timescale, typically 12 monthsy
b) a sewage treatment plant
c) cesspool
If Yes, how many properties share the system?
Note: Some systems installed after 1 January 1991 require Buildings Regulations approval, environmental permits or registration. Further information about permits and registration can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
Specific information about permits and general binding rules can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency