11 September 2024

Buying a property with a borehole? Here’s What You Need to Know

By Debbie Pearce, Cilex Lawyer and Licensed Conveyancer.

Not all residential properties are connected to mains water and sewage. We are all very familiar with septic tanks when the property is not on mains drainage but what is the situation when the property is not connected to mains water?

What is a private water supply?

In North Norfolk, it refers to any water supply that is not provided by Anglian Water and is not connected to the mains supply. According to North Norfolk District Council, there are approximately 450 such supplies in our district.

One of the ways of obtaining a private water supply is via a borehole. A borehole is a hole drilled into the ground which is 60-80 meters deep to access the water. A pump is then installed to bring the water to the surface.

There are regulations under The Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 and The Private Water Supplies (England) (amendment) Regulations 2018 which regulate the provisions of boreholes.

A borehole can be used for a single property or can be shared with several properties. You can extract up to 20,000 litres of water a day without a licence. However, if you extract more than 20,000 litres of water per day or use the borehole for business or agriculture purposes, a licence from the local authority will be required.

If the borehole is shared between at least two domestic properties, there are legal requirements that a risk assessment is completed by the local authority every five years. If the borehole is for a sole property, there is no requirement for this risk assessment, but it is good practice to have this undertaken in any event to ensure the quality of the water.

The local authority will also undertake water sampling to check the levels of iron and Manganese, Nitrate and Nitrite and microbiological failure. These can all affect the quality and safety of the water supply.

It is essential when purchasing a property with a borehole that you request copies of the most recent risk assessment and water assessment records from the local authority. If these have not been completed, it is advisable to ask the seller to have these completed before proceeding with the purchase.

A borehole can be an asset to the property as it provides water without the requirement to pay a water provider. If there are full risk assessments, water sampling assessments and maintenance logs for the pump it can be a more economical way of obtaining water. However, you should ensure that you fully investigate the costs of the ongoing inspections and maintenance of the water pump and costs associated with replacing the water pump if necessary.

For more information on buying a property with a borehole, email: debbie.pearce@hayes-storr.com or call: 01328 863231 and ask to speak to our residential property department.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.