How much can I charge?

I don't see why I should sell for any less than the maximum I can get for it, do you think that if he was to sell his house he would sell it to me cheaper because we were good neighbour's? Maybe I should offer to buy the house cheap as when the new regs come into force he won't have a legal sh*tter:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:.


That’s not quite the same thing though is it, you even said yourself that field work done by yourself or contractors contributed to the damage to the tank.

Im not saying don’t get the maximum of what the land is worth, you just think you’re entitled to more because you think you “hold all the cards” and so can charge the man whatever you see fit because he has a big house and plenty of money, your words not mine.
 

stroller

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Somerset UK
How is the value of the land not relevant?

No profit is not a dirty word, but it’s not like OP has just bought the land as an investment and looking to make a profit off it.

I just think think this is a situation that should be resolved fairly for both parties, especially when there is a very high chance that damage caused by OP or contractors working for him is the reason behind the damage to the septic tank
.

But I don’t know, maybe my moral compass is more accurate than others and ripping someone off because they have money is the done thing these days?

Also I have never in my life met a farmer who is a pushover when it comes to anything financial.
I think you are misunderstanding the situation, the tank collapsed and the deeds specify that he has to maintain it in a safe condition, it would be a fairly easy repair, some re-pointing to the wall and a new cast concrete lid, probably £750 total. The problem arises because of the new EA regs concerning septic tank discharge to surface water, these come into force from Jan 2020, it is now not possible to sell a house without a compliant system. He has no right to enlarge the system and he will have to put a power supply across a road, the other alternative, subject to percolation tests is to put in a soakaway system, if he does this he can use the current tank, but there can be no vehicular traffic across the system hence why he will have to buy a portion of ground.
I'm not fussed either way either either he pays what I ask or he might possibly be able to put it in his next door neighbours garden although I think that might be tight on space.
 
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Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
One has to remember that if the householder was up against a wall with regards to one of the utilities, or someone like Network Rail, or the local council, would they cut him any slack? No, and there are people on here I expect who have been had over a barrel by the likes of the water or power companies. They never say 'Oh you want your transformer up rating? Thats fine, you're so helpful to our line crews when they need access we'll do it for free' do they? They send you a letter from some faceless nobody at HQ saying 'That'll be £45k + vat, this quote is valid for 28 days'. No face to face personal touch there.

It comes back to the 'Are farmers pushovers?' thread a while ago. Because we are usually owner occupiers running our businesses ourselves, and we deal with all queries from outside bodies and people on a personal basis, we never get to be all 'corporate' about anything, its always face to face. And thats hard for many people, to be hard nosed face to face, when the person asking knows its entirely within your power to say yea or nay. But a lot easier to when you're an employee of a large corporate body 'just doing my job'.

Its one of the things I've learned as I've got older, when faced with making these sort of decisions, don't worry how others may view you afterwards, just trust your own sense of what is fair, and put that on the table and leave it there. If they don't like it they don't have to deal.
 
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I think you are misunderstanding the situation, the tank collapsed and the deeds specify that he has to maintain it in a safe condition, it would be a fairly easy repair, some re-pointing to the wall and a new cast concrete lid, probably £750 total. The problem arises because of the new EA regs concerning septic tank discharge to surface water, these come into force from Jan 2020, it is now not possible to sell a house without a compliant system. He has no right to enlarge the system and he will have to put a power supply across a road, the other alternative, subject to percolation tests is to put in a soakaway system, if he does this he can use the current tank, but there can be no vehicular traffic across the system hence why he will have to buy a portion of ground.
I'm not fussed either way either either he pays what I ask or he might possibly be able to put it in his next door neighbours garden although I think that might be tight on space.

I understand the situation, but you said yourself that it was more than likely work carried out by you or your contractors that caused the damage in the first place.

If someone came into your yard and drove into the side of your shed or broke something and then just drove off after telling you it wasn't their problem because it's your responsibility to maintain your property I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be very happy?
 
One has to remember that if the householder was up against a wall with regards to one of the utilities, or someone like Network Rail, or the local council, would they cut him any slack? No, and there are people on here I expect who have been had over a barrel by the likes of the water or power companies. They never say 'Oh you want your transformer up rating? Thats fine, you're so helpful to our line crews when they need access we'll do it for free' do they? They send you a letter from some faceless nobody at HQ saying 'That'll be £45k + vat, this quote is valid for 28 days'. No face to face personal touch there.

