Yes just keep breathing! We were promised signing late May / early June latest, moved over, kids in school, rented a gite. Finally signed mid august!
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Finally have some progress! Notaire said about 8weeks for signing. Puts me at the end of May/June-ish also⌠So at least will enjoy the summer! Spring looks so beautiful from all the photos posted.
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So, April is about to exit and still here waiting on âstuffâ. Diagnostics came in. All Ok EXCEPT for the sewage not being connected to mains. Had a heart attack when I read in the Promesse De Vente that I could GO TO JAIL or PAY EU 75000 if I didnât connect in a year!!! Anybody know if this is a normal contract clause? Can I have it taken out before signing???
Itâs warning you of the possible implications - the notaire wonât be knocking on your door.
There are obligations on buyers to make their âwasteâ comply - not always policed - but they exist.
But the contract is pointing out your obligations - which in part is the notaires job
might be an idea to talk with the Mairie (whoever) to see what the situation is. Itâs often when a fosse doesnât comply⌠and/or mains are not connected⌠that enforcement is on hold until the property is sold⌠then the onus drops onto the Buyer to get things done within the stated timeframe.
Quite often, although 12 months might be stated, if works take a little longer⌠so long as the Mairie (or whoever) is aware that things are in-hand⌠and on the go⌠then all should be well (but thatâs not a given⌠so check things out.)
There will be costs, which might be considerable, depending on the situation. You should have been aware from the outset that MDrainage would be needed. Best to get a devis asap and plan it into your finances.
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@Kvk When a house is sold the law requires a drainage inspection report to be included in the documentation of the sale. When the report shows a problem with the drains, then the new owner of the property has one year from the date of acquiring the property to carry out whatever work is necessary in order to bring the waste water / sewage system into conformity with the rules governing such things.
The cost of bringing the system into compliance may be many thousands of âŹuro, so it would be a very good idea to find out what the cost will be BEFORE you finally sign to buy the house.
Then, if the estimate for fixing it is say 10 thousand âŹuro, you have the opportunity of haggling with the vendor about who is going to pay.
It is the law that the drainage report MUST be a part of the contract of sale, and also it is the law that any faults / problems MUST be rectified by the new owner within one year of buying the property.
All very much a case of âBuyer Bewareâ.
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We knew our house needed a septic tank before we even offered to buy it so we put in a lower offer to reflect this. Our septic tank installed last May cost about 8000 euros. It is a 2 bedroomed house with space for the tank and epandage and good access. We are now having problems with the internal plumbing and are hoping a much needed bathroom renovation will solve this. Taking all this into account perhaps you should negotiate a lower price with the vendor.
@Kvk Unless youâve already signed⌠take a deep breath⌠mention to the Vendor that you need to assess the cost of âdrainsâ before proceeding⌠then step back, while you get a quote/devis and decide how to continue with the purchase⌠or to walk away.
(You will need to ensure your available funds can handle all this⌠Drains must be done. )
The Vendor might well accept a lower offer to allow for this unexpected expenseâŚ
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@Kvk OK. So letâs say that the estimate for fixing the drains is 10,000 Euro. If you do nothing, then you are going to have to pay that sum within 12 months in order to fix the drains. So the vendor wishes to make a sale, and may be willing to contribute towards the 10,000 by either reducing the selling price by that amount, or going 50 / 50 with you. Good idea to ask the agent whether or not there is anyone else interested in making the purchase. You could start by asking the vendor to reduce the house price by the 10,000 that you are going to have to spend within 12 months, as you would be required to do by law.
If the vendor wonât budge on the price, and you canât afford the 10,000, then just walk away and donât buy the house.
The important thing is to get an estimate of how much fixing the drains is going to cost BEFORE you sign the Acte de Vente that is the purchase contract. Perhaps it will only be 5,000, or perhaps it might be 15,000, but you need to know exactly what you may be letting yourself in for. The cost will vary greatly depending on the size of the house, the availability of land, and the type of subsoil that exists in that location.
In addition to the survey by SPANC that said that the drains need fixing, there should be an additional and separate report that gives details of HOW it can be fixed in a way that complies with regulations. It is the âHow to fix itâ report that a contractor will need to see in order to be able to give an estimate of the cost of the work.
Also, donât forget about the possible collateral damage that may occur to driveways, terraces, lawns, or gardens by a contractor digging trenches and substantial tank emplacements with a mini-pelle. (A small âbackhoeâ in US English)
Depending on what the âHow to fix itâ report says, there is always the possibility of having to re-route waste water pipes inside the house to reach a different exit point from the building.
May I suggest that you plant your foot firmly on the brake pedal until such time as you know all the ins and outs of the costs and collateral damage of fixing the drains.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I would not like you to end up being stung with large and unexpected bills.
I was just reading on a Facebook group called âseptic tanks in Franceâ that the fine for not bringing your system into compliance is 200Euros every year they fine you. And depending on the area they may not come around or care. I have no idea if thatâs true or not but for 200 a year you could delay for quite a few years before paying the thousands to get properly set up.
I thought the fine was considerably more than that but now I cant find where I read about it.
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Tbh I had always understood that that is exactly what a lot of french people do if they are in this situation; just pay the fine each year which was, I thought, actually less than you said, but I likely had old figures. Multiple people have told me this over the years, but whether it is something of an urban myth that you can get away with doing so or not I have no idea, I always take these things with a punch of salt.
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As I understand things, the aim/most important thing is that the sewage/whatever does not contaminate any waterway and/or neighbouring lands etc⌠ie no hazard to health of humans/wildlife.
The bottom line is that if there is contamination, due to the person (defaulter) ignoring the official request/demand to put the system into good order, then that person (defaulter) could be in very serious trouble.
It is wise to discuss with the Mairie and keep both sides informed of what is going on⌠there might be grants etc⌠who knows. We were told we could delay (with the Maireâs blessing)⌠as Mains was coming within 2 years. We went straight onto Mains as soon as we could⌠phew.
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Prison sentence as well as substantial fine running into thousands of Euros IIRCâŚ
We walked away from a property purchase when the integrity of an underground heating oil tank couldnât be verified as sound - the seller (English) refused to pay for the inspection 
Our friendly maire in our commune advised us so. The notaire was useless and the owner shrugged his shoulders and avoided eye contact. We walked out of the compris meeting accordingly.
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We are currently in the compromis de vente process for a house with a non-compliant fosse septique. We knocked down our offer to account for the issue and a few others. Then we got a got an estimate for âŹ13K for a âcompact wastewater treatment systemâ by WPL Diamond (UK). Definitely not your old concrete septic tank. My guess the cost is a bit above average because of the basement rework that has to be done. French law says it must be fixed within one year. Why risk it?
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Indeed. Especially as we are now all Third Country Nationals in French eyes.
Hi billd welcome to SF
seems not bad value for money⌠we paid 10k⏠for a concrete fosse installation around 2012 for our new build.
Hello @Billd and welcome to the forum⌠glad to hear youâre getting the waste-water etc sorted out.
Is this your first French property??
I was interested to learn the big difference between the anaerobic old concrete septic tanks and the new aerobic systems that have a bubbler that aerates and turns over the system. As long as we donât need a new leach field, weâre happy.
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