Water and Drainage Search
02/11/2022
(Last Updated: 14/04/2023)
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5 min read
Key Takeaways
- A water and drainage search is mandatory if you're buying using a mortgage and checks how your property is connected to mains water & sewage and if any public sewage and water pipes are located withing the property boundary.
- If any public water or drainage pipes are identified on your land, the local authority has to right to access it and carry out any maintenance works, which can be frustrating for you as a homeowner.
- All information is collected from the relevant water authority. You can read an example below.
- You can order this search for a fixed fee of £106 INC VAT and the turnaround time is 10-14 days.
Surface water flooding has become a serious issue in recent times in England and Wales and so good access to drainage is highly important. If you're buying a house, it is important to check how this will affect your property.
Your conveyancing solicitor will read your water and drainage search and advise you if any matters of concern are flagged up.
What is a water and drainage search?
A water and drainage search is one of the main four property searches and it targets essential information relating to a property’s access to water and drainage facilities.
Search companies compile data from the relevant water authority and the report is in the form of a number of essential questions with a summary answer to each, then later sections analyse in much greater depth each question asked.
If you are buying a property with a mortgage, lenders require you to buy this search. Cash buyers, while not requiring it, are advised to get it for peace of mind. It is important to know that should any public water or drainage pipe be identified on your land/property, the local water authority has the right to access it to carry out works.
This can be an unpleasant experience for homeowners, which is why a water and drainage search is recommended, even as a cash buyer.
Some lenders require buyers to order this search directly from the relevant water company and not a search company as a water company will have greater access to data.
However, search companies are invariably insured for indemnity should a lack of data result in a disaster and a search company’s water and drainage search is normally less expensive.
What does a drainage search reveal?
The main points covered in this search are:
|  |
Where applicable, maps can be provided in this report. These include Public Sewer Plans and Waterworks Plans.
This report will only highlight public water lines and drains, as these are the only ones the local water authority is responsible for. Should there be any private supply pipes or drains within the boundary of the property, the buyer is responsible for further investigating how this affects the property.
Drainage |
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|---|---|
Water |
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Charging |
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Getting a water and drainage search is essential as it tells you if the property is connected to main water supply and drainage. If that is not the case, extra costs will be incurred in order to manage the property. This is important information, which might deter buyers from going ahead with the transaction.
For example, if you're interested in buying a new build property, it is recommended to check if the development has an adoption agreement in place with the local water authority. If that is not the case, you might be forced to invest in private water supply and drainage options.
Fixed fee of £106 INC VAT | Delivered within 10-14 days
Frequently Asked Questions
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Written by:
Andrew Boast
Andrew started his career in 2000 working within conveyancing solicitor firms and grew hands on knowledge of a wide variety of conveyancing challenges and solutions. After helping in excess of 50,000 clients in his career, he uses all this experience within his article writing for SAM, mainstream media and his self published book How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone.
Reviewed by:
Caragh Bailey
Caragh is an excellent writer in her own right as well as an accomplished copy editor for both fiction and non-fiction books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey and mortgage related articles.
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