The house owner doesn't want to upgrade it though, he's being forced to because of damage caused by someone else.
 

stroller

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Somerset UK
Beat me to it!

After years of people and organisations telling me what I can and can't do, DEFRA, Wessex water, sweb, neighbour's who don't want muck spread (he eventually saw the error of his ways), to dog walkers who when I politely ask them if they realise they are not on the footpath reply: "I'll walk where I want and there f**k all you can do about it" it feels good to have the whip hand even though it may be brief.
 
You may think you hold all the cards my advise is beware
A land agent tried to screw me out of thousands because a stream was diverted out side a boundary once I saw the figure I immediately diverted it within the boundary much to there disbelief I appolagised for my mistake and returned the area back to original condition at a cost of £100 so lesson to learn if he asked a few quid and a bottle or two then the job would have been done and all happy where since then I have had the agent over a barrel more than once with the boot on the other foot so to say
I think a wayleave agreement as mentioned above will benefit you far more in the future than a pissy neighbour that may get you to re instate the tank because of your contractor I know what I’d do if I was the house owner [emoji57]
 

Grassman

Member
Location
Derbyshire
I cant believe there is no legal precedant for this.

Also find it hard to believe his deeds mention it but not a right to repair.

Finally if I was him I would be charging whoever damaged the old septic tank which was almost certainly the owner of the fields tractor.

I understand the situation, but you said yourself that it was more than likely work carried out by you or your contractors that caused the damage in the first place.

If someone came into your yard and drove into the side of your shed or broke something and then just drove off after telling you it wasn't their problem because it's your responsibility to maintain your property I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be very happy?
You interpretation is interesting. If this tank was not designed to be driven over then it should be clearly marked or fenced. Why should the contractor be at fault for driving over it? That's like expecting the contractor to pay for a set of chain harrows you left in the mowing grass!
Now if it is designed to be driven over then the owner of the tank is responsible for making sure it's fit for purpose.
 

dannewhouse

Member
Location
huddersfield
worst case sinario op has to put tank back to condition before say contractor did damage, £750 but in 2020 the regulations change so house owner will still have to deal with problem. I can see 100% why people want to be "fair" on both sides but ive also had dealings where land agent/people have 1 over on you but hell when you have the upper hand they don't like it.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
Not around here.

The OP is in Somerset though. I can't believe that a £1m property down there doesn't have enough garden space to fit his own combined septic tank/treatment plant in it. There's loads of options that are no bigger than a traditional onion septic tank, in area required, then the outflow is clean and can go direct to a water course, or in this case into the old septic tank and soakaway he already has. And if its in his garden then electric supply isn't a problem.
 

stroller

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Somerset UK
The OP is in Somerset though. I can't believe that a £1m property down there doesn't have enough garden space to fit his own combined septic tank/treatment plant in it. There's loads of options that are no bigger than a traditional onion septic tank, in area required, then the outflow is clean and can go direct to a water course, or in this case into the old septic tank and soakaway he already has. And if its in his garden then electric supply isn't a problem.
He's got enough space, unfortunately it's uphill of the house, downhill is not enough room.
 
He can fit it in his garden, just by fitting a pump then.

Take this as a good opportunity to tell him to paddle his own canoe and remove it from your field.

It’s of no benefit to you being there, get bim to remove it then you don’t have the hassle.

If you do sell it to him I suspect it will need change of use from ag too
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
He can fit it in his garden, just by fitting a pump then.

Take this as a good opportunity to tell him to paddle his own canoe and remove it from your field.

It’s of no benefit to you being there, get bim to remove it then you don’t have the hassle.

If you do sell it to him I suspect it will need change of use from ag too

He may still need the soakaway in the OPs field in the future. Assuming he fits a treatment plant into his garden and pumps from the house uphill to it, he's then going to have to get rid of the outflow from that plant, which will be 'clean' water, or at least clean enough to legally outflow into a water course. But if there is no water course he can (or has permission to) direct it into, he'll have to use the existing septic tank and soakaway as a clean water disposal system.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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