Home Buyer Surveys

    Our Off Mains Drainage Home Buyer Surveys can supply peace of mind for home buyers

    For clients looking to buy a property which is off-mains, we attend site and carry out a full off mains drainage survey and inspection of the existing arrangements and then report back our findings in accordance with current Environment Agency and Building Regulations.

    In this way, you can determine if you are buying into a problematic site which may not at first glance be evident.

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    Off-Mains Drainage Surveys

    We have extensive experience of carrying out surveys for homes off grid.
    WES Limited offer surveys for both home buyer and seller to provide a detailed understanding of the existing off-mains drainage system in place covering its operation, condition and compliance with both current and proposed legislation.

    This means that prior to sale or purchase, all parties are in no doubt as to the current position and the potential cost of repair or replacement if required, avoiding delays in the sale and unexpected costs. Just contact us & we’ll be delighted to give you a free, no-obligation quote for this service.

    Off Mains Drainage is required when a property is not connected to the main sewage system network. This can apply to all manner of properties and situations: from residential to commercial and agricultural, to home owners or home buyers.

    Septic tanks and other related surveys are essential when buying your new home or other type of property. We can find issues that normal home buyer surveyors can’t always detect. These jobs require a specialist off mains drainage surveyor and that’s us. This is one area where you really don’t want to cut corners and face the possibility of a large bill later down the line. So it makes sense to establish your peace of mind, knowing that not only the house, but also the off mains drainage has been fully surveyed and deemed fit for use.

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    Off grid home sellers surveys

    We also carry out off grid home seller surveys, if you are selling rather than buying off-grid. The same issues as above apply to home sellers – knowing that your off ,mains drainage system is in full working order will help you determine the correct value of your property and also deliver peace of mind to the buyer, resulting in smoother and quicker sales. Average house prices in Sussex alone in 2018 were over £360,000, whilst detached properties came in at an average of over £525,000. Against these kind of figures, it makes sense to be able to say you have carried out a full off mains drainage survey for the property – the psychological increase in value will far outweigh the cost of the survey itself.
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    Frequently Asked Question
    Our Off mains house survey only surveys the ‘off-mains’ system in place – you will still need a house surveyor for the standard home buyer property survey.
    Not normally, unless there are an expert in this field, they will always recommend a specialist ‘off-mains’ surveyor to inspect. The two areas of expertise are quite different to each other so you are by far safest to get specialists in both fields, rather than leaving an off mains survey report to the standard house survey homebuyers report.
    The basic home buyer survey includes attendance on site, all drainage covers lifted and a visual inspection to establish any structural defects. A survey of the site to establish the general layout and then a full survey report giving a description of the current arrangement and its compliance with current legislation, together with guidance on likely requirement for any upgrade/improvement with costs to bring the off mains drainage system in line.

    If you are buying a home off grid, we offer full off mains drainage surveys.

    In addition we can arrange for a tanker to be in attendance to empty the septic tank so that we can conduct a structural survey of the inside. However, this is not normally required unless we find issues that warrant it…

    No, but in light of the EA 2020 it is advisable to avoid unforeseen costs..
    The Environment Agency website describes it thus:
    If you have a septic tank that discharges directly to a surface water (stream, ditch etc) you will need to replace or upgrade your treatment system by 1 January 2020. Where properties with septic tanks that discharge directly to surface water are sold before 1 January 2020, responsibility for the replacement or upgrade of the existing treatment system should be addressed between the buyer and seller as a condition of sale.   If the Environment Agency finds evidence that your septic tank discharging to a surface water is causing pollution, you will need to replace or upgrade your system earlier than 1 January 2020. You will usually have to do this within 1 year, although this will be agreed on a case-by-case basis.

    You can read the more on the Environmental Agency website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/general-binding-rules-small-sewage-discharge-to-a-surface-water

    The basic off mains drainage survey starts at £250 plus VAT. There may be additional costs for tanker etc on top, if this is required.
    That’s open ended, every site is different and consequently the pricing has to be bespoke, dependent on the exact nature of the problem.
    It varies, but it is the sellers responsibility to ensure the system is compliant prior to sale so often they will but in many cases they agree a reduction in the house price to account for the required works.
    Standard Off mains drainage home surveys typically take 1 hour.
    We manage it, so will deal with the agent to arrange access if required. Once completed we turn the report around within 48 hours as time is often short due to the sale
    If you are looking to purchase off grid, we can normally arrange to visit for a Off Mains Drainage Survey within 5 working days.
    How do I get in touch with you to arrange a survey?
    Simple – just call on 01903 866333

    Which areas do you serve?

    Areas we cover in the south:

    Ward Environmental Services Limited
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