The importance of carrying out a drainage and water search before buying a property has been highlighted in a recent survey of 1000 conveyancing solicitors across England and Wales. The search, known as a CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry, provides comprehensive and authoritative information as well as being fully guaranteed and offering a high level of customer protection. It also provides solicitors with the confidence that they’ve fulfilled their obligation to their customer and have demonstrated due diligence. Solicitors across England and Wales said they relied on the information obtained in the search report, which helps them interpret the risks and liabilities of a property’s sewerage and water services.
From the survey, 90 per cent of solicitors said they would recommend clients have a CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry, even if it was not a required document within a Home Information Pack (HIP). This is higher than any other search, and highlights the importance of the enquiry in property transactions. One solicitor surveyed commented: “It is information that every buyer should have on their property. If it wasn’t compulsory, people wouldn’t know what they aren’t being informed about.”
The survey revealed that 71 per cent of solicitors believe that the CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry should be a compulsory document in all residential property transactions.
Sharon Chapman, the Searches Manager at Wessex Water, said: “It is great to see that conveyancing solicitors throughout England and Wales realise the importance of obtaining an official CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry in all residential property transactions. The search has facilitated hundreds of thousands of home moves and will continue to do so in the future.”
The survey also revealed, however, that one in ten solicitors would not recommend that their clients carry out a CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry, with 34 per cent citing their reason for this was that they believed the information could be found on the property’s water bill, however, this just isn’t so. It is true that a water bill can give information on the basis of charging but all other essential information on water and sewerage services to a property can only be obtained in a CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry.
The CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry, includes, not only the basis of charging, but also the connection status, water quality, location of pipes and whether a sewer or water main is subject to a build-over or adoption agreement. It also includes details of service issues including whether the property is at risk of sewer flooding or low water pressure, and the distance to the nearest sewage treatment works. A water bill cannot be used as the source for this vital information, which is necessary to protect client’s interests when buying a property.
Although only one in ten solicitors would rely on the water bill instead of a full search report in residential property transactions, it is still concerning to see some solicitors deem the water bill as a replacement for a HIP-compliant search report which contains 23 detailed questions and answers, and protects everyone within the conveyancing process, including the buyer, the seller, the lender and the solicitor.
In reality, however, as the most highly recommended search report in residential property transactions, it is evident that solicitors rely on the information they obtain from a CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry because they know they can trust it, with 95 per cent of solicitors considering it to be a trustworthy document. This isn’t surprising when you consider that the report is created by the Water Companies of England and Wales, the guardians of the public water and sewer networks and the providers of t
his data. They have unprecedented expertise in understanding the nature and complexity of the information and produce, on average, just over one million s earches each year.
Sharon Chapman added: “Each Water Company works hard to deliver a reliable and informative product and excellent customer service, so it’s no surprise that 94 per cent of solicitors are satisfied with the CON29DW Drainage and Water Enquiry.
“Water Companies constantly strive to improve the product and service provided, and we monitor the information that we hold to ensure the accuracy of our data. We are continually making improvements to our IT systems and offer high standards of consumer protection, providing a benchmark for other search providers in the market.”