We have just received the Compromis de Vente on a property and we were surprised to find the following in it:
Sanitation - Wastewater - The building is located in a town with a public wastewater collection network that has been in service for more than two years, but it is not connected to this public network. …
In addition, the attention of the purchaser is drawn to the provisions of article L.1331-1 of the Public Health Code, which requires owners to connect the building to the public wastewater collection network in the two years from the commissioning of the public collection network then, upon connection to the public network and in application of article L.1331-5 of the Public Health Code, to put, at their expense, the previous installations out of service. state of serving or creating future nuisances.
The property has a non-collective sewage system (which needs upgrading).
So the questions are:
Is this a big thing?
Is this an expensive thing?
What sort of ball-park cost are we talking about (piece of string, I know)
Should we have been informed of this before now?
Any comments welcomed 'cos we are a little shocked and I’m sure we are all more concerned about the lockdown… but we thought this purchase was all over ‘bar the shouting’. Maybe not.
I do not know why this information was not in the description of the property.
We bought many years ago and it was made very clear that we had a duty to connect to the mains.
Are you sure the costs to do all this… are not reflected in the asking price…??
Where I live… there is a charge to actually connect to the “public sewer”… (over and above the cost of pipes/work which is obviously paid by the property owner.)
This might not be so in the rest of France… but it might be worth having a word with the Mairie about this “connection” charge…
and check the property paperwork and Reports… it should have been noted/picked-up before now… in my view… if not you could be discussing with the Seller and/or notaire…
Hi Stella. I hope you and yours are in robust health.
The Notaire just got back to me saying:
No, don’t worry, it a general provision saying that if one day the Commune (Mayor) decides to create a main drainage, of course everybody shall get connected to, in the 2 following years. Forget it…
When I pointed out that the commune HAS a public wastewater collection network he replied:
No, I can amend this part, it is a standard provision, again forget it and focus on what I said previously.
Strange way to do business.
Best wishes
PS The SPANC (makes me giggle) report makes no mention of this.
sounds like things are going to be ok… but do check what is actually written… once the notaire has made the amendment.
With folk who have a non-confirming wastewater system… make sure what you are taking on.
If it is NOT conforming right now… as the New Owner you could/would find yourself dutybound to get it put right within 12/24 months depending on local politics …
Just check and double check the wording and do keep asking more and more questions of the Notaire… if you are dutybound to bring the waste to the proper norms… that could well be expensive… you do need to know officially where you stand…
I’ve received a similar thing within an Annexes Vente - totally unexpected given that a) the house has had all new plumbing professionally installed within the past two years and b) it wasn’t mentioned in the AdV. However, it isn’t clear within the AV as it states, under Assainissement Collectif , ‘ne sait pas’ but - it is connected to the mains drainage system and my solicitor simply advised that there isn’t an inspection point, i.e. a manhole/regard and that this would have to be rectified. I sought advice elsewhere and had to convince people that I hadn’t got a fosse septique. Last year my son sold a place he’d inherited and the diagnostician put a blue liquid into the wastes and walked down the road to an inspection point to ensure that the substance had completed its journey. I’m hoping that this is the same situation, i.e. that the inspection point is down the road.
