A drainage expert has shared a warning for conveyancers to be aware of a technical change within the Environment Agency’s General Binding Rules related to drainage.
The Environment Agency updated its official guidance for small sewage discharges to ground, adding specific requirements for discharges into engineered ground.
Tom Perkins from Cumbria Off-Mains says buyers and sellers shouldn’t assume the change automatically makes an existing system non-compliant, and has produced a guide explaining the updates.
“For conveyancers, the important point is not to treat the July 2026 update as a new blanket septic-tank law”, Perkins explained.
“It is a more specific change within the existing General Binding Rules, particularly relevant to discharges into engineered ground where the natural percolation rate has been reduced.
“Where a rural property has a private drainage system, the transaction should establish what system is actually present, where and how it discharges, and whether the drainage field has been replaced or materially altered.
“That helps buyers avoid both unnecessary alarm and the opposite problem of assuming an existing system must automatically be compliant.”
For further information see https://cumbriaoffmains.co.uk/advice/septic-tank-rules-2026-update/
