Fosse installed in 2007

Property & Home
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Hi all. I am looking at a property which had a Fosse installed in 2007 which has never been connected/used. I dont think there is a SPANC report as never inspected.
Vague question I know, but is a fosse installed in 2007 likely to be compliant today? If not is it likely to just be small remedial work or a complete refit? Many thanks. Sean

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You need a SPANC report/diagnostic to confirm if it complies or not, they are the only people who can authorise it be compliant. I would make this a point in the negotiations for the property if you intend to buy and drop the price by a good €10,000 minimum to cover any remedial works that might be required. Do not be hoodwinked by any immobilier as to it’s compliant state, they do not care about such things nor does the vendor and you could end up with a very expensive project to finance. 2007 is a long time ago, many new rules have been introduced so I would doubt if it does actually comply but that is what SPANC are for.

3 Likes
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Ask SPANC to inspect it and report on what needs doing… frankly I’d say it’s impossible for anyone to judge “from afar”…

if any doubt… presume the whole thing needs redoing … and get several quotes before offering an appropriately reduced sum to the Seller… (if you re thinking of buying…)

best of luck… and Welcome to the forum… :wink:

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Welcome to the forum! Good luck with your SPANC(k)ing!

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Thank you

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Thanks

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Ours was installed in 2006 a three chamber one it was inspected last month all passed ok.

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Thank you for this

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Unless the same was installed by the same company its meaniless.

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presumably the Owner (whoever) paid for the fosse to be installed… had a plan done, got a detailed invoice etc… which might help shine a little light on the situation… but any guarantees will be out of date now…
A SPANC report really is the answer for both the Buyer and the Seller… in my opinion.

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I agree. We were concerned the fosse in (what is now our house) was non compliant, so negotiated a price reduction in the absence of a recent SPANC report. We estimated a new fosse (back then) would be 8-10k so split this amount 50:50 with the sellers. A year or two later we had a MicroStation installed (basically a mini self contained sewage station) which cost us about 11k.

We were also tipped off by our local builder (who genuinely had no vested interest in the issue) that SPANC were on the warpath locally, and it would only be a matter of time before ours was selected for inspection.

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Thank you

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Thanks very much

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I know I will be corrected if I am wrong but my understanding is that a house cannot be sold without a fosse inspection.
Some friends have just completed the sale of their maison secondaire which they have owned for 15 years. 12 of those years we looked after the property for them and the fosse was never emptied as no one knew exactly where it was.
Part of the sale process involved locating it and an inspection by spank who issued a rectification report.
Not surprisingly it did not conform but thankfully to do so was only going to cost a minimal amount so the buyer was happy.
The new owner now has 12 months to bring it up to standard.
Just to add, what is the current system if the 2007 one isn’t connected?

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When I sold in 2022, I also had to have Véolia come to inspect the water connection, the sewage removal and test each tap/WC on the property to make sure it all conformed with mains drainage rules, cost me €145. I know this is not the same as the septic tank and SPANC but as the Notaire said, yet another way of getting vendors to pay more and more to sell up.

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I’m pretty sure that is correct. When we sold in Deux Sévres in 2018, we had had the fosse inspected by SPANC only a few months before the sale, because an inspection was due. The notaire did comment that this would save us having to do it for the sale and may speed things up a little.

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Am I right in thinking that the compliance (or otherwise) of the fosse would be (or would have been) examined during the Diagnostic Tests that are carried out prior to the sale, and stated in the Diagnostic report?

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Hi Sean,
Under new regulations which came in around the middle of 2023, the seller must provide a full diagnostic for the house, and in addition a spank report.
They may have begun advertising the property before the rule came in, but I am pretty sure it will be necessary for the sale. The new diagnostic is around 1000€, as it includes recommendations for energy efficiency, and the spank report around 300€ (may vary in different departements).
As others have rightly stated, allow 10k€ for a new fosse if not sure, or perhaps put a clause in your offer ‘subject to fosse diagnostic’

Afterthought: Do the owners have the devis and receipt for the fosse? If so it should state wether its a ‘fosse tout eau’ or not?
Best of luck

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Hi Mike,

Not in our departement (14). The house diagnostic is a separate report. The fosse is inspected by the local water authority.

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Given that by suppling my situation may have eased the concern of the OP I would feel that by you stating my comment was meaniless is the sort of comment that dissuades people from posting, it would have been better if you offered what you mean rather than dismissing others comments. My effort was simply to explain that mine a 3 chamber one installed in 2006 passed, Something like it will depend on who installed and what type but each to their own.

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