Date:  17 July 2009

WATER SEARCHES – WHY BOTHER

Why do solicitors make water searches?  Can they be as important as checking that the people who say they own a property do indeed own it?  Surely making a local search and checking that there are no planning issues is of more importance.  Why on earth are they so important that they have to be put in a HIP?

The answer is of course that in the majority of cases, a water search does not reveal anything other than what a buyer would expect from asking basic questions of a seller.  However, the following are instances where useful information can be gleaned from a water search:-

• A warning would be given if there is a risk of an internal sewer flooding as a result of an overloaded public sewer.  The search should also give details of the proposed action to be taken by the sewerage undertaker, who will be responsible for carrying out any work and if any mitigation measures have been installed to reduce risk.

• The risk of receiving low water pressure or flow.

• The name, the distance and the direction from the property to the nearest boundary of a sewerage treatment works.  It would be useful for a buyer to know if there is any such works are within close proximity to the property.

• Whether or not foul and surface water drainage passes to a public sewer.

• Details of any public sewer or disposal main or drain within the boundary of the property.  This can be extremely important if the owner has plans to build an extension, as any such plans could be adversely affected by the positioning of any such sewer, etc.

• Whether or not the water company has the right to install a meter if there is a change of occupancy.

There are also proposals to transfer the responsibility of private sewers to the water and sewerage companies from April 2011.  This will transfer the responsibility for the maintenance of such sewers, which will be a relief to most property owners, albeit that it is estimated that there will be a cost to all water customers of between £5 and £14 per annum initially.

Roger Williams