Drainage & water searches
The CON29DW drainage and water search provides crucial information when purchasing property.
In the Yorkshire Water region alone, there are around 30,000 km of public sewers and public water mains maintained by Yorkshire Water.
Property buyers should be aware that there are estimated to be as many private sewers and water pipelines in England and Wales as there are water company maintained public ones. Over £250 million per annum is spend on repairs to private drainage in the UK.
For individual property owners, the liability for private sewers and mains can be significant when their private pipelines run below roads and gardens.
Where private or public pipelines run close to or under a property, this may prejudice future development or extensions to the property.
If problems arise and unidentified liaibilities are exposed, it could impact on the property's value and will result in unexpected maintenance bills.
Such situations can easily be avoided. The standard CON29 DW form presents a series of questions surrounding provision of drainage and water services aimed at reducing risks to conveyancing professionals and their clients.
The water service companies of England and Wales are able to provide the most up to date, accurate and reliable response to the enquiry because they maintain the various data systems from which information is gathered.
Although primarily aimed at residential property, the search does not preclude commercial properties as professional indemnity liability cover on these transactions is provided up to a value of £2 million.
Details of the standardised drainage and water enquiry form
The CON29 DW report offers:
Confirmation of public sewer connection status
Confirmation of public sewer adoption agreement status
Confirmation of whether public sewers are within or adjacent to the property
Confirmation of water supply status
Confirmation of water supply charging method
A colour coded plan of the water mains and public sewers surrounding the property
Contents
A CON29DW drainage and water search confirms whether a property has been properly serviced and highlights any risks or potential liabilities that may exist.
The search will confirm if an owner is connected to the public water mains or sewer system, and the basis for charging for these services. It will tell them whether the water is on a measured or unmeasured basis, and where the water meter is located.
Public sewer or water pipes that lie within the boundary, or indeed under the property, could restrict an owner's ability to develop or extend it. Water companies also have the right to access the property in order to carry out maintenance or repair work.
If the property has ever flooded internally with sewerage from overloaded public sewers, the search will confirm this and provide a bespoke report, detailing proposed actions to tackle the issue.
It's important to establish who owns sewers that serve the property, especially on new-build estates. If the system feeding into the public sewer hasn't been constructed to the required standard by the developer (under a Section 104 agreement) then the water company cannot adopt them - leaving home owners either individually or collectively liable to pick up any maintenance or repair costs.
The home owner is liable for sewers that connect the property to the public system, so it's worth finding out how far away the property is from the nearest public sewer.
Some properties receive poor water pressure or flow, according to criteria set by the regulator. If the property is deemed a risk, the water company will provide a detailed report outlining what actions are proposed to remedy this.
Sample drainage and water report
Sample drainage and water plans
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